George Mason University School of Theater
Strategic Planning Addendum
Goals and Metrics Relating to Mason’s Ten-Year Goals
Actions of the School of Theater contributing to Mason as a regional Economic and
Cultural Engine:
1. Enrollment and Graduates
a. Detailed in CVPA Ten-Year Goals Enrollment Planning
2. Catalyst for economic growth and innovation
a. School of Theater will train both current and future theater educators
i. School of Theater hosts a teacher in-service day each year for
Fairfax County Schools
Metrics: Connect Mason to tailored, need-based professional training
 Once each semester; Assess in collaboration with teachers and schools
 Connect with 100% of Fairfax County Theater Teachers within the next two
years
 Grow that model to serve other counties
 Connect with 100% of Theater Teachers in Prince William/Greater
Manassas within four years
 Connect with 100% of Theater Teachers in Fauquier, Strafford within eight
years
 Connect with 100% of Theater Teachers in Loudon within ten years
 Fee-Based Summer Sessions (through OCPA or CEHD) in specific topics, as
requested by teachers and schools [IE: design, technical theater, stage
combat, directing, etc.]
ii. School of Theater will create a Masters-level program in Theater
(with each concentration area represented) specifically for teachers
and professionals in the field
 Theater Educators in public and private school settings would be able to
enhance their professional standing with graduate study and degree
 Reach sustainable numbers for a program in Theater Education (6-8
graduate students per theater education class) within three years
 Reach sustainable numbers for the undergraduate concentration in Theater
Education (6-8 graduate students per theater education class) within three
years
 Professionals in the field will use Mason as a critical step when transitioning
from the larger industry to academia. We anticipate one new graduate
student for an MAIS in Theater per year, in the first three years.
 Recruit graduate students in each area of emphasis within ten years
b. School of Theater will be a national leader in STEAM dialogue and
projects
i. “STEAM Table” discussions will continue to grow participation
and projects will emerge.
 2014-2015 Season of Innovation will focus on STEM
 Partner in regional STEAM Conference in 2014
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 Host National STEAM Conference in 2015
3. Community Connection to the Arts
a. Audience Growth
b. Develop 2-Way Dynamic- bringing community to Mason and serving
community through production and interdisciplinary cooperation
Metrics:
 Establish appropriate signage within two years
 Establish appropriate lobby space for audiences within five-ten years
 Grow Friends of Theater by 5% per annum
 Grow student scholarship dollars to double current levels over five years
 Support sustained programming in musical theater during budget
constriction
o Cabaret performances each semester
o Building to annual musical theater offerings
 Improve season planning and audience “education” to include:
o Audience polling (per show and annually)
o Dialogue with Friends (annual plenary)
o Connect 20% of THR classes with season/production
 Utilize and fill all Mason performance spaces- including CFA and HPAC- in
a two-year cycle of utilization
 Access audience response per show and provide audience feedback annually
 Announce season by April 1
4. “Mason Learning Experiences”
a. Utilize Distance Education to “Bring the World to Theater at Mason and
Theater at Mason to the World”
b. Grow Professional Guest Artist Residencies
Metrics:
 Connect one guest artist event through distance technology over the next
three years and once per semester following
 Offer one class each fall that brings professional artists and individuals
(particularly alumni) who have applied theater skills in industries outside
“entertainment”
 Enhance fund to support the Professional Artist Residency in Theater over
the next ten years to $1.5M endowment.
5. Research Activity
a. Production seasons exploring great work
b. Producing original work and supporting innovation in the art
Metrics:
 Six regular season productions, plus four special events, per academic year
 At least one class per semester that encourages original student work
 At least one class per year that engages innovation in production and/or
technology
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
Produce 6-8 original student work for stage and screen as part of season in
the Ten Minute Play Festival
6. Impactful Interdisciplinary Work
a. Partnering with FAVS in Film Making
b. STEAM Table discussion and projects
c. Application of Theater as performance, design, presentation
Metrics:
 Develop a cycle of collaborative film making between FAVS and THR to
produce at least one film every two years
 Host two STEAM Table discussions per semester
 Develop partners for at least one major STEAM project per year
 Develop a new course in presentation skills for all university disciplines for
the General Education Synthesis requirement
 Develop a new THR course in Design as Performance, intended additional
targets: engineering and IT students at Mason
7. Global Efforts
a. 1001 Tales, An International New Play Development Initiative
b. Tie into international efforts using theater for communicating science
c. Build on a foundation of internationally connected faculty
Metrics:
 Build a sustainable web presence for sharing new plays between university
students around the world
 Establish international play readings as a continuing part of International
Week on Mason’s campus
 Establish partnerships with the Centers for Communicating Science at Stony
Brook and Banff
 Grow Theater at Mason’s presence during Mason’s STEM Week through at
least one event each year
 Encourage faculty to tie into the global government presence in the DC
region and connect with theaters, artists and university programs around the
world with support
o Covering classes
o Connecting the work of classes to showings and events
o Advocating for support for release
8. Well-Being and Diversity
a. Grow student awareness of theater classes as places of self-expression and
exploration
b. Expand offerings stressing theater’s application in other disciplines
c. Establish new and summer programming (musical, graduate work,
certifications) to reach a wider and more diverse audiences, including
availability to historically underrepresented groups
d. Expand the offerings of classes in living within the art and applying it in
the marketplace
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Metrics:
 List theater as part of the University Wellness initiative
 Market class offerings through University Life and Admissions
Opportunities through the summer and at the start of each semester
 Workshops and classes that connect theater to other disciplines
o Art as Social Action, Global Studies, Translation and Adaptation, etc
o Partner with Sexual Assault Victims Advocacy Service of Prince
William County in Spring 2014 to offer a class and public
performance using mask as therapy, as a model for future externally
funded academic projects
 Establish Graduate Program through MAIS by 2015
 Establish Summer Music Program by 2018
 Increase recruiting efforts and utilize marketing opportunities to
underrepresented groups, focus and results to be based upon the 2013
Academic Program Review findings
 Continue offering classes in well-being as part of artistic practice
o Yoga and Meditation
o Contemporary Play Reading
9. New Funding Models
a. Integrate academic work into projects that partner with external
organizations
b. Align performance activities to specifically meet objectives: School,
college and University recruiting, development, protocol, student morale
and retention and public outreach
c. Increase opportunities linking academic classes with ticket sales and other
fundraising efforts
d. Increase support staff to support marketing and development for the
School of Theater
Metrics:
 See: Partner with Sexual Assault Victims Advocacy Service of Prince
William County in Spring 2014 to offer a class and public performance using
mask as therapy, as a model for future externally funded academic projects
 Create schedules and timelines annually with clear and open communication
to connect our six productions with at least two open house events per year,
six audition/portfolio review opportunities per year, and two targeted offcampus events per semester
 Perform musical theater cabaret student finals at least three times per
semester
 Create annual musical theater fundraising dinner with cabaret
 Develop curriculum for Christmas Carol (or other appropriate musical) for
bi-annual production, in collaboration with the School of Music
 Hire additional staff
o Full-time staff person for development within the next five years
o Additional faculty in Performance within five years
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