4.32A.2    Programs In This Cluster

·     Theater Arts

4.32B.2    Overall Goals For This Cluster

Short Term:  

·     The course offerings in theater arts will be expanded.  New courses will be added that will develop higher levels of competence in students.   Other courses will be redesigned to provide theory and skills for students to become gainfully employed.  Additional sections of current course offerings will be offered.

·     Course numbering will be reviewed so that assigned numbers will correspond to CAN.

·     Support staff composed of work study students and a classified department secretary to be shared with the speech communication cluster will enable this task and other ongoing departmental paper work requirements to be met in a timely manner.

·     The costume storage and classroom area will be reorganized and costume storage caged to eliminate theft, vandalism and casual snooping.  Specialized courses will be introduced so students can develop particular skills.  These courses may be cross listed or taken in conjunction with courses in other departments as diverse as Art, Photography, Drafting and Welding.

·     A black box theater will be created to provide more versatility and community service.

Long Term:  

·     Additional courses will continue to be added to departmental offerings. 

·     A Black Box Theater and connected shops can be constructed to support departmental offerings and interdepartmental and community uses.  A more detail description of this building is presented later.

4.32C.2    Specific Goals, Objectives And Resource Needs For This Cluster

Short Term Objectives:  

·     Course outlines for theater will be updated.

·     50% of courses will be renumbered and assigned numbers corresponding to CAN.

·     Establish professional relationship with colleagues at neighboring campuses.

Long Term Objectives:  

·     All courses, where possible, will be assigned numbers corresponding to CAN.

·     Establish tracking system for department transfer students to senior/transfer institutions.

Resources Required - Short Term:  

Personnel  

·     Student support (work/study).

Facilities/Equipment  

·     None identified.

Other Requirements  

·     Adjunct (additional) to replace full-time faculty as required by program growth.

Professional Development  

·     Release time for full-time faculty for articulation.

Resources Required - Long Term:  

Personnel  

·     Same as above.

Facilities/Equipment  

·     Same as above.

Other Requirements  

·     Same as above.

Professional Development  

·     Same as above.

Short Term Objectives:  

·     Offer additional/redesigned courses in theater:

·     Elements of Costume Design - Fall 1998

·     Costume construction - Spring 1999

·     Resume’/portfolio development - Fall 1999

·     Survey of Theater History to 1700’s - Fall 1999

·     Survey of Theater History 1700-present - Spring 2000

·     Theater for Young Audiences - Summer 1998

·     Costume/Makeup Workshop-Special Needs - Summer 1998

·     Voice and Articulation (cross listed as a speech course) - Spring 1999

·     Oral Interpretation II (cross listed as a speech course) - Spring 2000

·     Reader’s Theater (cross listed as a speech course) - Fall 2001

·     Beginning Directing - Fall 2001

·     Offer additional sections of stagecraft - Spring 1999.

·     Begin Associate American College Theater Festival (ACTF) - 1998-1999.

Long Term Objectives:  

·     Offer additional courses in Theater:

·     Introduction to Scene Design - Spring 2002

·     Intermediate Directing - Fall 2002

·     Play/script writing - Spring 2003

·     Creative Dramatics - Fall 2003

·     Children’s Theater Workshop (Touring) - Spring 2004

·     Costume - technical sewing - Spring 2000

·     Specialized courses in creating costumes (cross-listed with Art, Sculpture, Welding)

·     Textiles, Dyeing, Beading, Weaving, Silk screening - dates to be determined

·     Full participation in ATCF - 2001.

Resources Required - Short Term:  

Personnel  

·     Add full-time technical theater faculty position as required by program growth.

·     Add two more adjunct faculty as needed for growth.

·     Add a costume lab assistant to accommodate growth.

Facilities/Equipment  

·     Painting pit for scene design.

·     Theater computer lab for design classes.

·     Black Box space in off-campus location:  The description and requirements for a Black Box Theater are in the summary of requirements.

Other Requirements  

·     Funds for field trips for costume students.

·     Software costs for CAD programs for design.

Professional Development  

·     Attendance at Speech and Theater Arts national conferences (National Communication Association, American Educational Theater Association, etc.).

·     California Consortium.

·     Faculty Training; Costume Designers Guild Presentations.

Resources Required - Long Term:  

Personnel  

·     1.0 FTE in Theater Arts (costume/make-up) as required by program growth.

·     Additional adjunct faculty as needed for growth.

Facilities/Equipment  

·     Build a black box theater if one has not been created in an existing off-campus location (see short term facilities and equipment).

·     Vehicle for touring children’s workshop company (van or station wagon).

·     Portable light and sound equipment for touring.

·     Portable make-up and costume facilities for touring.

Other Requirements  

·     Building costs for Multi-purpose facility and black box theater will be determined by choice of converting existing facilities or building new ones.

·     Additional funds to cover tour expenses: 

·     Lighting, sound, etc.

·     Vehicle

Professional Development  

·     Attendance at Theater Arts national conferences (National Communication Association, American Educational Theater Association, etc.).

·     California Consortium.

Short Term Objectives:  

·     We will have adequate lighting in the costume class area.

·     We will have adequate sewing machines for costume classes.

·     We will have the facilities to enclose costume storage, secure and retrieve costumes in an organized fashion.

Long Term Objectives:  

·     We will have an automated rack for organized storage and access to costumes.

·     We will have a full-time faculty member who can teach costuming and makeup and supervise the costume shop.

·     We will have the capacity to create costumes for rental to community and visiting performers.

Resources Required - Short Term:  

Personnel  

·     Costume lab assistant as needed for program growth.

Facilities/Equipment  

·     Shelving, cataloging, hanging equipment for costume shop. 

·     Dropped fluorescent lights hung with chains.

·     Industrial quality overlock sewing machine.

·     Portable sewing machine.

·     Dress form.

Other Requirements  

·     On-going upkeep of sewing machines and other costume shop equipment.

Professional Development  

·     None identified.

Resources Required - Long Term:  

Personnel  

·     1.0 FTE faculty who can teach costume and make up as required by program growth.

·     Adjunct faculty as needed for growth.

Facilities/Equipment  

·     Automated Storage rack (like the dry cleaners use).

·     If a black box theater is built on campus, it would be logical to include an area for costume classes.  There is no area for growth in the present facility in PAC.

Other Requirements  

·     None identified.

Professional Development  

·     None identified.

4.32D.2    Summary Of Requirements For This Cluster

Short Term (1998-2000):  

Personnel  

·     Student worker.

·     1.0 FTE technical theater faculty as required by program growth.

·     Adjunct faculty as needed for growth.

Facilities/Equipment  

·     BLACK BOX THEATER - TWO CHOICES

I.  OFF CAMPUS LOCATION

The description and requirements for a Black Box Theater that follow are drawn from the facilities plan submitted in 1994.

A “Black Box Theater” is an unadorned, flexible performance space that has no fixed seating and no fixed stage area. A variety of staging types are possible including thrust and in-the-round.  The term “black box” comes from the fact that most of these small performing spaces are painted basic flat black.  Seating is very limited, usually no more than 100 to 110 seats.  They are used for a variety of small performances that don’t require full-sized theaters including student productions, laboratory productions, acting and technical workshops, classes, etc.

The concept of a black box theater in a shopping center is not new.  There are several in the greater Los Angeles area that serve the outlying communities or colleges.  All of these black boxes are housed in buildings that were modified to provide the kind of central performing space needed for a black box theater.

For a typical black box theater, the following would be required:

·     Square footage:  Approximately 1,600 square feet would be needed for the actual performing space including the audience area.  It needn’t be perfectly square (40’ x 40’), but close to it.  Additionally, some 300 square feet of storage, backstage, and auxiliary space would be needed, bringing the total to 1,900 to 2,000 square feet.

·     Electrical requirements:  For a small to moderate sized lighting system, a dedicated 200 amp power source would be needed.  In addition, a separate source of 100 amps for sound, outlets, and work lights would be required.

·     Height requirements:  A clear floor-to-overhead height of 12 to 14 feet would be ideal.  A clearance of 10 feet would be absolutely minimum.

·     Parking:  Parking for 40 to 60 vehicles would be needed assuming an audience of approximately 100 and a cast and crew of approximately 12.  Since virtually all performances would take place in the evenings and around weekends, adequate parking lot lighting would be a necessity.

A “black box” theater is a performance/laboratory/classroom space that is used on a daily basis throughout the year.  It can be an attractive addition to any shopping center in that it can bring an average of 85 to 100 people a week into the center.  During performances, the average would be much higher.  Additionally, arrangements could be made with a center restaurant to offer “dinner theater” in conjunction with performance.  There are many possibilities available with neighboring merchants.

There are many additional uses of the black box theater besides the Theater Department’s utilization.  The space could be used by the various community theater groups for their productions.  With the installation of appropriate equipment, it could also be the origination point for distance delivery of academic courses, teleconferencing and marketing.  It also places the College out into the community to make our mission and presence more visible.

In summary, a “black box theater” located in a store front of a local shopping center offers considerable advantages to the college, the shopping center, the community, and to the students.

II.  ON CAMPUS FACILITY

A facility built on campus could be designed to meet a variety of needs and allow creative use of a variety of departments on campus.

In addition to the basic features in choice one, the following cross departmental functions could be served:

·     Drafting lab: set design and conventional drafting

·     Lighting lab: lighting design and facility for photography for special projects and video production

·     Costume lab: costume courses and development of a facility to rent costumes to outside groups

·     Scene shop with facilities not available in the present stagecraft area such as paint pit

Other Requirements  

·     None identified.

Professional Development  

·     None identified.

Long Term (2001-2005+):  

Personnel  

·     1.0 FTE faculty who can supervise costume facility in addition to teaching responsibilities (costume/makeup) as required by program growth.

·     Instruction aide in theater arts will assist instructors in all areas of preparation for classes and productions including instructions, materials and equipment; design and construction of stage sets, scene shop and storage maintenance, production and distribution of advertising programs and other departmental business as needed for growth.

Facilities/Equipment  

·     See short term.

Other Requirements  

·     None identified.

Professional Development  

·     None identified.