Knowledge Standard #5
The career development/planning process and how to integrate employability skills into the curriculum
Embedded Files
Knowlesrec.pdfEvidence: Letter from former student Ashley Knowles
Description: In this letter, former student Ashley Knowles describes her experience in my program and how conversations there led her to pursue a career in stage management: "He had a knack for easing us into making decisions about the art that set us up for success further down the road. I was initially interested in acting, but after a few conversations with him, he encouraged me to stage manage. I fell in love with the backstage side of the process which I pursued further in college, and here I am."
Analysis: Of the students who enter the theatre classroom with the intention of making theatre a career, many come in with the hopes of becoming actors. Theatre and other forms of entertainment can be, despite popular tropes, a career with a decent wage and employment opportunities, but the truth is that most of these jobs are not on the stage or on camera, but behind it. I stress to my students that a career backstage or behind the camera can be as fulfilling- and certainly more lucrative- than acting, and I am fortunate enough that a number have listened to this advice. Ashley in the current Associate Director of the Ensemble Program at TADA! Youth Theatre in NYC, a position she rose too after starting off as a stage manager. Honest discussion with students about the prospects within the field are important, and can elucidate paths within the industry they may not have investigated; this allows them to set a course of action- work or study after high school- that will lead them to gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
ART handbook 2020.docx.pdfEvidence: ART Handbook
Description: Employability skills are a vital, embedded part of the work in ART; the Handbook is the guide for expected behaviors that are based upon the common courtesies needed on the worksite.
Analysis: Setting policies and procedures within the program early in the year is essential for two reasons: first, it sets up the expectations for behavior within the rehearsal space and scene shop to ensure safety and productivity; next, it begins to ingrain the work habits that will follow students out of the classroom and onto the worksite. In the Handbook, I have tried to curate and emphasize the habits and skills that will help young performers and technicians in their work- the ability to find employment in the industry is often based upon one's reputation on previous jobs, and I desire my students to have stellar reputations. Evidence of this may be found in the letter written by Mary Longey, stage manager at Middlebury's Town Hall Theatre, in which she details her experience working with former ART student Peter Orzech (now a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union in Raleigh, NC).
Page updated
Report abuse