# Senior Project



## techiesfixit (Mar 21, 2016)

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask or if I am giving enough info, but at this point I would just love creative input. 

I am a junior stage management student who has experience with lighting design and basic skills in all other areas except costuming. I am needing to propose a senior capstone project to showcase the cummulative knowledge gained from my BFA program. There are no limitations placed on me by the department. Any ideas would be fantastic. 

More information: I am hoping to go into Arts Management for grad school. I will be the first stage manager to do a capstone project. 

Thank you in advance for your ideas or input.


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## themuzicman (Mar 21, 2016)

It helps to throw out some ideas you currently have in an effort to help focus them down. Going "I do this, but the sky is the limit" really won't help you, unless you are in to the idea.


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## chawalang (Mar 22, 2016)

my 2 cents

If you are looking to do an arts management MFA program it would be great to do a project related to that.

Maybe write a hypothetical paper for grants, maybe create something that shows you can go into development, how you would get donors interested wether they are corporations or wealthy individuals.

Do a research project on different types of business models in the entertainment biz, for example regional theatre, non profits, broadway/vegas model, corporate entertainment. How can you make each one sustainable?

Research how a C.B.A is done at a venue from all legal, monetary and logistical stand points from a labor union and the producing organization.


Create a project that outlines an org chat for different kinds of organizations, this can show how one would manage and organization and create who reports to who, present the appropriate research.

Just a few thoughts, good luck!


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## burgherandfries (Apr 2, 2016)

Is this a research capstone or more of a practicum?

If arts management such as development, producing, or executive directorship is your goal, you can put together a hypothetical season for a company and produce a development package with things like:

A Common grant application
Research your state and local grant makers and find prospective funding sources
Annual fund letters and potential donor lists
Donation cards
Marketing materials with ad buy sources like local public transportation spots, billboards, social media campaigns, print materials, etc.
I did this for a Non-Profit fundraising class and teamed up with a brand new theater in town so that the course work actually benefitted the company. Working with a theater also helps to focus the project and give you somewhere to start from. 

If you're looking at more of a production management track, I would attempt to facilitate a show or festival. One-act festivals can be a great way to show you've got what it takes to manage multiple projects at once with completely different teams. Start by putting out a call for directors and/or playwrights at your school and in the community. Find a venue like a lecture hall, a park, a large basement, someone's back yard, or a blackbox theater if you're lucky enough to have one available for student use. Go through the steps of putting the shows together from auditions and casting, hiring designers and technicians, sourcing equipment, the list goes on and on.


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## RonHebbard (Apr 2, 2016)

chawalang said:


> my 2 cents
> 
> If you are looking to do an arts management MFA program it would be great to do a project related to that.
> 
> ...


Perhaps you could add C. B.A. to our WIKI for old guys like myself who've NEVER been in the accounting end of our business. I'm suspecting this is a term for tallying accounts and financial payments which are carried out after a final performance and prior to the show hitting the road to the next stop NO MATTER HOW LATE THE HOUR but I honestly don't know.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## derekleffew (Apr 2, 2016)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost–benefit_analysis


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## chawalang (Apr 3, 2016)

C.B.A 



A *collective agreement* or *collective bargaining agreement* (CBA) is a special type of commercial *agreement*, usually as one negotiated "collectively" between management (on behalf of the company) and trades unions (on behalf of employees).
In the case of our industry the two unions one would encounter the most would be A.E.A and I.A.T.S.E. 
Depending on the city and the venue you would also have to deal with I.B.E.W and Teamsters.

There are many more I could go on and list in different scenarios but this is a good start.


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## RonHebbard (Apr 3, 2016)

chawalang said:


> C.B.A
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you. I'm retired, after decades, from both the I.B.E.W. and I.A. and definitely familiar with collective agreements but your acronym C.B.A. caught me totally unaware. Thanks again for enlightening a geezer.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.


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