# Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction aspects



## draco17315 (Sep 16, 2011)

Hello, I have been TD ing for over 9 years now with HS students and have now started at an additional Charter School for theatre. I will be teaching Theatre intro to tech for one class and the other is Theatre 1 (stagecraft). I am more than comfortable with the crew kids on stage and in the shop building but now I am a bit out of my comfort zone. Anyone with advice, ideas, lesson plan ideas, ect., if you are ok with sharing, please do. A little about what I will be doing; The intro class is just that, we will be going over every technical aspect of theatre from design to construction and everything else. The Theatre 1 stagecraft class is more hands on with the construction part but will also touch on design, paint, ect. Keep in mind these students are part time students and they are not all there sprcifically for Tech but the way the school is set up, they take a class in everything so my challange is getting and keeping those students as well as Tech students interested and excited about these topics. I am looking for ideas on homework assignments, projects, games, ect. that might be useful. Thank you all in advance for any help!!


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## seanandkate (Sep 16, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*

Have you already checked these previous threads here and here for some ideas? Just some light reading to get you started!


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## draco17315 (Sep 16, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*

No, I havent had a chance, but I will  Thanks


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## Ljdonnelly (Oct 12, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*

if you need to teach lighting the i recommend using this Free Lesson Plans its a great site with a txt book for basic lighting design. i use it to train incoming freshmen.


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## derekleffew (Oct 12, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


Ljdonnelly said:


> if you need to teach lighting the i recommend using this Free Lesson Plans its a great site with a txt book for basic lighting design. i use it to train incoming freshmen.


That's quite a nice tutorial, but sadly, littered with errors and inaccuracies. The author would do well to spend some time around here.


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## shiben (Oct 13, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


derekleffew said:


> That's quite a nice tutorial, but sadly, littered with errors and inaccuracies. The author would do well to spend some time around here.


 
I disagreed with a lot of the things in it as well. One also forgets that there might be 1000 different colors of gel, but sometimes you really just want the stage to be blue, and d*** the torpedoes. 

For your class:

You kind of have to do the "build a flat, paint it" thing. Super easy to do, make everyone do a 2'x4' flat, rip 4 of them out of a sheet of luan. Have them paint it using maybe 4 or 8 different techniques. Do the same with muslin. Get some PARs, light everyone's flat. Have everyone tell a different story using 9 lights and some gel that you select previously. Have everyone hang a light, focus it onto a thing and then take it down right. At my old job, my boss and I would challenge the class to a race of who could hang, focus, color, and then strike the light properly in the least amount of time. Best time: 1 minute 10 seconds for the cycle. For homework, do standard things like draw pictures, collect images that tell a story, make the kids read art magazines and European versions of Vouge, etc.


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## Tex (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


shiben said:


> ... make everyone do a 2'x4' flat, rip 4 of them out of a sheet of luan.


I'm channeling Derek here, but if you rip a 4x8 sheet of luan three times, it's impossible to get four 2x8 pieces. You're going to lose 3/8" to sawdust. EDIT: I'm a math idiot. 2+2=4. The concept is the same, however.
I know you know this, but this is something that many kids have a difficult time grasping.


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## josh88 (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*

I actually just taught my students that. They too couldn't understand what I was talking about until I had them cut a 8' 2x4 into 4 2' sections. they said no problem! they got to the last piece and realized it was short and then it hit.


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## FACTplayers (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


Tex said:


> I'm channeling Derek here, but if you rip a 4x8 sheet of luan three times, it's impossible to get four 2x8 pieces. You're going to lose 3/8" to sawdust. EDIT: I'm a math idiot. 2+2=4. The concept is the same, however.
> I know you know this, but this is something that many kids have a difficult time grasping.



A 2x4 today is actually 1.5"x3.5". So ripping a 4'x8' sheet three times can yield four 2x4's. Sorry to get down to specifics, but it's a pet peeve of mine.. almost as bad as when someone says "could" care less...


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## erosing (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*

I know it's a little late, but I would highly recommend using  Technical Theater for Nontechnical People by Drew Campbell as either an idea generator for a lesson plan or as a textbook. I really can't think of many books that would be better than it for an intro level class, and the way the material is presented is actually relatively good at not being dry.


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## Tex (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


FACTplayers said:


> A 2x4 today is actually 1.5"x3.5". So ripping a 4'x8' sheet three times can yield four 2x4's. Sorry to get down to specifics, but it's a pet peeve of mine.. almost as bad as when someone says "could" care less...


 You would be correct if we were discussing milled, stick lumber. We are discussing manufactured sheeting, which is always 48"x96". While my math is occasionally faulty, the fact remains that ripping 2'x8' pieces from a 4'x8' sheet of luan will yield 1 piece at 2'x8' and one piece at 1'-11 7/8"x8'. If ripping a sheet of 4' wide material can produce two 2' wide pieces, where does the sawdust come from?
AFAIK, there is no sheeting material that can be ripped and produce a 2x4 stud.


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## shiben (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


Tex said:


> You would be correct if we were discussing milled, stick lumber. We are discussing manufactured sheeting, which is always 48"x96". While my math is occasionally faulty, the fact remains that ripping 2'x8' pieces from a 4'x8' sheet of luan will yield 1 piece at 2'x8' and one piece at 1'-11 7/8"x8'. If ripping a sheet of 4' wide material can produce two 2' wide pieces, where does the sawdust come from?
> AFAIK, there is no sheeting material that can be ripped and produce a 2x4 stud.


 
There is, but its not made of wood. Although I dont know if Plate Steel really counts as sheeting material... Although it does come in "sheets"... Was at Cat the other day, they had some seriously HUGE pieces of 4" plate steel zipping around. Was pretty cool. Also I suppose its not really ripping it if its done with a massive oxyfuel torch. Or a 2x4 stud you would use for anything other than armor plating for nuclear protection... Although Im pretty sure you can get 1.5" or 3.5" thick plastic sheeting, and that comes in all sorts of sizes. 

As for the real issue here, you do indeed have a point. Although for students this might be a critical issue, but its annoying and pretentious to say "our project is to make 1'-11 7/8" x 4'-0 x 0' - 3 5/8" flats!" as opposed to "We are gonna make 2x4 flats" and then teach them at that point, no?


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## Tex (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


shiben said:


> its annoying and pretentious to say "our project is to make 1'-11 7/8" x 4'-0 x 0' - 3 5/8" flats!" as opposed to "We are gonna make 2x4 flats" and then teach them at that point, no?


Who would ever say that? By the time my students are building flats, they've already had the term "kerf" on a quiz and know that it's usually 1/8" (depending on the blade width).


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## shiben (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


Tex said:


> Who would ever say that? By the time my students are building flats, they've already had the term "kerf" on a quiz and know that it's usually 1/8" (depending on the blade width).


 
Right but you see the point, right? you get 4 2x4 ish flats from one sheet of luan and the kids know about the kerf already so its cool?


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## Tex (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


shiben said:


> Right but you see the point, right? you get 4 2x4 ish flats from one sheet of luan and the kids know about the kerf already so its cool?


Sure, if it's just a construction project and you never intend to use the flat that's not completely covered. A wise old TD once taught me that "fudging begats fudging". In other words, if you fudge on covering the flats you're going to have to fudge again by dutching overly large seams. I know I'm picky, but if it's going to live in my stock I want it to be right. The frame should be perfectly square (thank God for corner clamps) and the skin should be flush with the frame.


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## josh88 (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*

It's frustrating to lose that bit to the kerf but you can get 3 pieces right at 2'x4' and I'll inevitably always find something to use that short piece for, or I'll take the piece that's small for my example flat and use it to show them the technique. that way I'm the one getting short changed by the slightly smaller bit and they still get the right dimensions.


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## mstaylor (Oct 17, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


FACTplayers said:


> A 2x4 today is actually 1.5"x3.5". So ripping a 4'x8' sheet three times can yield four 2x4's. Sorry to get down to specifics, but it's a pet peeve of mine.. almost as bad as when someone says "could" care less...


If you are going to pet peeves, it it sheathing, not sheeting. You have sheets of sheathing.


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## shiben (Oct 17, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


Tex said:


> Sure, if it's just a construction project and you never intend to use the flat that's not completely covered. A wise old TD once taught me that "fudging begats fudging". In other words, if you fudge on covering the flats you're going to have to fudge again by dutching overly large seams. I know I'm picky, but if it's going to live in my stock I want it to be right. The frame should be perfectly square (thank God for corner clamps) and the skin should be flush with the frame.


 
Our projects normally provided wood for bonfires, so its less useful for stock...


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## museav (Oct 22, 2011)

*Re: Help with ideas for teaching a Theatre Tech Class for all tech & construction asp*


draco17315 said:


> A little about what I will be doing; The intro class is just that, we will be going over every technical aspect of theatre from design to construction and everything else. The Theatre 1 stagecraft class is more hands on with the construction part but will also touch on design, paint, ect.


The thread title says "for all tech & construction aspects" and "stagecraft" encompasses all aspects of theatre tech but it sounds like you are focusing on set design and construction. Can you clarify whether the focus of this class is on set construction and scenic design or are you indeed wanting tocover all aspects of stagecraft and theatre tech? Also, what physical resources (performance space, shop space, lab space, tech systems, tools and so on) do you have available to you?


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