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Pierce College Program Review Approved by the Pierce College Academic Senate November 17, 2008 Department or Discipline: Date submitted: Contact person: Theatre Arts/Technical Theatre 11/09/09 Gene Putnam, Chair Pierce College Program Review is intended to be a reflective process that builds on the extensive information gathered for the Annual Academic Program Plans and lays out the program’s major directions for the future. I. Purpose of the Program Describe the need that is met by the program. For CATE programs only, show that “the program does not represent an unnecessary duplication of other vocational or occupational training programs in the area.” (Place your response in the expandable text box below.) Theatre Arts is a discipline for everyone. The value of Theatre in education is greater today than at any other time since its inclusion in the curriculum. Students can examine contemporary, emotionally charged topics including family values, sexuality, politics and violence. However, unlike passively watching these in today’s media, the students have a teacher or director at hand to guide and explore these topics with them using dramatic literature as a catalyst. Theatre Arts above all others is most concerned with the human personality. The acting process requires an ability to step outside of self and value the perspective of another human being. This skill is perhaps the most important reason for the role of Theatre in education. Theatre is also unique because it is highly collaborative. It is created by and for groups working together without ethnic or gender discrimination. Individual self-expression is reinforced and validated by Theatre. Participation in classroom and outside activities encourages students to more fully understand and express their full range of emotions. Theatre provides students with a concrete experience in language, psychology, sociology, and many other disciplines that are played out onstage or behind the scenes. The theatre artist doesn’t simply study theory, but actualizes it, breathes life into it as a visual, tactile, and aural experience. Theatre often provides the bridge between the theoretical and the actual, and Pierce College Program Review Template, Approved September 2008 2 provides the students with a wide range of knowledge that allows for the type of intellectual improvisation needed to face these times. Even in this current economic climate there are many skilled jobs in the entertainment industry.- especially in the Los Angeles area-that are not as visible as acting, but more widely available. Some of these occupations include agents, casting directors, producers, production assistants and publicists. In the Technical theatre Areas there are designers, costumers, property technicians, electricians, scenic artists, painters, and riggers, Board and follow spot operators, box office and front of house personnel, theatre managers and artistic directors and we can go on and on. Colleges and universities do not generally offer training for many of these jobs, but virtually everyone working in any phase of “the business” has a solid background in theatre. There are far more chances for employment in these technical and behind-the-scene occupations than for actors, and far fewer clamoring to break in. There are even areas where the demand for talent exceeds the supply! The study of Theatre Arts is an essential first step that will help open many doorways in our stjudents professional and personal life! II. Progress Made Toward Past Departmental/Discipline Goals Summarize the progress the department/discipline has made toward achieving its goals during the past six years. Discuss briefly the quality, effectiveness, and strengths of the program as reflected in its Annual Academic Program Plans. Show the relationship between the program goals, the mission of the college, the district strategic plan, and the impact on student development. (Place your summary in the expandable text box below.) The Department is continually working on achieving it’s goals, and although we haven’t achieved 100% success, significant progress and growth has taken place within the Department. We succeeded in the attaining of all our Course SLOs and Department SLOs in 2007. We are still working on the development of uniform assessment tools and their outcomes and this semester we are pushing hard to at least partially accomplish this goal, by assessing the outcomes, describing the results, formulating plans based on results. We met with our SLO coordinator and have formed an assessment plan for TA 270 Beginning Acting, TA 271\273 Intermediate/Advanced Acting and TA 100 Introduction to Theatre classes, to assess for Spring 2010 semester. The forming of a well-organized and full-time community support group wel are working on. Unfortunately formulating a well-organized plan of attack falls upon those with the least amount of quality time. We need to recruit an outside member of the community to spearhead this project. 3 Connecting with high schools in a technical theatre recruitment program is not moving very fast and coordinating with academic outreach has not materialized, Due to the small size of our department and faculty members teaching, designing, and directing responsibilities. Through the last six years our Department has successfully met our goal for cultural diversity by emphasizing it in our acting curriculum and by staging several plays emphasizing this diversity. After continued efforts over several semesters we still in the process of enacting a one act play program, student Award’s Night, and Drama Club. Due to economics participation in the American College Theatre Festival has been curtailed. Touring shows for outreach has also been curtailed but may be revived when the PAB Renovation begins in Winter 2011. This will be an important means of continuing our production program once our main theatre is shut down. The Department continues to come up with innovative ideas in publicity, production visibility and audience building. This has lead to greater attendance and recognition of our production program, and continued building up of our season subscription base. We continue to work closely with the Encore to recruit members of this valuable resource for ushers/ concessions and other needed assistance for Department productions. We also join every summer w/ Encore in sponsoring at least one performance of the summer musical each year, to benefit both Theatre Arts and Encore. Plans are finally being formulated for the “move out” of the PAB during renovation that will take place in Winter 2011. The plan will be to do the renovation in two phases so the Department will be able to continue its production program in the Dow Arena Theatre. We successfully completed our 17 unit Technical Theatre Certificate in Spring of 2007. The certificate has a technical theatre and a costume option. The Department because of cuts has not been able to expand the TA 230 Acting for Camera class. We have added additional equipment and are still exploring ways to include technical theatre students in the course. Through the FFRC our Department hired a new technical Theatre instructor in fall 2009 to replace the current Technical Director upon his retirement. The possible 4 retirement of another professor within our Department will also be critical. This professor directs productions and also designs costumes for her own and other directors in the Department, as well as a variety of classes from academic to technical. The position was submitted to the FFRC but was given a position of 17 on the priority list. Since additional hiring is not likely to take place for a while this will curtail our production program, and Technical Theatre Certificate Program In a critical way. Adjunct faculty will be difficult to find to direct one of the two shows each semester, virtually shutting down our production program critical to our students and our community. NOTE: The relationship of all of all of these objectives and goals to the College Mission statement, strategic goals and plans are all listed in the previous AAPP’s. Please refer to those. III. Trend Analyses/Outlook Using the information already gathered in the AAPPs (e.g., enrollment and outcomes data; student learning outcomes assessment and analysis; input by advisory boards; existing articulation agreements; labor market trends; and insights gained from conferences, journals, and discussions with colleagues), summarize the major trends, challenges, and opportunities that have emerged in the discipline since the last program review. As applicable, please address the breadth, depth, currency, and cohesiveness of the curriculum in relation to evolving employer needs and/or transfer requirements, as well as other important pedagogical or technology-related developments. (Place your summaries in the expandable text box below.) We are glad to report that enrollment has increased significantly this past spring and fall 2009. This is especially true within our technical theatre courses. The addition of up-to-date technology and an additional technical theatre instructor has contributed to this success. According to all the resources accessible to the Department career opportunities are still available in the entertainment industry. However, the current economic situation has severely limited the number and extent of those opportunities. We are looking beyond the current conditions and planning for a surge in the job market once the economic situation is on the mend. We work very closely with the members of our Advisory Board to keep as current as possible on the job market, current trends, equipment and resources that are available in the industry. Currently the curriculum does not meet all of the needs of students entering the job market. Additional staff and faculty training and /or the acquisition of specialized faculty will alleviate this defect. The addition of a Technical Theatre Certificate (Spring 2007) is a step in the right direction. However this certificate needs to be updated to include curriculum in digital sound and its effects training. For the need to be addressed a specialized 5 trained technician or faculty member will need to be brought on board. The Department has increased the number of transfers, and majors within the Department, as well as those pursuing the completion of our new certificate. IV. Long-Term Department/Discipline Goals and Action Plans (Aligned With the College Educational Master Plan) Describe the long-term plans for changing or developing new courses and programs, other actions being taken to enhance student success, and the need for professional development activities and other resources to implement program goals. As mentioned previously we would like to expand our technical theatre program and technical theatre certificate by including a sound digital technology component. The Department is involved in the visionary stage of a new Digital Arts facility. For our Department to play a significant role in developing an interdisciplinary curriculum with their Departments sharing this facility we must expand our own curriculum. This will give the students involved in this interdisciplinary curriculum the maximum educational opportunities. We would like to continue to expand our Acting for Camera program by continuing to expand the offering, obtaining more equipment and as stated above work n technical theatre students into the curriculum. All of this of course would be preparing for our interdisciplinary curriculum and expansion into the new Digital Arts facility (3-5 years away). As mentioned previously, we need to continue our efforts in the area of technical theatre recruitment even though we are aware that FTS has to be kept under control. The Department will again approach academic outreach for assistance. RoZsa Horvath, who is in contact with local high school counselors will work to Bring them together for a tour of our facility. We will then follow up with their assistance to bring students here as well. As stated above, the Department will explore additional ways to organize a community support group, focusing on a community member as the lead organizer. Participation in ACTF (American College Theatre Festival) has not been possible over the last few years because of the distances the students have to travel (out of state) and the cost involved in moving scenery, staff, etc. It is hoped that when the economic situation improves and the Festival is held locally or at least in our state that we will be able to participate in this activity as we have successfully in the past. This Festival is a unique opportunity for students to compete in various areas of Theatre Arts and to creatively communicate with 6 students from other colleges and universities. There are prestigious awards, scholarships, and an active recruiting service for college entrance and job marketing. The department is currently working with CATE (VTEA) to update and improve our Technical Theatre Brochure. WE are also working on an overall Department DVD for marketing and promotion. The department will also develop a Department Brochure outlining our classes, certificates, staff and faculty. It will include pictures and bios of staff and faculty. The brochure will also serve as a tool in orientation of new students to the department.