Download (2007)

PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
THEATRE ARTS PROGRAM REVIEW
2004-2007
Presentation: May 25, 2007
Theatre Arts Program Review Committee, 2007:
Michael Najjar, SAC Chair, Theatre Arts
Dan Hays, Instructor, Theatre Arts
John Duncan, Instructor, Theatre Arts
Margaret Chapman, Instructor, Theatre Arts
Frances Marsh, Instructor, Theatre Arts
Acknowledgements
This program review could not have been accomplished without the tireless efforts of my
colleagues here at Portland Community College. I would first like to thank my
colleagues Dan Hays, John Duncan, Margaret Chapman, and Frances Marsh for their
commitment to the accumulation of data, the many meetings they attended and
contributed to, the summaries herein, and the overall care they have taken in assuring that
this program review is comprehensive, accurate, and complete. I would also like to thank
Ron Smith, Research Evaluation Coordinator, PCC Institutional Effectiveness, for his
assistance in creating and tabulating the data in our online surveys. I would also like to
thank Division Dean Rick Aman for his guidance and support, Dean Steve Ward for his
assistance in proofreading this document, Doris Werkman for her advice and counsel, and
the countless students and patrons who contributed their thoughts about our program.
Truly,
Michael Najjar
Instructor/SAC Chair Theatre Arts
Portland Community College
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Theatre Arts Program Review
“I remember thinking in school how I would grow up and would protect my
students from unpleasant impressions, from uncertainty, from scrappy
learning. Today only one thing seems important — to rouse the desire
towards creative work, to make it a habit, and to teach how to overcome
difficulties that are insignificant in comparison with the goal to which you
are striving."
Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
“A student-actor regards art as the sole concern of his life, and for him the
studio is his home. When a student-actor comes to the studio to learn his
part, he must forget his personal life with its failures and worries. As he
approaches the studio his thoughts must be concentrated only on his work,
and on entering it he must shut himself up in the circle of beauty and of
unselfish and pure thoughts of his work, and he must rejoice that there is a
place where he can work with people, who, like him, devote all their time to
the pursuit of beauty.”
Konstantine Stanislavsky
“I realize theater is expensive and requires a lot of facilities and staff and
even if the audiences are relatively small . . . the program is essential to the
college culture and the greater community. The theater is still communal
magic—full of the rituals which bring strangers together to go on a journey
of catharsis—in the virtual age such experiences are increasingly rare. We
need them for our own intellectual and mental health. An institution like
PCC which promotes empowerment, growth and awareness should view a
vital theatre program as integral to the college mission.”
PCC Theatre Arts Patron
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Theatre Arts Program Overview
Portland Community College Theatre Arts Program is a dynamic theatrical training
program that strives to prepare community college students in the theatrical arts of acting,
directing, design, and stagecraft. This program’s mission statement states that our
program’s goals include:
“educating students about the theatre, both past and present, and helping promote lifelong theatre goers as well as providing experiences for performers and technicians. We
see these goals as enhancing quality of life and personal growth. We believe that the
theatre is a link to understanding, appreciating, and experiencing in a personal way the
lives and backgrounds of one another. We are dedicated to providing an atmosphere for
exploration into this most immediate, collaborative, and compelling art form.”
The PCC Theatre Arts program is divided into two functions:
1. The instruction of students in the theatre arts.
2. The production of main stage and student one-act plays.
The goal of the PCC Theatre Arts Program is to give students the appropriate training in
acting, stagecraft, directing, and design that will prove most beneficial to them as they
transfer to other 4-year training institutions, and continue their work at local arts
organizations. We offer classes at Sylvania, Cascade, and Rock Creek campuses.
Because the Sylvania Performing Arts Center is a rental facility, we are able to hire our
students to crew rental productions, thereby giving them necessary and practical on-thejob training. PCC Theatre Arts also participates in the Kennedy Center/American
College Theatre Festival. By registering our productions in this festival, we are
adjudicated by theatrical peers in the educational theatre who attend productions, give
feedback, and nominate students for acting competitions and awards. Dan Hays has
twice been honored by the KC/ACTF for his outstanding designs, as has Margaret
Chapman for costume design, many of our students have competed in the Irene Ryan
Acting Competitions, and our productions have been nominated to appear at the yearly
college theatre festivals.
PCC Theatre Arts has been presenting theatre to the PCC community since 1979. Since
that time, there have been over 70 fully staged productions, which have included dramas,
comedies, and musicals by some of the greatest playwrights and composers in the theatre.
(See Appendix 1 & 2) Currently we produce three main stage productions—one
directed by a guest director, and two others directed by the program chair. These
productions are usually produced in the Sylvania Performing Arts Center, but others have
been produced in the Sylvania Little Theatre, the Rock Creek Forum, and the Cascade
Daniel F. Moriarity Auditorium. In addition, PCC Theatre Arts produces the annual
Student One-Act Play Festival, which showcases new plays written, directed, acted,
designed, and sets constructed by PCC Theatre Arts students. We have created
successful collaborations with other programs such as art, dance and music which have
led to excellent learning opportunities for our students. Also, since last year, we have
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created a collaboration with the Video Internship Program at PCC whereby our Acting
for the Camera (TA 143) students are cast in student video projects. Many of our
students have pursued their theatrical education and careers by studying at university
theatre training programs, working at local and regional theatres, and producing their own
works. In May, 2006, the PCC Players, the improvisation team from the Sylvania
Campus, won the Northwest College Improv Championship. Some of our former
students have gone on to study at 4-year theatrical training programs at Western Oregon
University, University of Victoria, Portland State University and Southern Oregon
University. Also, our students can often be found working on and offstage at local
theatres.
The program continually works to balance class work with productions. It is our view
that the classes are the training ground for the productions. The classes provide
necessary techniques, and those techniques are utilized in the culminating experience of
productions. By studying acting, voice, movement, and improvisation, the students are
then able to transfer the information garnered in the classroom to hands-on experience
acting in a play. Likewise, when a student studies lighting, sound, props, set, and
costume design, they are able to implement such design techniques when working on
main stage productions or student one-acts. The classes and the productions are
integrally linked to one another, and both are necessary for a theatre program to flourish.
PCC Theatre Arts Fall 2004 production of Nora.
Portland Community College Mission Statement and PCC Theatre Arts
We believe that the classes and productions all contribute to the PCC Mission in the
following ways:
1. Access: We make every attempt to make our classes and productions accessible
to residents of the district. We advertise auditions both internally and externally,
inviting both PCC Students and local residents to audition for our productions. In
addition, we work to promote our classes to our students and the district. Our
ticket prices are affordable ($10 adults, $8 students, seniors, and PCC staff, and
$5 for groups of 5 or more).
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2. Student Success: We work to ensure student success through many studentcentered instructional activities. Our classes promote students’ choosing their
own scripts in acting classes, writing and creating their own plays and designs
through the Student One-Act Play Festival, and empowering students to learn all
of the aspects of the theatre from acting to design to technical theatre.
3. Professional Technical Education: Although we do not have a Professional
Technical Program in Theatre Arts, we make every attempt to ensure that our
students are well versed in the plays that are widely produced at universities and
regional theatres, comfortable working with the most up-to-date theatrical
equipment, and knowledgeable about the business aspects of the field, and we
assist them in preparation of audition materials and design portfolios.
4. Transfer Preparation: We have worked to create articulation agreements with
other OUS institutions, and when we have been unable to do so, we have sought
to inform students as to where their credits can transfer. Regardless, we attempt
to ensure that our students are prepared to work at the university level, be it
onstage or backstage. Unfortunately, few OUS institutions accept our classes as
anything other than elective credits. This is a major problem and needs to be
addressed.
5. Readiness: PCC Theatre Arts has agreed to add prerequisites to the majority of
our classes, and we require performance as well as writing, reading
(acting/technical classes) and mathematical skills (technical classes).
6. Partnerships: PCC Theatre Arts has many students working at local theatres in
various positions ranging from house management to technical theatre to acting.
Many local theatres have expressed interest in creating internship opportunities
for our students, and several of our students have gone on to work in the
professional entertainment industry.
7. Continuous Improvement: We have sought to continually improve our
Performing Arts Center, thereby giving students hands-on experience with the
most up-to-date equipment. In addition, we have attempted to revive the Rock
Creek Forum by touring our production there and working to improve the status
of that space. Also, by touring to the new Cascade Daniel F. Moriarity
Auditorium, we have attempted to create the conditions whereby other theatrical
presentations can take place within that space.
8. Diversity: The theatre is among one of the most diverse professions, and our
program constantly strives to reflect the wonderfully diverse population found in
our district. By performing plays by diverse authors, having a colorblind casting
policy, and working to welcome students of all backgrounds into our program, we
strive to reflect the diversity of our society.
9. Resources: We attempt to develop our resources with each production. Our
instructors are members of the American College Theatre Festival, have won
Drammie Awards for their contributions to Portland Theatre, and are constantly
striving to keep up with current trends in the theatre. In addition, we work to
maintain and improve our performance spaces with each production we produce.
10. Community: PCC Theatre has worked to insure that we are a vital part of the
theatrical community and the greater district community. PCC Theatre
collaborates with the Illumination Project, ArtBeat, and strives to bring many
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community members to the campus to experience our productions. In addition,
we assist the theatrical community with resources when they are in need, and seek
to involve as many community members as possible with our classes and
productions.
PCC Theatre Arts Winter 2005 production of The Winter’s Tale.
PCC Core Outcomes and PCC Theatre Arts
We believe that PCC Theatre Arts positively contributes to the PCC Core Outcomes:
Communication, Community and Environmental Responsibility, Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving, Cultural Awareness, Professional Competence, and Self Reflection.
1. Communication: Communication is one of the fundamental principles in the
theatre, whether it is to communicate an idea through words as a playwright,
words and movement as an actor, concepts through design, or the combination of
all elements as a director. Our students learn communication skills through
playing characters, being able to transfer design concepts to concrete designs,
working with one another onstage and off, and collaborating with each class or
production.
2. Community and Environmental Responsibility: Through the plays we produce
at PCC Theatre, we hope to create a cultural and political perspective that is both
global and local. By producing plays that discuss war, feminism, environmental
issues, and other important issues, we work to help students to have a greater
consciousness about these issues.
3. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: These faculties are vital to the process
of creating characters in acting, creating theatrical designs, and to producing
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theatrical productions. By employing critical thinking and problem solving skills
on a daily basis, our students are expected to take complex thoughts and concepts
and work on them until they are presentable in a theatrical presentation. Critical
thinking skills are developed through analyzing scripts, disseminating character
analyses, writing plays, designing sets, lights, costumes, props and sound, and
analyzing theatrical performances. Problem solving skills are employed in
building designs, conceptualizing productions, working as a team, collaborating,
acting roles, and mounting productions.
4. Cultural Awareness: By performing plays by a variety of playwrights of
different genders, cultures, races, sexual orientations, and creeds, we at PCC
Theatre Arts hope to give our students perspectives into the lives of others. We
strive to embody various characters by transforming actors into characters,
wearing what they wear, living how they live, and studying their worlds. We
believe this immersion into the lives of others is one of the greatest ways to raise
cultural awareness.
5. Professional Competence: We strive to prepare our students for the rigors of a
4-year OUS theatrical department or to work in local theatres. We have met with
local theatre professionals and educational theatre leaders in an attempt to
discover what they expect of our students, and we are working to prepare our
students to be able to fulfill these expectations in our acting, design, and technical
theatre classes. Several of our instructors serve as volunteer respondents for the
Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival and work in professional
theatres in our region.
6. Self-Reflection: The art of theatre is the art of self-reflection, of striving to
understand the world around us and how we, as artists, fit into that world. We
attempt to imbue our students with this idea of self-reflection so that they may
examine and reevaluate their beliefs.
Program Mission Statement
Here are the ways in which the program mission statement is being met by the program:
1. Educating students about the theatre, both past and present: Our Theatre
Appreciation Class (TA 101) is designed to expose students to live theatrical
productions in the Portland area, to introduce the class to theatre history, and to
educate students about the plays and playwrights that are being produced here in
Portland. Also, whenever a production is produced that deals with a particular
historical time period, the students are expected to study that time period and
write papers about that subject.
2. Promote life-long theatregoers: Again, the Theatre Appreciation Class (TA
101) requires students to attend several live theatrical performances. Also,
students in our acting classes are required to write a review of a theatrical
production (usually our own productions in order to allow students to see
productions for no cost). If the student wishes to see productions outside of the
campus, they are encouraged to do so.
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3.
Providing experiences for performers and technicians: PCC Theatre Arts
produces three main stage productions and several student one act plays each
year. These provide many acting roles for performers, technical theatre and
design opportunities for technicians, and directing opportunities in the one-acts.
4. Enhancing quality of life and personal growth: The arts are a quality of life
issue, and can lead to tremendous personal growth. Through the exploration of
art, we believe that students can improve their communication, collaboration, and
creative skills. These productions are meant to help students experience an aspect
of their creativity that they may not have encountered, thereby leading to personal
growth.
5. We believe that the theatre is a link to understanding, appreciating, and
experiencing in a personal way the lives and backgrounds of one another:
Plays often deal with culture, historical time periods, various ethnicities and
lifestyles, and experiences. By working on these productions, these students
immerse themselves into many different worlds of experience, ranging from the
ancient to the contemporary. Also, by embodying characters of various
backgrounds, these students confront many of their own views on the world and,
often, have the opportunity to delve into why they see the world the way they do,
and how those views can be reinforced or changed. By working closely with
peers of diverse backgrounds, they experience first hand one another’s lives.
6. We are dedicated to providing an atmosphere for exploration into this most
immediate, collaborative, and compelling art form: By creating a safe,
creative atmosphere, we aspire to providing our students with an atmosphere
where they can explore their artistic skills, their interpersonal relationships, and
their academic pursuits. The theatre is meant to be a place where students can
learn and grow as artists and as human beings.
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PCC Theatre Arts Spring 2005 production of Raised in Captivity.
Previous Program Review and Changes
The previous Program Review for Theatre Arts received an administrative response on
October 25, 2002 by Paul Hill. (See Appendix 3) Following are the recommendations
the previous program review had made, the administration’s response to those
recommendations, and how those recommendations have been implemented since that
time.
1. Add an additional sequential course for improvisation: Since the prior
program review, an additional improvisation course, Advanced Improvisation (TA
299) has been added as an experimental course and has had sufficient enrollment
both times it has been offered. We plan on adding this course as a permanent
addition to our course offerings.
2. Develop the daytime Theatre Appreciation course and rename it TA 100—
Introduction to Theater. The administration agreed with this concept. Due to
declining FTE, this course has not previously been added; however, this topic has
resurfaced in the SAC discussions as a course that can be offered in order to
compensate for the foreseen decline in enrollment due to prerequisites.
3. Projects in Theater for technical students should be replaced with a
Technical Theatre Internship. The Projects in Theater course would then be
used for performance and other non-technical projects: The administration
found this to be “an excellent way to partner with community organizations and
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
simultaneously benefit students.” This was not done in the interim, however, due
to the fact that Projects in Theater is necessary for our students in order to prepare
our main stage and one-act productions. There is still ongoing discussion about
creating more technical theater internships, however.
Increase course offerings at Sylvania; consider adding Acting for Film and
Radio, Shakespeare, Musical Theater, Directing, or Children’s Theatre.
Such classes could be offered on weekends: The administration agreed with the
addition of Acting for Film and Radio course, but was reticent about adding more
classes and sections due to “the state’s budget actions.” The compromise we
reached was to offer Acting for the Camera as part of the TA 143 course offering
during winter terms. This focus on acting for the camera has coincided nicely
with the Video Internship Program, and allows our acting students to get hands-on
experience being directed by their peers in the Video Intern Program. This
collaboration is in its second year, and has been more popular than ever. Also,
TA 143 focuses on “acting styles” in winter terms, which covers acting Greek,
Shakespeare, and Modern Drama. Due to declining enrollment, we have not
added classes in Musical Theater, Directing, or Children’s Theater. Instead, with
the new addition of a vocal instructor (Julianne Johnson), these classes are
covered in the Music Program, and there are discussions of further collaborations
with music and theater.
Reevaluate the evening program; add improvisation in the evening: This has
been attempted, but improvisation has more student enrollment during daytime
hours. It is now offered during summer evenings.
Add a theater/stage management course and promote it with target
audiences such as high school students, their teachers and middle school
teachers. Such a class could be offered on weekends: The administration
responded “the survey information you provided does not support offering this
class at this time.” No further action was taken on this matter.
Assess the current class limits on all courses. Consider aligning more closely
with the recommendation of the NAST. They suggest 15 per class; we are
running 25. The current limit of 25 is reasonable for lecture type courses
(non-performance) such as Theatre History, Introduction to Theatre, and
Theatre Appreciation. For performance classes, 20 is a more realistic limit to
ensure that instructors are able to meet the CCG requirements. Most
importantly, the limit for hands-on Technical Theatre courses (Costuming,
Make-up, Stage Lighting and Stage Design) should be limited to 15 due to
equipment constraints and safety issues: The administration agreed that safety
considerations were important, but so was fiscal stability. Due to the fluctuations
in enrollment, we often find we have either too many or too few in our classes.
Faculty teaching Projects in Theatre should be compensated for doing so:
The administration responded “Unfortunately, there is no provision in the contract
for paying for this kind of individualized instruction.” We believe that this is still
one of the most pressing issues facing PCC Theatre Arts.
A one-person department/SAC should be given release time or compensation
for handling SAC and department business every year: The administration
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argued that this is a matter between the SAC Chair and the Division Dean. This is
an ongoing discussion.
10. A second full-time faculty member is necessary…: Due to financial resources,
this recommendation was struck down. “…until the budget picture brightens, we
should not hold out false hope that adding a faculty position will occur any time
soon.” This issue is still a matter that needs attention.
11. Consider future recruitment techniques: continue to add a special
performance once a year for the area’s high school students: This is being
done this year with Swanwhite. The results will be seen with the audience turnout
for this production.
At the end of the administrative response, Mr. Hill asked several questions:
1. How do any new courses help build a comprehensive Theatre Arts program?
The inclusion of a variety of courses would contribute greatly to building a theatre
arts program that serves the many needs of the students. Firstly, having a full
compliment of acting classes would prepare students for acting in many styles of
plays, in different genres (camera, stage, video), learning all of the various aspect of
design (costumes, sound, props, lighting, set, makeup, wig), learning various
theatrical techniques (Alexander Technique, Meisner Technique, Suzuki Method,
Linklater Technique), and different aspects of the theatre (directing, stage
management, house management, box office management). Most university
programs do offer this full slate of classes. Due to our size and scope at PCC Theatre
Arts, it is not practical to offer all of these classes. It would be beneficial, however,
to offer more classes to round out a student’s two-year experience.
2. How are we assessing student learning and using what we find out to
improve student-learning experiences?
We make a great effort to have students evaluated. Firstly, the hiring of guest
directors, artists and designers assures that students are exposed to different working
styles instead of only working with PCC Theatre Arts staff. Secondly, we have made
a greater attempt to involve our program and its students in the American College
Theatre Festival in order for these students to have the opportunity to be evaluated by
other theatrical professors, to attend regional festivals and workshops, and to compete
in various competitions. Producing theatrical productions is the best ways to evaluate
learning outcomes, as students must perform well in order for the production to be a
success. We expect excellence from our students, which encourages them to aim
high and to produce their finest work possible. Lastly, our student evaluations are
excellent indicators as to what is effective and what is not in classroom instruction.
3. How do new or existing courses contribute to a student’s acquisition of core
outcomes and what steps will be taken to improve the student learning of
core outcomes?
As stated above, new courses expand our ability to instruct a more well rounded
theater student. For instance, Advanced Improvisation and Acting for the Camera
classes allow students of improvisation (who may or may not be students interested in
scripted/stage acting) to receive this training. For students who are stage actors, these
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classes can only benefit the students by giving them added skills and making them
even better performers.
4. How does the PCC Theatre Arts program contribute to the larger picture,
building and maintaining a vibrant theater community in the area?
This is where we believe PCC Theatre Arts serves its most vital function. The
students who study at PCC and go on to either 4-year OUS schools or local theatres
leave here equipped to handle the challenges those environments pose. It is our firm
belief that our students are among the best prepared for further training and work
opportunities. As our research with current and former students, patrons, educational
theatre instructors, and local theatre professionals demonstrates, PCC Theatre Arts
has a strong reputation.
PCC Theatre Arts Fall 2005 production of Crimes of the Heart.
PCC Theatre Arts and the Wider Portland Theatre Community
As part of the preparation for this program review, we invited theatre professionals
and educational theatre instructors to the PCC Sylvania campus over a four week
period to discuss PCC Theatre Arts, its perception within the larger theatrical
community, and how our program can better help the local theatres and better prepare
our students to attend 4-year OUS institutions. During this time, we interviewed the
following individuals:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Devon Allen, Professor of Theatre Arts, Portland State University (PSU),
Portland
Peter Charleston, Education Outreach Director, Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon,
Portland
Stan Foote, Artistic Director, Oregon Children’s Theatre (OCT), Portland
Olga Sanchez, Artistic Director, Miracle Theatre/Teatro Milagro, Portland
Kelsey Tyler, Education Coordinator, Portland Center Stage, Portland
Jane Unger, Artistic Director, Profile Theatre, Portland
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•
Kay Vega, Artistic Director, Lakewood Center for the Arts, Lake Oswego
We created a set of questions that we asked all participants. The questions were:
1. Have you ever attended a PCC production? Why or why not?
2. Do you have any experience with PCC students? Acting or Tech? If so, how was
that experience for you and your theatre?
3. What is your impression of the PCC Theatre Arts Program? Is this first or second
hand knowledge?
4. What needs does your theatre have, and how can PCC Theatre Arts help with
these needs?
5. How can we improve communications so that we can better serve you and your
theatre?
6. Do you have opportunities for our students?
After asking these questions, we opened the discussion to the participants.
Question 1: Have you ever attended a PCC production? Why or why not?
This question received many different responses. The majority of the participants had
not, citing the fact that they are generally invited to many productions in the area and
cannot possibly see them all, and that some simply do not know the productions are
occurring. Others such as Jane Unger, Peter Charleston, and Stan Foote, have all had
connections with PCC Theatre in the past. The overwhelming response was that, if
they are aware of the production through invitations or better advertising, they would
make the effort to attend. After these interviews, invitations were sent to all of the
participants and several did attend The Love of the Nightingale performance that term.
Question 2: Do you have any experience with PCC students? Acting or Tech? If so,
how was that experience for you and your theatre?
Many of the participants had experience with our students and were very pleased with
the experience. Profile Theatre and Miracle Theatre have had several students work
either tech or front of house with their organizations and were pleased with the
results. Classic Greek Theatre and Lakewood Center for the Arts have had several of
our former students act in their productions. Several of our students have gone on to
attend Portland State University, and were highly regarded as well.
Question 3: What is your impression of the PCC Theatre Arts Program? Is this first
or second hand knowledge?
Overall, of those who knew of our program and our productions, the impression was
very good.
Question 4: What needs does your theatre have, and how can PCC Theatre Arts help
with these needs?
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Jane Unger cited that Portland has a robust theatre scene and a strong acting pool, so
having more actors was not her priority. She did, however, cite the need for many
more technicians, stage managers, and front of house/box office personnel. Kay
Vega cited the same need. Stan Foote introduced the idea of creating an internship
with the local IATSE union. He also said Oregon Children’s Theatre would like to
create a formal internship with PCC. Portland Center Stage, being an Equity (union)
theatre, said that there are non-Equity auditions held at PCS annually, but that mainly
one must be union qualified to work at that venue.
As for skills that theatres are searching for, generalist training is necessary (people
who are not specifically actors or designers, but are well versed in other aspects of the
theatre); actors who can take direction, be strong communicators, have great vocal
training, and have a strong work ethic, better writing skills, commitment, reliability,
sense of punctuality, engagement, and ownership; teacher training was also
mentioned as a need.
Question 5: How can we improve communications so that we can better serve you
and your theatre?
Some ways that were mentioned for improving communications between PCC
Theatre Arts and local theatres were: internships, more publicity, invitations to PCC
productions, and personal references for our students.
7. Question 6: Do you have opportunities for our students?
As stated above, several of the theatres were interested in creating more internship
opportunities between PCC Theatre Arts and their theatres.
Olga Sanchez said that she is now offering three new internships: Literary,
Administrative, and Production Assistant. She did also state that those students with
Spanish-speaking skills were necessary for her theatre as well, as Miracle Theatre
often performs plays entirely in Spanish. OCT is interested in creating formal
internships between PCC and their theatre. Profile would like more production
assistant, front of house, and technical interns. Lakewood also needs more
technicians to assist on their productions.
Overall, the discussion with these theatre professionals was enlightening and offered
hope for our students having opportunities outside of PCC. The overwhelming
consensus was that technicians were in much greater demand than actors. All of the
participants agreed that actors must be better trained in the areas of voice and diction,
movement, acting, the ability to take direction, communication skills, and overall
work ethic.
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PCC Theatre Arts Winter 2006 production of Urinetown: The Musical.
PCC Theatre Arts and Other Community Colleges
One great advantage of attending the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival
is attending the yearly roundtable discussion regarding the state of community college
theatre programs. (See Appendix 4) North Idaho College theatre arts instructor Joe
Jacoby led a discussion titled “Community College Connections” at the 2007 American
College Theatre Festival in Ellensburg, Washington. In attendance were representatives
from Southwestern Oregon Community College (Coos Bay), North Idaho College (Coeur
d’Alene, ID), Laramie County Community College (Cheyenne, WY), Olympia College
(Bremerton, WA), Central Washington University (Ellensburg, WA), and Everett
Community College (Everett, WA). Here is a summary of the discussion:
1. FTE: The discussion regarding FTE was, do the production classes’ FTE in most
community college theatre programs reflect everyone involved? Most schools do
have production credits for students, but some schools (such as Southwestern
Oregon Community College, Coos Bay) sign everyone up for the class regardless
of whether or not they are a paid student.
2. Credit Transfer: Some 4 year institutions do not accept production classes (such
as PCC’s TA 180 or TA 190) as credit when students transfer to their universities.
Washington State is looking to coordinate numbers between community colleges
and universities; Idaho already does this; Oregon does not. “Some four year
schools accept community college credits and some do not – it’s up to the
individual schools.” (Jacoby)
3. Recruiting: Several ideas were discussed regarding recruiting high school
students to attend community college theatre programs. These included
community college instructors judging high school drama competitions, casting
several high school students in each community college main stage production,
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recruiting for programs from teacher training core classes, and having benefit
productions for local high school clubs.
4. Feeder Schools: “A question was raised about how we feel about being feeder
schools. Most of us noted advantages, particularly in the area of transferability.
Some of us teach at schools that are considered feeder schools for nearby fouryear schools. A concern was voiced about community colleges losing some
independence to conform to schools we might feed into.” (Jacoby)
5. Justifying What We Do: “Our students often do not become theatre
professionals. How do we justify our courses? Art is about identifying and
solving problems, demanding critical thinking and communication skills that
serve our students in any field they enter. This is a common sort of argument that
we find ourselves making. People in some departments aren’t supported by
Administration or the community, or are quite restricted in what can be done by
narrow views of what qualifies as art. Other schools are in communities that
demonstrate strong support for the arts. In some areas, newspapers will not list or
see college productions.” (Jacoby)
6. Seasons: Most community colleges are not dependent upon their box office
receipts, and it was agreed that this is best. Some schools have encountered
censorship issues, and it was agreed that this is a negative situation when it arises.
The Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Region 7 also adjudicates PCC
Theatre. This means that for specific productions of our choosing, we pay a fee to have
theatre colleagues at other OUS theatre departments attend our productions and give
feedback afterwards to the students and faculty. This has been done for the past two
years with the productions of Urinetown: The Musical and The Love of the Nightingale.
The responses for both were overwhelmingly positive.
The response for Urinetown: The Musical (Winter 2006) was given by Professor David
Lee Painter from University of Idaho and Professor Mindy Logan from University of
Portland. They touted the production, saying it was “wonderful” and “a really good
show.” They added that the costumes were “fantastic” and that the
director/choreographer collaboration worked well.
The response for The Love of the Nightingale (Winter 2007) was given by Professor
George Caldwell from Oregon State University. He called the production “Amazing,
full, rich, complicated, and incredibly unified.” He very much appreciated the production
elements, and Dan Hays was awarded an outstanding achievement award for his set
design. In addition, two of our students were awarded for their work as sound designers
and stage managers.
National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)
Although PCC Theatre Arts is not accredited by the National Association of Schools of
Theatre, it is interesting to examine what is required. According to the National
Association of Schools of Theatre, a two-year vocational degree program for
accreditation requires the following:
Theatre Arts Program Review
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May 2007
1. Students are achieving a measurable degree of technical mastery in at least one of the
traditional or innovative techniques appropriate to their craft.
PCC Theatre Arts offers classes in acting, design, and technical theatre. Over a two-year
period, students in these areas begin by taking introductory classes, then work on
productions, they then take more advanced classes, and usually have a culminating
experience with a production and/or The Student One-Act Play Festival. If the students
take all of the classes we offer during a two year period, they should achieve the
“measurable degree of technical mastery” that is mentioned by the NAST in at least one
technique appropriate to their craft.
2. Students are developing an effective work process and a coherent set of ideas and
goals, which are embodied in their work.
Through our work with students we strive to teach the fundamentals of play production.
With our TA 180, 190, and 290 classes we have opportunities for students to learn about
stagecraft, assistant designing, assistant directing, stage management, sound design, props
design, and technical theatre. Those students who act in the plays are required to write
process papers whereby they examine their acting process and explore ways in which that
process can be improved during future productions. Since the plays have definitive
opening dates, students are taught how to work on projects that have definite start and
end dates, teaching them how to conceptualize, design, build, perform, and “tear down”
each design they create. This gives the students the necessary skills to see a process
through from its conception to its completion. Acting students also have this opportunity
from the time they are cast in a production to the time when they finish the show. During
that time they are required to each work at least 10 hours in the scene shop, teaching them
that actors are also responsible for the outcome of the play backstage as well as onstage.
During the Student One-Act Play Festival, students write their own scripts, direct plays,
design productions, and act and run the festival. During this time they receive faculty
supervision, but are required to develop the processes, ideas, and goals that will see the
project to its conclusion.
3. Students are developing a significant body of skills, sufficient for evaluation, and a
level of artistry and/or technical proficiency and/or analytical competence acceptable for
public presentation by the school.
As stated above, our classes are specifically designed to impart necessary skills in order
for students to create theatrical productions. The evaluation of these skills is in the actual
production of the plays themselves. The students are expected to perform a variety of
tasks in order for the productions to succeed. The level of artistry and/or technical
proficiency is evident in the work that is presented. We have received many
compliments on our theatrical productions by audience members and fellow theatre
practitioners alike.
Portland Community College and Other Oregon Community Colleges
There are many community college theatre programs in Oregon, including Chemeketa
Community College, Clackamas Community College, Linn Benton Community College,
Mt. Hood Community College, Southwestern Oregon Community College, Tillamook
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May 2007
Bay Community College, and Umpqua Community College. Some of these programs
offer a full slate of performance and technical theatre classes, while others offer only a
handful.
Mt. Hood Community College and Clackamas Community College offer classes in
directing that PCC does not offer. These include “Theories of Directing” at Mount Hood
CC, “Play Direction” at Clackamas CC, and “Directing I: The Art of Directing” at
Southwestern Oregon Community College. The directing class is of particular interest, as
we have student directors for our one-act plays and a directing class would be beneficial.
Introduction to Theatre classes range from those who offer the classes that have students
attend local productions (much like TA 101 at PCC) to those who are lecture/discussion
classes where theatre is discussed in class.
Oregon University System (OUS)
The major universities to which students of PCC Theatre transfer are Portland State
University (PSU), Oregon State University (OSU), University of Oregon (U of O),
Southern Oregon University (SOU), and Western Oregon University (WOU). A list of
PCC Theatre Arts classes and their nearest equivalents has been created for this program
review. (See Appendix 5) Also attached are the current course equivalency guides that
exist between PCC Theatre Arts and other OUS theatre arts departments, according to
their websites. (See Appendix 6)
It is clear that there are few universities that will accept our classes. Most classes will
simply transfer as lower division elective credits. This is unfortunate, as we provide
excellent theatrical training. In addition, when actors perform in multiple productions at
PCC Theatre Arts, despite being in several plays with several differing roles, they are
only accepting one of those credits (TA 180 or TA 190). This is an unfortunate situation
for our students. They attend PCC expecting to have courses transfer to other OUS
schools and find they cannot do so.
In addition, the PCC administration has been somewhat hesitant about creating informal
articulation agreements with these OUS theatre departments. The amount of oversight
necessary for the creation of a formal agreement has made many department heads
hesitant about accepting our offers for such agreements. Informal agreements seem to be
the best option in these cases. PCC Theatre Arts has created an informal agreement with
Dr. John Schmor, Director of the Department of Theatre at University of Oregon. (See
Appendix 7) This agreement creates transferability for our students to attend University
of Oregon. Their department only agreed upon this arrangement if it were informally
created, avoiding a great deal of “red tape.” With the lack of transferable classes, we
believe that informal agreements are the only option when formal agreements are not
possible.
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May 2007
Technical Theatre Programs
The PCC Theatre Arts Technical Theatre Program is unique, unlike any other 2-year or
4-year program in our region. This stems from a relationship between the PAC rentals
and our students, who are trained within the TA Program classes and productions to
facilitate the various technical needs of each rental. PCC students, trained through the
Technical Theatre Program, are hired to supervise, design and run sound, lights, rigging,
manage the house and lobby, and generate scenery and props in the scene shop for PAC
rentals. Rental events are varied and include a mix of PCC users, community and
corporate clients. The types of events are just as varied, including classes, dance
concerts, theatrical productions, cultural events, guest speakers, workshops, corporate
meetings, graduations, religious events, and many more. In 2005-2006 there were over
500 events in the PAC. Management has also encouraged TA Technical Theatre staff to
increase, in the near future, the PAC rentals, proceeds from which are used to pay for one
of these positions.
Because of the presence of this rental “engine,” student technicians & designers are able
to acquire skills in the classroom, practice and apply those skills in mounting the TA
productions, and then gain on-the-job training as supervisors, designers and technicians
as they facilitate events within the PAC each year. Our students gain experience, which in
turn translates to placement into 4-year TA programs and entrance into the professional
theatre community.
As part of our program review, we set out to determine how our program compares with
others in the region. The enclosed report is based on interviews with six
college/University Theatre Arts Programs in our area. The following schools were given
a series of questions (See Appendix 8):
Columbia Basin Community College (CBC), Ron Campbell, Technical
Director/Designer
Mt. Hood Community College (MHC), Daryl Harrison-Carson, Technical
Director
Oregon State University (OSU), George Caldwell, Director/Scene & Technical
Designer
Portland State University (PSU), Bruce Keller, Technical Director
Southern Oregon University (SOU), Ezra Severson, Technical Director
University of Oregon (UO), Janet Rose, Technical Director
General similarities
All of the above schools offer technical theatre classes, both lecture and lab, and produce
one or more productions per term. They offer credit, both lecture format and
participating in production labs-running crew, designers and shop build, during fall,
winter and spring terms. 100 level introductory classes are offered for acting/performance
(Theatre Appreciation or Introduction to Theatre) and technical theatre (Stagecrafts or
Survey of Technical Theatre). Lecture classes are 3-4 credits and production labs are
Theatre Arts Program Review
20
May 2007
variable 1-4 credits, based on the scope of the role/position each student undertakes.
These labs can be taken multiple times and most schools cap at 9 credits maximum.
Once students complete the lecture sequence options, there are opportunities to learn
more through structured independent learning. All of the schools interviewed offer set,
light, props, sound and costume design opportunities to those students who have
completed the tech classes. All schools interviewed have structured and set lab times, in
the scene shop, costume shop and related backstage areas. Students sign up for shop
hours and numbers are limited in each lab. Maximum student amount varies according to
size & scope of department, ex: 6 students-CBC, 10-PSU, 15-UO.
Philosophy
The four-year college programs are geared to move their students into the professional
world with a small group going on to MFA programs. The stagecraft fundamentals at
four-year colleges (OSU, PSU, SOU, UO) involved the following benchmarks:
a. Safety & Shop etiquette
b. How to read a construction drawing
c. How to draft a construction drawing
d. How to build a flat
e. How to build a platform
f. How to build steps
g. Basic painting techniques
h. Basic Properties techniques
The community colleges interviewed both gear their programs primarily to 4-year
programs. CBC’s program also has some workforce, tech & design emphasis. MHC TA
program offers students a broad background in understanding drama. They have
implemented 3 separate two-year degree* programs. Emphasizing an Associates of
Arts/General Studies– Oregon Transfer degree, and two special studies optionsactor/director and technician/designer.
*Transferability for these programs is questionable, as quoted in their catalog: “Specific
requirements for transfer will vary from school to school. It is the student’s
responsibility to contact their four-year transfer school to confirm specific requirements.”
However, these programs, along with forecast sequence offerings (See Appendix 9) have
been successful in maintaining student retention.
The fundamentals for stage craft at the CBC is for the students where the following;
a. Shop safety
b. Ability to cut a board
c. Read a ground plan
d. Painting Techniques
Production Build Lab vs Production Running Crew
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May 2007
Schools differ on how credit is obtained for those participating in production labs and
running crew positions within each production. Each school’s model is an outgrowth of
what works best for their own program. For example, UO’s program includes an Intro to
Design 4-credit lecture sequence (TA 210, 211, 212). Students also sign up for a 1-2
credit production lab sequence, Tech Prod 1 (TA 121)-scenery and lighting, Tech Prod 2
(TA 122)-costume and makeup, and/or a 1-2 credit running crew class, Production (TA
124). These facilitate the build and running crew demands for each production and are
required for all TA majors. PSU also offers a lecture sequence, TA 111, 112, which
combines set, rigging, props, costume production & running crew as well. A 3-hour
mandatory lab (TA 114, 115) is attached. Sound & lighting course offerings are 300+
level.
SOU, CBC, OSU and MHC all combine actors and running crew students in a single
production class, known as Theatre Practice, Theatre Workshop or Rehearsal and
Performance. This is variable 1-4 credit, can be taken multiple times and is offered at
both 100 & 200 level.
As far a build time for shows, PSU is similar to us in size and theater rental relationship.
They have a four-five week build time, one week of load-in, in which two days are
dedicated to lighting alone. PSU’s lab time is Monday through Thursday from 2pm to
5pm, with a 10-person cap. The students have to complete their lab time by the time the
show opens. Upper division students are lab supervisors. Some are paid though
workstudy; this is the same for SOU, where the shop steward is an upperclassman/Graduate student on work-study. The shop hours for SOU are Tuesday through
Thursday from 2pm to 6pm. Students cannot make up missed lab time. Both SOU and
PSU spend the first week of class on shop safety demonstrations. CBC shop hours are
Monday though Thursday from 11:30am to 1:30pm. They have one day to hang lights
and three weeks to load in. They do have some paid students in their shop that have
scholarships from the Student Association. The students have to finish all of their lab
time before a show opens. Strike/tear down is required to pass any of the tech courses at
all schools. No friends or family are allowed at strike at any of the schools. Most schools
strike the set immediately following the final performance.
Class Sizes:
All of the schools have maximum limits for their production lab classes, due to limited
equipment, productivity and safety concerns. 15 students maximum is common. Lecture
classes have no maximum. Because these production classes are essential to mounting
each production, labs are never cancelled due to low enrollment.
Degrees Offered:
Columbia Basin Community College-Associates of Arts (Washington)
Mt. Hood Community College-Associates of Arts (emphasis in actor/director or
technician/designer)
Oregon State University-Theatre Arts Minor (within Speech/Communications Major)
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May 2007
Portland State University-BA, MA
Southern Oregon University-BA, BS, BFA, MA, MS-Arts and Letters
University of Oregon-BA, BS, MA, MS, MFA, Ph. D
Problems with Incongruency of Technical Theatre Staff Positions & Duties
Current TA Technical Theatre staff hours are incongruent with PCC HR policy. Both
Dan Hays & Frances Marsh are Academic Professionals (AP). Both jobs are divided
75% PAC rental management duties and 25% Theatre Arts duties. However, the lab time
necessary for sufficiently training TA Technical Theatre students consistently exceeds the
amount contracted for both positions. In other words, this Theatre Arts training is not
being truly compensated, which is in violation of PCC HR policy.
Management has sought to remedy this situation by giving staff flex time off, 1 hour of
flex time/1 hour of overtime. The difficulty lies in the fact that the workload continues to
accrue despite this time off, leading to circumstances that require staff to work more
hours than they are compensated for. If the staff limit themselves to a 40-hour work
week, there will not be sufficient time to train student technicians, which in turn will
cause both the Theatre Arts Program and PAC rentals to suffer. If student technicians are
not trained adequately, PAC rental services will decline, rentals will decline, and rental
income will decline. This will affect both the funding source for Frances Marsh’s
position and income to the college itself. It puts the rental facility on a downward
economic spiral.
The current system simply forces the staff to donate their time and energy because the
duties involved in co-managing the facility and training the technicians consistently
exceed the allotted time.
Summary:
PCC’s future lies in creating a technical theatre environment and standards that closely
simulate the theater industry, thus preparing students for continuing education and
professional goals. Training and mentoring students to move on to those paths is a
necessary component of this program. The Theatre Arts productions are the practicum
where students apply these skills hands-on. The PAC’s viable rental business validates
what we are doing in the Technical Theatre Program. Our students exit here with a
professional resume and experience that transfers to jobs in the industry and enrollment
in 4-year Theatre programs.
However, PCC Technical Theatre staff are overwhelmed with co-managing TA program
and PAC rental duties combined. This problem will become more untenable as rentals
increase.
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May 2007
Recommendations:
Change Dan Hays’ position from AP to full time faculty, in charge of Technical Theatre
instruction and developing a Technical Theatre Vocational Training Program.
Add a part-time office position for handling PAC rental paperwork, currently handled by
Dan Hays.
Improve TA program retention by the following:
Insure PCC students’ time spent here has transfer credit to 4-year institutions.
Offer a one-year Certificate of Technical Theatre Arts sequence for technical
theatre students (See Appendix 9). In order to legitimize our theater program,
developing a sequence of courses with some certificate of mastery goal is
essential in helping our students to enter the profession or to move on to four-year
schools.
Offer 100 level Stagecrafts/Production Lab class with half-day shop hours,
formed around the tech classes that are offered that term. Taking the step to
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May 2007
develop a stagecraft class that transfers to other universities is vital to students
who are participating in our program.
Replace TA 190/290 Projects in Theatre with TA 255-257 level production
workshops for running crew positions involving set, props, rigging, lights, sound,
and costume production.
Offer a TA 258 Student One Act class as a capstone experience for all students
involved. (See the model of Southern Oregon University in Appendix 5)
Offer structured scene shop and costume shop lab times that students sign up for
and are held accountable for, similar to PCC Biology program model.
Continue TA 190/290 class as Projects in Theatre, for those students interested in
a true cooperative Ed typ experience. ie – credit as Stage Management intern
with a local professional theatre.
Change TA Set Design and Lighting Design classes to the 200 level.
Offer a 200 level Student One Act class as a capstone experience for all students
involved.
Develop High School outreach program-Tech Olympics, free invitation to Seniors
(both HS & retired), form personal relationships with instructors. In order to
bring students into our program we need to work on outreach to high schools and
universities to build reciprocal relationships.
Develop relationships with 4-year institutions and theatre professional through
guest director, performer and designer opportunities. Guest professionals bring
different perspectives and learning opportunities to our students, as well as
pathways into the profession and further education.
If we wish to see our program thrive and grow, these issues must be addressed.
As an endnote, my assessment of the present and former student feed back is that there
were four areas mentioned twice by students: (1) opportunity for set and lighting design,
(2) theater history class, (3) a desire for evening tech classes, (4) the workload of the staff
is apparent to the students. These are things that we need to look at.
Theatre Arts Program Review
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May 2007
PCC Theatre Arts Winter 2006 touring production of The Man Who Had All the Luck.
The production played at the Sylvania, Rock Creek, and Cascade campuses.
Oregon and the Performing Arts
According to the Oregon Employment Department website:
“Employment within the performing arts, spectator sports, and related industry
sector amounts to approximately 15,000 with covered employment and non
employer establishments. Independent artists, writers, and performers account for
the largest number of artists at over 9,000. Spectator sports employs another
2,000, performing arts companies over 1,900, and agents, managers, and
promoters, more than 1,800 when covered employment and nonemployer
establishments are added. Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries
contributed to over $173 million in Oregon payroll in 2005 and generated $160
million in gross income for nonemployer establishments in 2003.
Of those in the arts industry who are not self-employed, the highest-wage earners
make between $45,916 and $67,000 a year . . . . Art directors, producers and
directors, fashion designers, and multimedia artists and animators lead the highwage arts-related occupations in the state. Taken together, the top-10 high-wage
jobs in the creative services sector averaged $51,374 in covered wages in 2005.
Employment in these high-wage creative occupations is expected to add around
855 jobs by 2014.
Many successful performing artists share skills aside from the obvious required
talents necessary for their craft. For example, successful musicians, like actors,
need to have great coordination, active learning skills, be able to monitor and
assess their own performance and others', be able to teach or instruct others, and
have good communication skills (speaking and listening) including teambuilding.
They need the ability to memorize scripts or music, have good manual dexterity,
Theatre Arts Program Review
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May 2007
hearing sensitivity, and the ability to think creatively. Performing for or working
with the public and good story-telling skills also help performers to have good
stage presence.” (Sykes)
According to the same report, the average wage in 2005 for “theater companies and
dinner theaters” was $24,447. Of the 250 actors in the film and video industry employed
in 2004, the average wage $36,014. (See Appendix 10)
PCC Theatre Arts Demographics
The program’s FTE has been on a rollercoaster for the past five years, but has generally
declined.
64
62
60
58
56
FTE
54
52
50
48
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
The headcount, on the other hand, declined in 2003-04 and has remained somewhat
steady since then.
600
500
400
300
Headcount
200
100
0
2001-02
2002-03
Theatre Arts Program Review
2003-04
2004-05
27
2005-06
May 2007
These figures are similar to those for the college at large but with more variation:
120
100
80
60
Campus total
TA total
40
20
0
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
The chart below compares the fall in population from 2001-02, using that year as a base
number (in other words, for both totals, we consider that year to be 100% capacity). Both
numbers went up the next year and then dropped the two years after that. But the Theatre
Arts program dropped a greater percentage in 03-04 than the campus at large. The
percentage numbers look like this:
TA total
Campus total
2001-02
100
100
2002-03
106
102
2003-04
80.2
95
2004-05
82.4
94.7
There are also some things we can learn from these numbers about the population we
serve. Theater Arts serves a slightly different population than PCC overall. Gender is
about the same, with about 57% female, 41-42% male for both. However, race-ethnicity
is a little different:
African American
Aisan/ Pacific
American Indian
Hspanic
Causcasian
Unknown
TA%
African
American
6.87
Asian/
Pacific
3.73
Theatre Arts Program Review
American
Indian
2.13
28
Hispanic
Caucasian
Unknown
3.37
68.2
15.7
May 2007
African American
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian
Hispance
Caucasian
Unknown
Lower
Division
Transfer
African
American
4.33
Asian/Pacific
Islander
9.2
American
Indian
1.3
Hispanic
Caucasian
Unknown
5.9
67.1
12.3
The charts don’t look very different, but the percentages make it clearer. Both charts
make it clear that the college is predominantly Caucasian. Theater Arts has an almost
59% higher percentage of African American students than the college at large in its lower
division transfer population. Although the numbers are small in both cases, an even
higher percentage difference exists in the American Indian/Alaskan Native population.
Clearly the opposite is true in the Hispanic population, and in the population of
Asian/Pacific Islanders, Theater Arts sees smaller than half the percentage campus wide.
From this data we can conclude that the TA Program has been doing well in reaching
both the Native American and African American student population, but not as well with
the Asian American and Hispanic populations.
The Theatre Arts Program has 10% more students in the 18-20 age range than the campus
as a whole, but fewer in the 26-45 ranges. Clearly our program is serving that younger
transfer population more than the campus at large. This may be further borne out by the
fact that Theatre Arts has 5-6% more students who are degree seeking. The Theatre Arts
Program has almost twice as high a percentage of full-time students.
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May 2007
PCC Theatre Arts Fall 2006 production of The Children’s Hour.
Theatre Arts Program Survey of Current and Past Students
According to our 2007 Theatre Arts Program Review of former and current Theatre Arts
Students (25.5% current, 74.6% former) (See Appendix 11) 67% of our former students
attended a four-year college after leaving PCC, 55% went on to work in the theatrical
industry, 62% continued in a non-professional capacity in the theatrical industry. These
numbers reflect that the majority of students who studied at PCC Theatre Arts did go on
to attend a 4-year institution and did continue their work in the theatre.
When asked about issues regarding their studies at PCC Theatre, 60% agreed that their
studies at PCC Theatre improved their time management skills, 65% agreed that their
organizational skills were improved, 90% agreed that their studies increased their abilities
to work with others, 83% agreed that their communication skills improved, 95% said that
their studies increased their appreciation of theatre, 93% said they have an increased
confidence as a theatre performer/technician, and 83% believed that their experiences
encouraged them to take more theatre classes.
The overwhelming responses to the comments section were positive, but several
suggested some changes:
1. The need for additional lighting, sound, and technical theatre classes, as well as
night classes for technicians.
2. The desire for more internships at local area theatres.
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May 2007
3. The desire for more playwriting classes, musical theatre classes, and
“standup/sketch comedy” courses.
4. The need for more theatre classes at Cascade and Rock Creek campuses.
5. More evening classes in general.
6. The need for more sections of the Advanced Improvisation classes.
7. The need for more theatre history and design theory classes.
8. More need for articulation between PSU and PCC. “When I went to PSU NONE
of the PCC credits transferred over. I basically had to start from the beginning.”
9. Not combining TA 142 and TA 143 due to lack of instructional time with
students.
10. Student contact time was an issue. “I have a huge problem with not being able to
access my instructor because his job is too big for one person . . . . I don’t think
this is a problem with the teacher. I think this is a problem with one person doing
the job of three people and the administration placing too much importance on the
rentals and not enough importance on the students. The rentals just suck up too
much time from the teachers and from the space itself.”
11. The idea of creating classes for business individuals that wanted to improve their
skills through the use of improvisational games.
Patron Survey Information
In addition to surveying our past and current students, we have also surveyed patrons
through inserts in the programs we hand out at performances, and through an online
survey completed in 2007. There were 155 total program insert surveys gathered over
several productions. These surveys give us insights into the thoughts of the patrons
themselves, who they are, where they reside, and why they attend our productions. A
sample of the surveys can be found in (See Appendix 12).
Program Insert Results
The program inserts (See Appendix 13) provided interesting information concerning our
productions. When asked how the patrons heard about our productions, 70 said by word
of mouth, 64 said through other means such as being invited by a cast member and being
related to a cast member, 10 heard about our plays through the PCC website, 10 through
posters, 5 through newspaper advertisements and reviews, 4 through season brochures
sent via the mail, and 2 through our mailings.
When asked how far the patrons lived from PCC Sylvania, the overwhelming answer was
over five miles away (97), 25 said they traveled from out of town, 22 said they were 3-4
miles away, and 8 said they lived 1-2 miles away.
Another question was “how often do you attend PCC shows?” The overwhelming
response was “first time” (67), many said 3 times per year (20), twice a year (19), once a
year (11), and 27 other responses ranged from “occasionally” to “every show.”
Online Patron Survey Results
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May 2007
An online patron survey was conducted in order to discover how our patrons view our
program (See Appendix 14). Overall, the response was positive, citing the professional
nature of our productions, the excellence of the direction and design, and the
affordability. Here are some comments:
1. “I believe the productions I have seen here at PCC are top notch - great direction,
amazing sets and costumes. I think you all are doing a wonderful job! I am proud
of PCC's theater department!”
2. “I realize theater is expensive and requires a lot of facilities and staff and even if
the audiences are relatively small (as they have been when I have attended) the
program is essential to the college culture and the greater community. The theater
is still communal magic—full of the rituals which bring strangers together to go
on a journey of catharsis—in the virtual age such experiences are increasingly
rare. We need them for our own intellectual and mental health. An institution
like PCC which promotes empowerment, growth and awareness should view a
vital theatre program as integral to the college mission.”
3. “Regarding the final question--I think Dan and Michael are professionals and
their work is certainly of a professional level (which is great for students!!!)
Michael and Dan set a great example, far better than an amateur or community
theatre level would demonstrate—Students are doing some of the best collegelevel work in Portland under Michael and Dan's expert and inspired artistic
leadership.”
4. “To answer better the last question, I see PCC Theatre productions as a blend of
community and amateur theatre--a teaching tool for students as well as a place for
those outside the classroom.”
Our patrons also voiced concerns about several issues:
1. Season: The audience desires more Shakespeare, more well known plays, more
comedies, more musicals, and more family friendly fare.
2. Accessibility: Ease of access, limited production schedules, more productions at
more PCC campuses were all listed as reasons patrons might not attend more
performances.
Various Responses to Productions
In addition to receiving responses through surveys, we also receive random responses
from patrons that attend our productions. Here are some of their comments:
1. “I had the distinct honor…of joining several faculty and staff for the fantastic
performance of Nora at PCC Sylvania’s Performing Arts Center. Michael
Najjar’s powerful direction of a very talented cast and Dan Hays’ gorgeous set
and striking lighting were top-notch…How do people not realize that PCC plays
are some of the best in town?”
2.
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3. “I returned to my office after the TLC on the Road: Nora preview and I have to
say, WOW!...Don’t miss your opportunity to see this production!”
4. “I wanted to congratulate you on your outstanding production of The Love of the
Nightingale. My wife and I had a wonderful experience, and came away with
much ‘food for thought.’”
5. “I wanted to write you a quick note of appreciation for helping facilitate the
touring production of The Man Who Had All the Luck appearing at Rock Creek
this spring. Not only was it an impressive production with high artistic merit, but
it gave our own theatre program a real boost in getting back into the
curriculum…I realize that theatre is expensive, but its benefits to the community
here in terms of our cultural mission, though hard to quantify, are substantial.”
6. “I enjoyed your production of The Winter’s Tale very much. It was artistic and I
love concept shows. It was great to see so many of my students, past and present,
do so well…”
7. “I appreciated the choice of plays and production qualities. Outstanding
performances especially by the actor who played the namesake! I loved the mix
of period piece and modern interpretation...”
8. “Swanwhite is beautiful!!! I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the preview
of Swanwhite this evening and was absolutely blown away again and again by the
incredible skills of Director Michael Najjar, Set Designer Dan Hays, and the other
fabulous staff and students of PCC’s theatre department. Such a beautiful story
and visually stunning. It’s a shame that more people don’t attend PCC’s plays, as
they are such high quality, very well-priced, and the perfect opportunity to
support our colleagues and students.”
9. “The production was beautiful. I loved the environment of the play. I was very
happy the students could see something in this style. There is nothing else like it
currently. The production was beautiful. I loved the environment of the play. I
was very happy the students could see something in this style. There is nothing
else like it currently.”
10. “I think you did a great job staging the show, and drawing out the actors…It was
great to see the mask and physical work…And the music, also great.”
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PCC Theatre Arts Winter 2007 production of The Love of the Nightingale. (Photo by Bryan Hoybook)
Recommendations
Based on this program review, the PCC Theatre Arts program review committee has
agreed upon the following recommendations for the program:
1. Transferability: The greatest problem facing the PCC Theatre Arts
program (and the college in general) is the lack of transferability of PCC’s
Theatre Arts classes with other OUS institutions. There needs to be a
state-wide effort to create a common numbering system that will allow
theatre classes to easily transfer from PCC to OUS institutions. This
should be done through formal or informal means. The PCC
administration needs to allow SAC Chairs the freedom to create informal
transfer agreements when formal transfer agreements cannot be created.
Dr. John Schmor, head of the University of Oregon Theatre Department
has offered to create a statewide summit between OUS institutions and
community colleges. We should join in this effort to standardize the
transferability of classes.
2. Technical Theatre Certificate Program: Our research has shown that
there is a great possibility of creating a full Vocational/Technical Degree
for PCC students.
3. One-Act Play Festival Class: It is necessary to create two 4 credit
classes for the Student One-Act Play Festival rather than allowing them to
remain as TA 180 and TA 190 classes. This class would be a shared FTE
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May 2007
between two theatre arts instructors: one director/producer instructor, and
one technical director/designer instructor. This would be helpful for the
following reasons:
i. It would assure that our students would have lecture/lab time with
instructors that would be structured and formalized, rather than
having the students consult with instructors on an informal and
sporadic basis.
ii. It would give students continuity from the playwriting class to a
second-term class that would give students more instruction as
directors, then a third-term class that would allow those directors
and playwrights the opportunity to produce the play with more
faculty supervision.
iii. It would fairly compensate the instructors who currently find
themselves working many more hours than those for which they
are compensated or released under the current system.
4. Theatre Rehearsal and Performance: The current Theatre Rehearsal
and Performance Classes (TA 180, TA 190, TA 290, TA 253, TA 290)
should be restructured into a shared FTE class between two theatre arts
instructors: one director/producer instructor, and one technical
director/designer instructor. This would be helpful for the following
reasons:
5. Class Limits: A reexamination of class size limits is necessary.
Currently, most classes have class limits that are too large for
individualized instruction. According to the NAST (National Association
of Schools of Theatre), a suggested standard for an acting class is 15.
Currently, acting classes at PCC have a class limit of 25. Our costuming
class often has too many students for the limited space and sewing
machines available to the students. In our technical theatre classes there
are often too many students in a class for an instructor to properly
supervise all of those students. We recommend that acting classes have a
limit of 20, costuming have a lab limit of 6, and a lab limit of 6-8 for
technical theatre classes.
6. Professional Development: The one-person SAC chair position makes it
nearly impossible for any professional development. Even during terms
where the SAC chair is allowed release time to produce rather than direct
PCC Theatre productions, there is not enough time to be able to work at
local theatres. Most theatres do not have summer seasons, so even when
the SAC chair is allowed summers off, they cannot work locally as there
are few theatres producing plays during the summer. We recommend that
the SAC chair be given a choice between teaching in summers and having
no producing responsibilities during the term in which they are not
directing. One of our patron survey respondents said it best: “The theater
directors and the department should be as integrated into the rest of the
PCC ‘arts’ community as possible . . . fight the tendency to isolate . . . and
make connections and relationships outside of the theater department . . .
build allies . . . it's time-consuming, and we all are stretched to the limit . .
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May 2007
. but in the end, having a community of supportive art-oriented faculty
benefits everyone.”
7. Collaborations: It is vital that PCC allow release time and compensation
for more cross collaborations between programs. Our collaboration with
John Mery and the PCC Music Program and Kimm Mahoney-Watson and
the PCC Dance Program made our production of Urinetown: The Musical
a success. Also, the collaboration with Diane Trapp’s Mask and Makeup
Design class led to excellent design learning opportunities for our
students. Our tour to the Rock Creek and Cascade campuses brought PCC
Theatre to other campuses and was heralded as a great success by many
administrators. PCC would do well to continue allowing such
collaborations.
8. ACTF: PCC should further its involvement with the Kennedy
Center/American College Theatre Festival. For the past two years we
have had six acting students nominated to compete in the regional Irene
Ryan Acting Competition, two students were awarded for their work as
designers, and many of our students have been able to attend the yearly
festivals and participate. PCC should allow this as a permanent, annual
aspect of the theatre program.
PCC Theatre Arts Spring 2007 production of Swanwhite. (Photo by Bryan Hoybook)
Conclusion
PCC Theatre Arts is a vibrant theatre arts training program that offers as much, if not
more, than competitive programs at other community colleges and universities. The
program has fulfilled its mission, but there is always room for improvement.
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It is clear that there is a relationship between the class work, the productions, and the
rental aspects of our organization. These three work in tandem in order to train our
students to become actors, designers, directors, and technicians. In order to fulfill this
mission, we must work to create greater transferability for our courses with other OUS
institutions, greater pay equity for our staff that balances the PCC Performing Arts Rental
aspects and the Theatre Arts Program, creation of a Technical Theatre Certification
Program, the creation of a One-Act Play Festival Class, a restructuring of our Theatre
Rehearsal and Performance classes, a re-examination of class size limits, greater potential
for professional development for faculty and staff, greater collaborations with other PCC
programs, and a greater participation with the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre
Festival.
By instituting these changes, we can ensure the future of the PCC Theatre Arts Program.
Currently, our program is one of the strongest theatrical training programs in the region
and directly serves the Portland Theatre scene and many Oregon university theatre
departments. The strengthening of PCC Theatre Arts will serve to benefit Portland
Community College and the future of arts in Oregon.
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