Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2009 - 13

as Complex Learning Tools
by

Rich Dionne

In many ways, graduate programs in theatre technology (or
scenery technology, or technical production-whatever term
a particular program chooses to utilize) are poised to be
an extraordinarily apt venue for the application of complex
learning techniques. "Complex learning" focuses less on traditional, skill based models (i.e. structural design one semester, mechanical design another semester, management skills
a third semester, and so on), and more on the coordination,
integration, and differentiation of these various skills toward
the purpose of addressing specific issues, problems, or situations (Van Merriënbor). Usually, complex learning curricula
are essentially problem-based classes, requiring students to
synthesize their acquired skills, attitudes, and knowledge, and
apply that synthesis to the particular situation of the problem they are working on. In order to encourage involvement
from the students, these problems must be what is called
"authentic"-the problem must be as close to a real-world
application as is possible. (Remember asking your algebra
teacher, "When will we ever use this?" The "authentic" problem obviates this question.)
Graduate programs all produce actual shows; these
shows seemingly represent the ultimate in authentic problems: they are real, though ideally they carry less "risk" than
those produced by professional organizations-no one's job
is at stake over ticket sales, for example. However, the stakes

really aren't that much lower in a graduate program-they're
just different. Each program has a standard of quality to which
they aspire; directors and designers have investested in the
artistic scope of the project; students' grades and evaluations
depend on the performance of the responsibilities. And that
creates an interesting tension: as the stakes get higher-as the
authenticity of the problem increases-a problem's effectiveness as an instructional tool seems to decrease. So the question
becomes, how do we teach our students? Or, more importantly,
what are we teaching our students?
During the 2008 USITT Conference & Stage Expo in
Houston, TX, I had the opportunity to sit down with five educators working with graduate-level students in what is varyingly called scenery technology, theatre technology, theatre
production, or the like, to discuss this question. My conversations with Bob Bovard, formerly head of theatre technology
at Indiana University, Randy deCelle, formerly chair of scenic
technology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,
Bob Scales, former dean of the School of Theatre at the University of Southern California, Ben Sammler, chair of technical design and production at Yale School of Drama, and Rusty
Cloyes, professor of production and technical direction at
University of Texas, Austin, proved incredibly interesting. Full
transcripts of those conversations can be found at http://web.
ics.purdue.edu/~rdionne/structures.html.

W I N T E R

2009

theatre

design

&

technology

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http://web http://ics.purdue.edu/~rdionne/structures.html
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2009
