Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2013 - 65

In exploring solutions to this problem, Simon's entry pairs beautifully
with that of Todd Rosenthal, "Encouraging Intuition in Set Design Education." In my brief experience-and the point of this book is to constantly
compare your own experience to that of the essayists-the fear both talk
about is the main impediment to a successful, Dead-Poet's-Society teacherstudent relationship. Both of these essays talk about how to create a learning
environment that relieves fear and allows creativity to grow.

Interdisciplinary approach
A given for those of us in the arts is that the best content comes from
an interdisciplinary approach. Michael Riha's "Establishing a Design
Vocabulary," one of my favorite entries, details a successful experiment
uniting literature, visual arts, and that poor little redheaded stepchild theatre design in class projects with a structure altered from the traditional
portfolio-oriented approach.
His essay on a team teaching experiment complements entries on the
value of structured, fundamentals-driven curricula from Laura Crow, "Classroom Strategies for Costume Design Education," and Judy Adamson, "On
Teaching Costume Production." For this newer costume designer, seeing
their work is like a beginning yoga student seeing the gravity-defying balanced poses of a practiced master-intimidating and inspiring at once.
As with many of these essays, there is a pressure of professional standards and assessable outcomes, addressed specifically and clearly in Mark
Shanda's essay from an administrative point of view, "Outcomes Assessment
for Theatre Production: Clarifying Our Constant State of Evaluation," with
minimal acronyms. It can be difficult to gauge whether a course or program
is really doing the most good for the most people, to quote the Salvation
Army.

Saying "I don't know"
Specifically addressing the liberal arts approach, and offering this point
of view to the applied/practicum parts of theatre education, is Heath Hansum's "The Hands-On Liberal Arts Education." For my complaint about
the unfortunate trend of college students believing in a Right Answer, Hansum has given me a new teaching tool: "It depends." One of the hardest things to say as a teacher is, "I don't know." Today's students, who
view their education as a consumer product, are lost. "You don't know?!
What are they paying you for?" The answer lies in this economical phrase
(much better than my current mantra: "Yes . . . and no"). "It depends"
on the factors contributing to the creative problem. "It depends" on who
is solving the problem. "It depends" on when you need it. The list goes on
and on. This is a liberal arts teaching tool at its best: assess the problem,
assess the conditions, then design a solution. This essay revived for me
the way to work through everyone's frustration, to not take away projects
or solve them for the student, but to let the uncertainty and unknown
breathe. I think this is particularly challenging for a production-heavy
program anxious to deliver an impressive product.
What I have reviewed here is only small sampling of what this book
offers. To summarize: within the covers you will find solutions, questions,
arguments, processes, products, agreements, vindication, and contradiction. This book will make educators at any level consider their teaching,
s p r i n g 2013

theatre design

& technology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2013