Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1982 - 7

Theatre Management Training
by Kent Neely

acumen does not answer problems when an artistic or emotional response is involved, he stated.
Gerald S. Krone of the Negro Ensemble Company made a
similar comment. Krone said that graduates usually do not know
how to deal with the "human resource factor" of artists. He said
too many academic programs foster rigidity and do not teach
individuality in solving problems, that a management problem
system cannot be an end in itself. He said that graduates often
look for an absolute answer to solving management problems,
and an arts organization suffers worst from that type of attitude.
Krone said that many graduates look for the ideal accounting or
box office system without realizing that they possess the basic
knowledge and skills to devise and apply answers to individual
situations.
Two others stated that graduates have good theoretical
knowledge but have had limited opportunity to apply that
knowledge to actual life situations. These answers imply that the
education which students are receiving is based too rigidly in the
profit-making perspective of business administration and does
not recognize the peculiar needs of a not-for-profit theatre.
The faculties of degree programs represent the third area of
contention noted by the respondents. Jan Miner, Managing
Director of Actor's Theatre of St. Paul, said professional adjunct
faculty are necessary to provide adequate field experience to
address theoretical problems. She said the lack of professionals
involved in the educational process has produced skepticism.
Professionals doubt that graduates are adequately trained or
are knowledgeable about the current state of theatre management. Peter Donnelly of the Seattle Repertory Theatre felt those
instructors most directly in contact with management students
should have had previous field experience with a not-for-profit
theatre.
The facts stated above also relate to the fourth need voiced by
the respondents. Most felt that training must be more specifically
addressed to the theatre; current arts administration degrees
are too broad and general in nature to deal specifically with
theatre's unique problems. Michael Pitek of Loretto-Hilton Repertory Theatre in St. Louis thought graduates should have
experience in scenery and costume work and other technical
jobs to better understand the needs of theatre. Sara O'Connor of
Milwaukee Repertory Theater feels that graduate training is
currently too broad and that students have difficulty relating to
the economic problems of a not-for-profit theatre because of
their standard business school grounding with its emphasis on
profit-making industry. Timothy Langan of the Trinity Square
Repertory Theatre in Providence said that courses such as
business law, administration, and finance need greater specificity to theatre.
Finally, the majority of respondents felt that graduates do not
have an adequate commitment to theatre. Students should have
an appreciation for the process of artistic production. As Peter
Culman of Baltimore's Center Stage stated, "The best managers have been actors or directors or technicians sometime in
their careers."

Courses Perceived As Most Practical
Managers responding by written questionnaire listed business
courses as top priority over artistic and academic classes for a
USITT/Spring, 1982

theatre management degree program. Management, as a
course of study, received the highest priority listing, followed by
accounting, marketing, public relations, business law, dramatic
literature, computer science, theatre history, news and media
relations, stage management, and directing (in descending
order).
These quantitative results should not be interpreted as antithesis to art appreciation. Though William Wingate of the Mark
Taper Forum rated stage management, management, accounting, marketing, and public relations as the five most practical
classes, he noted, "It is vital that the students have a thorough
grounding in the theatre first and business management second."
Harrison Cromer of the Chelsea Theatre Center in New York
made a similar remark on his response. "I believe that one
learns to manage institutions and programs by experience and
by example from good managers. Most programs with which I
am familiar stress technical management areas too strongly,
ignoring the importance of the art and informed opinions about
the art. Too many students suited to other disciplines are
matriculating into these programs."
In the telephone interviews, respondents repeatedly stressed
the need for sound theatre appreciation. A phrase like "the
manager must appreciate and be committed to the art that is his
or her function to support" was heard time and again. This need
was placed as a prerequisite to actual management training
and, as many respondents implied, should come as the result of
a good undergraduate major.
The same relationship seems to be held in the recent University of Wisconsin Center for Arts Administration study, The
Perceived Value and Use of Formal Education in Arts Administration (1979). In the conclusion, arts electives are rated as fifth
in overall need and importance. The study states that for
specifically oriented degrees " ...arts elective course work
should provide a historical perspective and the elements of the
arts discipline." Commenting on theatre, the study recommends
courses in costume, set and lighting design, acting, directing
and stage management.

Internships
The most crucial element of training sighted by respondents
was an internship. Sara O'Connor, Managing Director of the
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, defined the need quite succinctly: "The internship anchors a lot of theory." The internship was
seen as a vital link between educational training and professional application.
Two respondents see the internship as a cooperative sharing
experience between student, academic institution and professional theatre. Gerald Krone of the Negro Ensemble Company
said professional theatres accepting interns must understand
their "educational obligation." The theatre "pays" the intern with
knowledge and supervising time, he said.
JoAnn Overholt of Washington's Arena Stage made remarks
similar to Krone's. "We take the educational relationship between an intern and this organization seriously and aim to
provide useful training and exposure to theatre management in
exchange for assistance on specific projects and routine tasks."
She also said, "Programs that include internships are the best
Theatre Design & Technology 5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1982