Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1987 - 75

stances may contribute further to disruption of the institution's
production and academic programs.
In cases where the department is sufficiently well-staffed
that the absence of a designer, the technical director, or the
costumer will not have catastrophic consequences for the duration of the absence, and assuming that suitable off-campus
employment is available, it is a responsibility of the institution
to accommodate such activity if this is a requirement for promotion/tenure. In other words, it is the responsibility of the
institution to arrange teaching and on-campus production responsibilities so that individuals will not be "scheduled" out of
promotion or tenure.
In the event that these faculty members are able to work off
campus, the distance of the host organization from campus
should be totally irrelelvent to the worth of the acti vi ty for
promotion or tenure, as many excellent production companies
have access within their immediate areas to numerous highcalibre designers and technologists. The theatre faculty of the
institution should provide guidance on such matters, documenting the reputation of the company as required.
It is also not appropriate for the institution to conern itself
with whether off-campus production work is or is not compensated, unless the level of payment for professional activity in
other disciplines is examined as well. Determination of quality
is the only signiRcant standard for evaluating off-campus creative activity, whether amateur, educational, or professional.
Evaluating design or technological quality is, of course, difficult for institutions. This task should be delegated to a panel of
peers - fellow designers or technology professionals and other
theatre artists, as suggested in this report.
Where an objective standard is deemed essential, the selection practices of the off-campus host organization may provide
guidance. Thus creative activity for a theatre which seeks staff
of national reputation might be equated to publishing in a
journal with nation-wide circulation. If the theatre's staff is
selected only within the region, work done for it might be
equated to publishing in a regional journal. However, such
comparisons should be approached with caution and the guidance of the broader theatre faculty should be sought.
Off-campus creative activity should be equated to research!
scholarship only if the artist is working in his or her artistic
specialty. Thus a scenic designer who is employed as a stage
carpenter should not receive artistic credit, nor should a technical director who works as a stage hand. In some cases it may be
evident that the individual is broadening or deepening professional proficiency by engaging in activities outside his/her
field. In such cases the credit should be for professional development, not creative activity/research/scholarship.
In evaluations of all areas of theatrical design and technological activity, work in areas other than traditional legitimate
theatre should be considered. Opera, musical theatre, dance
television, film, theme parks, displays, fashion productions,
trade shows, and other media may present signilicant artistic
challenges and opportunities.
ACADEMIC DEGREES
Many institutions require that a specific degree, usually the
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.), be earned prior to attaining the
rank of full professor. The requirement may apply to tenure and
associate professorships as well. This standard may be appropriate for fields in the humanities and sciences for which the Ph.D.
is the recognized terminal degree. However, the question of
academic degrees a proof of competence in the fine arts has
long been a sensitive one. In January 1972 the ational Council
of the Arts in Education issued the following statement, endorsed by 21 profeSSional associations of artists including the
United States Institute for Theatre Technology IUSITT):

tioner of the art. Specific degrees are not appropriate requisites for teaching the arts in institutions of higher education or for advancement in them. or should research and
critical publication, however desirable, he a measure of an
artist's accomplishment in his or her profession. One criterion for such advancement, rather, should be the quality
and extent of public performance, exhibitions, artistic publication, community-related arts activities, as well as significant experimentation that may not immediately result
in products suitable for public viewing or hearing.
More recently; the ational Association of Schools of Theare
( AST) states in the 1985-86 Handbook (p. 32, emphasis
addedl:
Faculty members should be qualified by profeSSional experience and/or demonstrated teaching competence and/or
earned degrees.

NAST recognizes the Master of Fine Arts as the appropriate
termiJlOl degree for performance/design/technology/playwriting faculty At the same time, some artist-teachers
may hold other degrees: some may not hold any academic
degrees. In such cases, institutions should make appointments for studio faculty on the basis of experience and
training.
A person's qualifications to teach performance, design!
technology; and playwriting are normally tested by his or
her involvement as a practicing artist. In teaching these
subjects, it is of overriding importance that the teacher be
or have been deeply and currently involved as a practicing
artist in the particular discipline and able to communicate
personal knowledge and experience effectively.
At institutions where a terminal degree is the only acceptable demonstration of professional competence, we concur that
the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A. I is the appropriate terminal
degree for theatrical designers and technologists. Accordingly;
holders of the M.F.A. should receive all rights and provileges
assigned to holders of other terminal degrees, i.e. the Ph.D.,
Ed.D., D.M., etc.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPME T
Professors in all disciplines should be concerned with maintaining and strengthening professional competence. For artists
a related concern is the need for the creative stimulus of new
ideas. For theatrical designers there are no publications currently available which present the wide range of visual production styles emerging at any point in time. Awareness of these
constantly changing styles is essential, particularly to continued participation as a profeSSional artist off campus and to
preparing students to work in professional theatre. Thus the
institution should encourage and support regular attendance at
exhibits of theatrical design, as well as to established art collections, and to theatrical productions of reputable off-campus
organizations, as it would travel to collections for faculty in
other disciplines. Usually the results of such study will be
evident in subsequent production activity, rather than in a
publication.
Many methods used by theatrical designers and technologists in both design and construction are not transmittable
through publications and must be learned first-hand, through
direct contact with other theatrical design and technology practitioners. Participation in symposiums, professional conferences, and studio master classes should be expected of all
designers and technologists, with appropriated institutional
subsidy.

Appointment, promotion, and tenure should be awarded to
an artist-teacher in recognition of achievement as a practi-

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FALL 1987

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1987