Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1987 - 80

d. knowledge of the safe handling procedures for
scenic equipment, hand and power tools, and
materials used in scenic construction.
3. competence in stage operations and stage maintenance, including stage rigging and machinery, stage
lighting equipment, and stage audio equipment.
B. Literature and history
1. knowledge of dramatic literature, including historic genres, and strong competence in the textual
analysis of scripts.
2. knowledge of the history of theatrical production,
with emphasis on the visual elements of scenery,
properties, lighting, and costumes.
3. knowledge of the history of art, especially architecture and decor, and understanding of how designers
use such knowledge.
C. Administration
1. competence in the range of managerial functions
required in the technical operations of a theatre,
including studio and personnel scheduling, studio
personnel management, fiscal management lbudget development, materials acquisition, record
keeping), stage and studio maintenance, and equipment acquisitions.
2. competence in oral and written co=unication
skills essential to the execution of scenery and to
the smooth operation of the technical aspects of the
theatre.
3. ability to work and collaborate with various artists,
technologists, and technicians, many or all of
whom may be relatively unskilled students, under
pressure.
4. capability in the higher levels of planning required
in seasonal or repertory contexts.
Proficiency is these areas is demonstrated by participation in
production. The technical director is best evaluated by professional peers in technical direction and theatre, who should be
agreed on by the candidate and the administration in advance.
The technical director should be evaluated on his/her ability to
safely mount productions within the budget, on time, and with
efficient management of human resources, within the context
of imparting knowledge of technical practices to students.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to provide evaluators
with evidence of his/her competence. The technical director
should submit for evaluation a portfolio which might contain
photographs of the designer's renderings, sketches, or models,
original or photocopied drafting or construction drawings
showing technical design, construction techniques and materials used, and photographs of the finished sets. For a few selected productions, we suggest that the following information
be provided for use by the evaluating team:

construction, painting and set-up; budget for scenery and
properties; skill levels of available workers.
IV Stage information-size, equipment, crew structure, limitations of the facility.
V. Technical director's informationa. brief written analysis of production requirements and
problems.
b. technical drawings for the production if these were prepared by the candidate.
c. notes and working materials on studio schedules, budgetting, cost control, work lists, sketches.
d. identification of technological or artistic innovations
associated with the production.
VI. Statement of the candidate's perception of the institution's
standards and a self-evaluation.
Among devices for determining the calibre of the contributions
of the technical director are:
a. evaluations by professional peers, including scenic and
lighting designers and directors of technical production, of
work done over an extended period of time.
b. evaluations by professionals in the field.
c. evaluations by other members of the production team, including support personnel.
d. participation in technological panels of programs for professional societies.
e. repeated engagements with an off-campus producing organization, as indicative of work satisfactory to the
organization.
Those charged with evaluating the work of the technical director should expect to address appropriate issues among the
following:
1. Are technical preparation and solutions appropriate to
the design concept? lAs the technical director is not
ordinarily responsible for the design concept, the evaluation team is not expected to determine the appropriateness of that concept.)
2. Do the technical solutions chosen satisfactorily solve
the problems presented by the script or scenario?
3. Are the technical solutions selected appropriate to the
budgets for materials, time, and labor lincluding skills
levels)?
4. Are technical solutions appropriate to the theatre, the
stage, and the production schedule?
5. Is the quality of the finished scenery and properties, in
light of the imposed conditions of facilities, labor, skills
levels, budget, etc., co=ensurate with the professorial
rank linstructor, assistant professor, associate professor,
professorl of the candidate based on the prevailing written standards of the institution?

1. Basic information-title of the play; names of the play-

wright, producing/theatre organization, scenic and lighting designers; technical director's educational level at time
of completion; date of completion.
II. Scenic breakdown-number of sets; number and description of major scenic elements lflats, platforms, or equivalent structures) built new; number and description of major scenic elements reused "as is" or by modification;
number and description of borrowed or rented scenic elements and/or equipment; number and description of shopbuilt scenic machines, special effects, hand props, furniture, and set props, with indication of the candidate's significant contribution to these projects.
III. Scenic studio information-studio location relative to the
theatre; studio floor area; studio average clear working
height; characteristics peculiar to the facility; major equipment available; time period and worker hours available for

TD&T SUPPLEMENT

FALL 1987

In addition, the technical director should demonstrate abilities which are not production-specific, in such areas as seasonal studio budget development, quality of logistical support,
low accident frequency, etc. Thus an evaluation should cover
not only the technical director's short-term efficiency for each
production but also the candidate's management of resources
throughout an entire production season. lf on-site inspection
can be arranged, it may be valuable for the evaluation team to
consider the quality of operation of the technical director's
scenic studio and theatre independent of the requirements of a
particular production.
Throughout the evaluation process, the reviewing team
should keep in mind the physical and human resources available for the assigned production load and maintenance activities. The nature of theatrical production is also significant,
and no one should be expected to maintain a spotless environ-

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