Student participation in production crews is required for two reasons. First, because we believe every student should have working knowledge of the basic elements of technical theatre, of stage machinery, backstage and front of house operations, set, costume, lighting, sound or properties.
Second, crews provide the necessary support for the School’s productions, from which every student benefits, whether his or her interest is in performing, teaching, or the technical end of theatre. Without crews, there would be no production values at all.
All undergraduate students must earn a certain number of crew credits to graduate.
The student earns 1 production credit (50 hrs minimum) by working on approved running crews, front of house and promotion, dramaturgy, stage management, as an assistant director, musical director or choreographer. Late night calls for build or lights (after 10:00 pm) incur double hours. Stage managers receive 2 crew credits per show.
If a student does front of house and promotion, he/she will have to put in weekly hours with the production manager and the front office staff. All crews are expected for strike.
All hours will be tracked by the supervising crew chief, faculty member or Stage Manager. If a student does not fulfill his/her time, it will roll over to the next crew.
The student must sign up for each crew. It is the student’s responsibility to sign up for a crew just as one registers for classes. A sign up sheet will be posted for each production after auditions have been heard and roles assigned. If the crews run short, a student will be assigned by either the production manager or the supervising faculty member.
Priority will be given:
- to students in their final two semesters who are behind in crews;
- to those needing the credit to keep pace with one per year;
- in the order that students sign up for crew work.
After a student has been assigned to work a crew, he/she will be contacted by the Stage Manager to verify his/her commitment on that production. Once the student is verified, he/she is required to work on that production and to be available for ALL calls listed on the production calendar. If at anytime a student cannot fulfill his/her obligation, he/she is responsible for finding a replacement. Failure to do so will result in the assessment of additional crew requirements. Personal hardship will be judged by the faculty on a case by case basis.
At the end of the show, a Crew Credit form will be placed in the student’s academic file by the production manager stating if the student has received the proper number of hours. If a student has not completed 50 hours, the hours one did complete will be listed on the form and can be completed on the next show. A student will not receive credit if he/she fails to show up for work or does not perform satisfactorily on a crew as evaluated by the faculty member, production or stage managers. Students should fulfill a crew each academic year to avoid over booking oneself. In addition to the form, the production program must be placed in the academic file. This is the responsibility of the student, with assistance of the adviser. When the student is consulting with his/her adviser for registration of courses, the student must check with the adviser to assure that the necessary documentation from the previous year’s production credit is in the file.
Working a crew for a show in which one has a role is not recommended, but exceptions may be made by the faculty adviser.