Ashland Center for Theatre Studies
Master of Theatre Studies
in Production and Design
Course Work Overview
The Theatre Teacher Training program for high school and community college teachers is an intensive experience that requires three summers with two weeks in residence in July and considerable individual effort before and after each summer. The program requires practical implementation and documentation of applied design and production projects executed in your own school. Each year focuses on a different type of theatre: presentational, representational, or musical theatre. You may join the program in any given year of the three-year cycle. The program leads to a Master of Theatre Studies in Production and Design.
What our students say:
- "There are things that I will take back to use in my classroom from the very first week and ideas that I will be able to use in my productions immediately."
- "The information learned will be invaluable to me and my program. I have more tools to create richer productions at my school."
- "The coursework was challenging and it has been exciting to learn many new skills."
Course Work includes:
- Script analysis of plays of varied styles and time periods with comprehensive discussion of the methodologies of translating dramatic themes into effective direction, design and a unified production
- Skills for communicating design ideas--research, building models, creating renderings, drafting light plots, and recording sound sketches
- Safe and cost-effective techniques for realizing design concepts in production--costume, scenic, and properties construction, and lighting and sound engineering
- Discussion with professionals and colleagues of Oregon Shakespeare Festival plays in production, examining conceptual development of direction and design ideas, and the realization of those concepts into actual productions
- Stage management, production management, and technical direction techniques
- New technologies--how they enhance theatre crafts and integrate with theatrical processes
- Application of new concepts and skills to productions and curriculum development in your own school
Additional Activities:
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2009 productions of The Music Man, All's Well That Ends Well, and Don Quixote, as well as the Oregon Cabaret Theatre production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
- Student presentations
Additional Courses in 2009:
These courses will count towards the additional 9 credits required for the Master of Theatre Studies.
Survey of Dramatic Literature: Modern Drama - an online course January 5-March 20
Bring Shakespeare to Life: Text to Performance - July 5-10
Stage Combat - July 26-31
Shadow Puppetry: Writing, Design, Performance - July 26-31
Intelligent Use of Automated Lighting - July 26-31
