Theatre Organization and Management (TO&M): THPA 38100

*Syllabus, Fall 2010

*Syllabus is a guide for the semester subject to change.

Section 1: M/W/F, 9:00-9:50 a.m., Dillingham 008

Section 2: M/W/F, 10:00-10:50 a.m. Dillingham 008

Angela Branneman, Assistant Professor

Theatre Arts Management: Thursday, October 7
Department of Theatre Arts, Office #027, Dillingham Center
professor.branneman@gmail.com; (607) 274-3600
Office Hours: Monday: 1:30-3:00p.m. Thursday: 8:30-10:00a.m. and by appointment

Required Course Materials*

1. Running Theaters: Best Practices for Leaders and Managers By Duncan Webb
2. The Art of the Turnaround: Creating and Maintaining Healthy Arts Organizations
By Michael M. Kaiser
3. The Art of Governance By Nancy Roche and Jaan Whitehead
4. Performing Arts Management: A Handbook of Professional Practices By Tobie S. Stein
and Jessica Bathurst
5. Gee’s Bend (the play) By Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
6. Slings and Arrows (television series); Season 1-3 on DVD
*All required course materials are available on reserve at the Ithaca College Library.

Course Overview
Theatre Organization and Management, THPA 38100, examines the structure of the non-profit regional theatre and
other non-profit performing arts organizations. From management structure through cultural policy, students will gain
fundamental knowledge to work successfully in the non-profit performing arts sector. Because the non-profit and
commercial (for profit) theatre often overlap, we will take a cursory look at some issues in the commercial theatre.
However, for an in-depth study of commercial performing arts topics, including producing and co-producing events,
unions and contracts, touring, Broadway, music festivals, Disney and Las Vegas, students are encouraged to enroll in
Producing Theatre, THPA 38500, offered spring semester 2011.

Blackboard
Blackboard login: https://akron.ithaca.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct
TO&M Course materials except required course books and DVD are available on Blackboard. Students are responsible
for printing material from the site if they choose to have hard copies.

Goals
Specific learning goals for students will be introduced and discussed throughout the semester for each topic studied in
Theatre Organization and Management. Each goal will be clearly stated at the beginning of each PowerPoint lecture
presentation.

Expectations and Objectives

Theatre Organization and Management is a 3 credit course in the Department of Theatre Arts at Ithaca College. The
expectation for work outside of the classroom is based on the Carnegie Unit as described in the 2010-2011 Ithaca
College Undergraduate Catalogue:

Credit is earned at Ithaca College in credit hours as measured by the Carnegie

Unit. The Carnegie Unit is defined as one hour of classroom instruction and two
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 hours of assignments outside the classroom for a period of 15 weeks for each unit (credit).

The Student’s Responsibility for Classwork (from Department of Theatre Arts Handbook):

“It is difficult to be a working artist and maintain a balance with the responsibilities of life. One can easily
become absorbed in a show or project and let other considerations slip. To neglect other obligations is not only
immature, it is unrealistic training for a life in the theatre – and training is what we are here for. A theatre artist
must be organized in order to budget his or her time and energy and arrange priorities, whether they are duties
to loved ones or doing laundry.

Production is a vital part of training, but not the only one. If a student concentrates only on performance or
production they are missing vital steps in training which makes for a better artist. These steps are offered in
class experiences under the guidance of skilled and experienced professionals. It is self-destructive to waste this
experience when one is investing so much time and money. One does not buy an education. An artist buys the
time, the facilities, and the guidance, all of which are here, but the student must do the work.

If the faculty receives any reports of failure to meet classroom responsibilities, they may take disciplinary action,
which may include removal from production responsibilities.”

A performing arts manager is expected to be professional, prepared, and punctual (including but not limited to deadlines
and attendance). Essential qualities of excellence in management include time, money, and project management,
creativity, inquisitiveness and intellectual curiosity, attentiveness to detail, and diplomacy. As a Theatre Organization
and Management student, success in the classroom depends on your ability to learn and apply these skills during the
course.

If you study performing arts as an acting, singing, dancing, directing, stage managing, designing, playwrighting, and/or
technical artist, the course will help you better understand the decisions and choices of performing arts managers with
whom you will work directly on a daily basis in the professional performing arts industry.

If you study performing arts management specifically, you will hone the skills you will use immediately in your practicum
positions managing Ithaca College Theatre, in addition to your career building opportunities in performing arts.

Students in Theatre Organization and Management will develop skills and a professional vocabulary applicable to
virtually any creative industry profession, as well as the ability to manage a career in the arts.

Students are expected to achieve at least a satisfactory level of reading comprehension when reading and studying the
various texts used in the course written by performing arts managers. Students demonstrate breadth and depth of
understanding through the creation of appropriate, curious, insightful discussion questions they will lead their peers in
answering.

In the classroom, students will engage with respect, empathy, and courtesy.
Respect: Demonstrate respect for peers, professor, and guests by listening attentively, allowing each to finish his/her
thought. Debate is encouraged; interruption is not.
Empathy: Demonstrate the maturity to “walk in another’s shoes” by being open to the diversity of experiences and
backgrounds others bring to class. We have the privilege in Theatre Organization and Management to mingle with every
major within Theatre Arts, as well as other majors campus -wide.
Courtesy: Demonstrate manners and professionalism by arriving to class on time, completing your work, coming to class
prepared and attentive, and listening when others are speaking.

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Standards of Conduct
All students are expected to uphold the Standards of Academic Conduct as described in the Ithaca College Student
Handbook. “Ignorance of the accepted standards of academic conduct/honesty in no way affects the responsibility of
students who violate standards of conduct in courses or other academic activities.”

Cheating and Plagiarism:

Any student cheating or plagiarizing as defined in the Standards of Academic
Conduct in the Ithaca College Student Handbook receives a failing grade for
the course and may be subject to appear before Ithaca College academic
conduct board.

Accommodation
“In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable
accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Students must
register with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide appropriate documentation to the College before any
academic adjustment will be provided.”

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Grading
The breakdown of percentages is as follow:
A 95%-100% C 74%-76%
A- 90%-94% C- 70%-73%
B+ 87%-89% D+ 67%-69%
B 84%-86% D 64%-66%
B- 80%-83% D- 60%-63%
C+ 77%-79% F 0% - 59%

An A represents superior work, B for above average work. Additionally, you must do more than meet course
requirements. You must demonstrate interest and engagement, application and synthesis of course concepts. Arriving
on time and meeting the requirements satisfactorily earns a C.

Attendance and Participation (10% of Final Grade)

Attendance and Participation grade encompasses student’s attitude, preparedness, participation, punctuality, and
presence. No distinction between excused and unexcused absences or tardies. If you are not in class, you are absent. If
you arrive after class begins, you are tardy. You must be present when roll is called. You are expected to stay in the
classroom until class is finished – no coming and going during class time.

3 absences: Deduction of 1/3 letter grade for every three absences. For example, an A becomes A-. However, be aware
excessive absences, as determined by the professor, can be cause to withdraw you from the course.

3 tardies: Every three tardies counts as one absence.

Any exceptions to the policy will be reviewed on a case-by-case individual basis and only in dire circumstances as
determined by the professor.

Participation is defined as your apparent level of engagement in the course. Engagement manifests itself in the
following ways: mental and physical alertness, active and focused listening to what others are saying, willingness to
represent your own views and to question your own assumptions, comments offered publicly in discussion sessions,
notes being taken on the material, evidence of having completed and considered the readings assigned. Additionally,
participation in and completion of computer lab and other in-class assignments will count towards participation grade.
There is no make-up assignment for missed computer lab or other in-class work. Disengagement or disrespect will
adversely affect your participation grade. Some examples of disrespectful or disengaged behavior are:
talking/whispering out of turn, doing homework, other work, writing notes to other students.

Note: All electronic devices, including but not limited to cell phones and iPods must be turned off and put away
during class. Laptops may be used during class only for related class work. Surfing the web, Facebooking,
Tweeting, emailing, or doing unrelated work are not permitted and may be cause to dismiss you from class.
Laptops are not permitted during discussion on Fridays, during presentations by classmates and professional
guests, and other times at the discretion of the professor.

Students sleeping in class will be asked to leave and not return during that class period.

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Exam (30% of Final Grade)
There will be time devoted to exam review during the class period before each exam. Review material consists of
questions students prepare and bring to class.

Midterm Exam: Friday, October 8 15% of Final Grade

Cumulative Final Exam: TBA 15% of Final Grade

Quizzes (20% of Final Grade)

Quizzes are given at the start of class. Quizzes are timed and must be completed within the time limit. Students arriving
late will not receive additional time to finish. Students are encouraged to prepare for quizzes by reviewing the chapter
Classroom Discussion section, familiarizing themselves with chapter examples, vocabulary, and topics. Scheduled
quizzes test your knowledge of the assigned reading in Performing Arts Management: A Handbook of Professional
Practices. Pop quizzes are more general in content and cover any other course content. Your lowest quiz score will be
dropped. There are no make-up quizzes.

Current Events Assignment (10%)

Student is able to locate newspaper, journal, magazine, or reputable, professional industry website (Example:
playbill.com) articles in performing arts management and demonstrate an understanding of performing arts
management concepts by analyzing “real life” events “right now” in the field. Student is able to locate magazine articles
pertinent to performing arts management and demonstrate critical thinking skills by analyzing the article’s topic,
author’s point of view, and currency and relevancy of the article to performing arts management.

Current Events Assignment Requirements:

Complete four current events assignments. Students are permitted to turn in only ONE current events
assignment per due date. Two current events are due before fall break and two current events are due after
fall break until the last date: Wednesday, November 3. Current events will not be accepted after this date.

Current Events response will be answered in complete typed sentences turned in by email to
professor.branneman@gmail.com on the date assigned. No other email address accepted. You will receive
a failing grade on the assignment for answers in the form of bullets, lists, sentence fragments or other
incomplete sentence structures. Current events assignments are due at the start of each class. NO
EXTENDED, LATE, OR MAKEUP CURRENT EVENTS ASSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED. For example, current events are
late and will not be accepted at 9:01a.m. for students enrolled in section one (1) of the course.

Your response is a 1-2 page maximum thoughtful reflection on the current events article. A summary of the
article is not a proper response and cause for a failing grade. Apply critical thinking skills to your response.
For example: Question the validity and relevancy of the article. What is the tone of the article? Does the
author demonstrate bias towards or against the arts organization, its cast/crew/staff, and /or its patrons and
other constituents? Is there information missing that would give us a broader, more objective perspective
on the situation? How does the article relate to the topic as presented and discussed in class?

Current events articles should be dated no earlier than August 1, 2010.

TO&M subject is pertinent. The article subject matter must be within the scope of topics covered in class
during the semester.

Source of article properly cited.

Response is properly formatted per Formatting Your Current Events Assignment (see below).

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Formatting Your Current Events Assignment:
Your Name
Due Date
Article Number FOR YOU (#1, #2, or #3)
TO&M Section Number

Title of Article

I. TO&M subject you are addressing

II. Name of Your Source
III. Correct source citation
IV. Your response: 1-2 page maximum

Assignment: Creating Discussion Questions, Presentation, and Leading Discussion

(15% of Final Grade)
Objective: Students demonstrate the ability to read critically and understand literature from the arts management field,
identify and question the author’s bias evident in the reading, think beyond the obvious on the page, and make the
connection between the reading and course concepts. Additionally, students challenge their peers to engage in
questioning through open discussion of the reading. Finally, students prepare a 5-7 minute summary of the topic
covered in the reading.

This assignment has three (3) parts:

Part 1 is the creation and submission of discussion questions and answers. Discussion questions due by email to
professor.branneman@gmail.com at the beginning of class on Wednesday, September 1, 2010. For example, if you are
in section one (1) of the course, your questions are late as of 9:01a.m. as time-stamped on the email submission. Sign-
up for discussion date will be in class on Friday, August 27, 2010.

Part 2 is the leading and facilitating of class discussion on the date students choose from those available. Sign-up for
discussion date will be in class on Friday, August 27, 2010.

Part 3 is a 5-7 minute presentation introducing the topic to the class at the start of the discussion on the date students
choose from those available.

Assignment Requirements:
 Minimum number of discussion questions per team: eight (8) distributed equally over chapters/sections
 Questions must elicit more than a “yes” or “no” response. The quality and depth of your questions are
considered in your grade. Thoughtful, clear questions created to incite class discussion are expected.
 Questions are properly formatted per Formatting Your Discussion Questions and Answers (below).
 Questions are created in a Word document and emailed to professor.branneman@gmail.com
as an attachment. No other email address accepted.
 Complete assignment is received at the start of class for the section of the course in which you are enrolled.
For each 24 hour period the assignment is late one letter grade will be deducted from the final grade on the
assignment.
 Email subject heading: “First Names Last Names Discussion Questions”
Example: Angela Branneman Michael Kaiser Discussion Questions
 Students are present and prepared to lead class discussion on due date.

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  Students share equal responsibility preparing the questions, asking the questions while facilitating
discussion among peers, and presenting the topic.

Formatting Your Discussion Questions and Answers

Your Names
Discussion Date
Book Title and Page Numbers
TO&M Section Number

Title of Chapter or Page Numbers

1. Question
Answer

2. Question
Answer

3. Question
Answer

4. Question
Answer

Title of Chapter or Page Numbers

1. Question
Answer

2. Question
Answer

3. Question
Answer

4. Question
Answer

Gee’s Bend Porfolio and Presentation (15% of Final Grade)

Students will work create a portfolio of work in each of the following three areas of theatre management: education,
marketing, and development. Portfolios will be shared as a 5-7 minute presentation in class. Complete portfolios are
due in HARD COPY at the start of the section of the course in which you are enrolled. For example, if you are in section
one (1) of the course, your portfolio is late as of 9:01a.m. For each 24 hour period the assignment is late one letter
grade will be deducted from the final grade on the assignment. More information will be shared about this assignment
as we explore the three theatre management focus areas as stated above.

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