Production Involvement
It takes a lot of work to make our theatre productions happen. Learn more about participating in productions, production resources and shops, and our theatre spaces below.
Production Participation
All productions are open to all students, regardless of major or minor. The number of productions each year or semester varies, but typically there are Senior Capstone Experience (SCE) productions and a faculty-lead production each semester. Students serve in every role of the production:
Crew- Performance
- Design
- Dramaturgy
- Assistant stage management
- Choreography
- Assistant directing
- Stage management
- Directing
Students can work on up to two departmental productions in a single semester, though they are discouraged from working on consecutive productions. Regardless of their major, students working on productions can earn credit for working on productions.
See course catalog for more information on practicum courses
Production Resources
Students make our productions happen on stage and behind it by working in our scene, props, and costume shops as well as the lighting and sound booths.
The scene shop has a stock of platforms, flats, doors, cubes, softgoods, and other pieces. Furniture stock and stock paints are also available for use.
The prop shop has a range of props available for use during shows including books, weapons, outdoor equipment, suitcases and bags, frames, flowers, lights, mirrors, plants, house accessories, utensils, pots, bottles, kitchen items, electronics, toys, sports equipment, instruments, office supplies, posters, masks, and more. Keep in mind period, distressing, quantity, usage and source when requesting props. If wanted props are not in the prop shop, additional resources are available for borrow, buy, or build through various resources.
The costume shop has a range of costumes available for use during shows including shoes, hats, jewelry, furs, undergarments, accessories, period pieces, jackets, coats, pajamas, skirts, dresses, uniforms, pants, vests, tops, and more. A sewing machine, fabric, workbench, and laundry machines are also available to help your vision come to life. If wanted costumes are not in the shop, additional resources are available to borrow, rent, or buy through various resources.
Use the light lab to explore and experiment on a small scale before your load-in. The Rep Plot system provides a full-stage wash from several angles onto overlapping areas. Each show's designers may choose their own gel and specials may be added to supplement the Rep Plot.
The lighting shop has a range of equipment available for production use including profile and wash fixtures, intelligent fixtures and accessories, striplights, hardware and accessories, and consumables. For shows, house lights should be programmed into cues and/or run on submasters.
The Tawes sound system provides basic coverage from two pairs of loudspeakers and a pair of subwoofers. The Decker sound system provides front-of-house coverage via a central cluster. Additional speakers or microphones can be added. The department has a sound effect library to pull sounds from for productions. All digital content, including music and sound effects, should be packaged and played through QLab, allowing you to play multiple audio files at once and cue all sounds. All department productions must use the Yamaha digital sound console.
Performance Spaces
The Department of Theatre and Dance hold performances in two theaters within Gibson Center for the Arts.
The Alonzo G. and Virginia Gent Decker Theatre is a performance/lecture space designed for public access to major events. Decker Theatre offers seating capacity for 450 audience members.
Tawes Experimental Theatre is a versatile performance space, ideal for its size as well as lighting and sound capabilities. Modeled after Greek amphitheaters, Tawes has steeply raked horseshoe-shaped seating that brings all audience members close to the action onstage. A gallery around the space provides crew access to the control booth and to the three overhead lighting catwalks; the gallery also provides additional lighting positions.
The control booth contains state-of-the-art lighting and sound control and designated projection positions. It is wired for network and broadcast capabilities. The space also serves as a lighting and design lab. Acting and directing classes regularly use the space.