Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1973 - 31

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1625

Colleges and universities sent questionnaires
Questionnaires returned
Colleges employing non-teaching technicians
All technicians employed
Part-time employees
All technicians whose duties were stated
Carpenters, painters, etc. - Major duty
General technicians, stage managers, etc.
Electricians and electronic technicians
Wardrobe, costumers, seamstresses
Administrative
Others
All technicians whose salaries were stated
Under 55,000
55,000 to 57,000
57,000 to 510,000
Over 510,000
Technicians with some college training
Technicians with Junior College degree
Technicians with Bachelor's degree
Technicians who did some graduate work
Technicians without college training
Colleges requiring college training
Colleges not requiring college training
Colleges employing union members
Colleges employing women technicians
Women technicians employed
Colleges once employing such technicians
Colleges that have considered employing such technicians
Colleges that do not employ, have never employed, and
have never considered employing such technicians

459
162

28.3% of 1625
35.3% of 459
386
114
381
109
60
35
110
51
16
353
122

77
140
14
281
44
126
83
60
62
93
25
96

29.4% of

388

28.7%
15.7%
9.2%
29.0%
13.4%
4.2%

381
381
381
381
381
381

of
of
of
of
of
of

34.6% of 353
21.8%of 353
39.7% of 353
4.0% of 353
72.4% of 388
11.3% of 388
32.4% of 388
21.4% of 388
15.5% of 388
40.0% of 155

32
125

15.4%
59.3%
40.0%
7.3%
27.3%

132

28.8% of 459

155

of 162
of 162
of 388
of 459
of 459

Figure 3.

Such training at the junior college level would be a strong
recommendation for granting an undergraduate technical
assistantship.

This program would fulfill the need so aptly put in
this reply:
We feel our technicians are undertrained and feel our tech
cou rses need to be at least a year long and consist of nonacademic training in the crafts ... The point is, it is difficult to mix long hours of tech work with long hours of
academic study.

The programs in existence as mentioned are all successful. More programs are being considered.
We are also planning a vocational theatre technician course
to start at about the same time (three or four years hence).
Fresno City College, Fresno, California.

Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, is considering a program in which the emphasis will be on the
technical training to fill the need for a stage managertechnician for civic and school auditoriums. Florida State
University, Tallahassee, presented, in March, 1972, plans
for a two-year technical training program.
Kennedy-King, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, has
started a theatre technology program which leads to a
certificate or the Associate Degree in applied science.
They also offer the same option in Radio-TV.

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Although there are successful programs now in existence and some new ones are in the planning stage, none
of them are similar to the proposed idea. We believe this
concept of attracting the "new" student to college and
keeping him there for at least two years of a four year
curriculum is unique.
A PROPOSED CURRICULUM
This curriculum is based on the conservatory approach.
The pattern of classes is set and must be followed by all
the students. The fact that this is a rigid program goes
against the present trend of permissive selection of classes
and programs being offered more and more everywhere
in higher education. It is the firm belief of the writer,
based on ten years experience in teaching the "new"
student, that he needs and wants structure. The wellprepared upper-income "superior student" may well be
ready to choose his own program and indeed have the
discipline to complete it. The "new" student is not so
equipped, in my opinion, which is corroborated by the
following quotation. Herbert London, Director of Experimental Programs at New York University, states:
At Summerhil1 3 A.S. Neill allowed children to choose their
own learniolg conditions; he found that disciplined students
responded well to freedom. He also clearly demonstrated
(and this is often forgotten) that undisciplined children

OCTOBER,1973

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