Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021 - 37

Planning and Processes
The process for large group meetings
was to have four Zoom check-in meetings
throughout the semester (January,
February, April, and May), with the fourth
meeting being a final presentation to the
entire group. One of the biggest challenges
and one that still has room for improvement
was how to best utilize these
check-in meetings.
The faculty's original idea was the
following:
* In January, hold an initial meeting to
introduce all the groups and the scope
of the project, and also speak with the
playwright.
* Then, empower the groups to develop
their own communication and design
process as they moved forward toward
the next check-in meeting a month later
in February.
* At that second meeting, each group
would present their initial design concepts
for feedback from the panel of
faculty to utilize in their development of
their designs.
* In early April, teams would present their
preliminary design.
* At the final presentation, the teams
would present their final designs as they
would to the cast on the first rehearsal
or to a group of sponsors.
The requirements for students would
vary depending on their area and where
they were on their educational journey.
Kent State University students, for example,
would create a full USA 829 scenic
design package for this project to be submitted,
a requirement for their program.
Teams produced many successes
and huge developments between the
February and April meetings. For example,
in February, one of the teams was
struggling to develop its scenic and lighting
design. The faculty suggested the students
they reexamine their approach. In
April, they presented an entirely new and
dynamic approach where they had discarded
what wasn't working with the previous
idea. The growth and development
of all the teams from the February meeting
to the April meeting was impressive.
From the point of view of the faculty,
the project had the expected challenges
of fostering productive communication,
making the meetings meaningful, and
facilitating a team-teaching experience
across two time zones and four states. At
Top: Final Lighting Paperwork by Colleen Doherty (WVU)-Team Green. | Image courtesy Tammy Honesty.
Above: Overhead view of Steve Sawicki's (KSU) ground plan-Team Green. | Image courtesy Tammy Honesty.
one point, one of the students was living
in India, a nearly 10-hour time difference
to those living in the U.S. Eastern time
zone.
For all involved, the biggest challenges
presented by these meetings were time
and Zoom fatigue. With seven teams
and a total of 28 students involved, the
amount of time required to present ideas
and respond with valuable feedback was
daunting. Each meeting evolved as we
learned. In February, when the teams
shared their initial conceptual designs,
the faculty felt it was important that all
the students hear the approach and feedback
for each group. Each team had five
to seven minutes to present their ideas
and there were then five to seven minutes
of faculty response. At the time, if felt a
little like a TV reality show in the vein of
America's Got Talent or Project Runway.
In the on-ground class the next week, the
Kent State students said they would like
to have more of a conversation with the
faculty, not feel like they were just getting
notes. They asked if they could have a
breakout room to prep/debrief with their
group. That process was instituted for
the April meeting, along with asking the
teams to submit their presentation the
day before so the faculty could review prior
to the meeting. We encouraged each
team to be present in the main room with
their cameras off during the other teams'
presentation/feedback session, explaining
the value of hearing other people's
feedback. The teams had the ability to
freely move between breakout rooms
and the main room throughout the evening.
This format seemed more productive
and educational, and in retrospect, I
would do this from the beginning, given
that each of those evening presentations
lasted roughly two and a half hours and
FALL 2021 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 37

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021

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