Overseas Seminars - Cardiff Wales, UK
Theatre Production and Project Management: Managing International Performing Arts
Study in Cardiff Wales with Michael Ramsaur
Arrival Date in Cardiff Wales, UK: August 27, 2013
Departure Date from Cardiff Wales, UK: September 16, 2013
Information Session: Thursday, October 11, 5:15 - 6:15pm
@Room 125, Memorial Auditorium
The purpose of this seminar is to expose students to the theatre production and project management of multi-international groups in Cardiff Wales. Seminar students will join students from the Royal Welch College of Music and Drama, the RITS Theatre School (Brussels Belgium), Theatre School Stockholm, the Amsterdam Theatre School, and others to learn management principles and have the opportunity to experience personal growth through international intercultural relationships. Students will be managing the day-to-day logistics of both the World Stage Design 2013 (WSD) exhibition (http://wsd2013.org/) and the Scenofest performance festival (http://scenofest.pq.cz & http://www.scenofest.org). WSD is an exhibition of international performance designs featuring the very best of performance design from around the world. Students will work with over 100 individual designers in presenting and installing their designs for exhibition. Scenofest is as an educational project that includes instruction and training for stage, costume, lighting and sound design as well as technical theatre. Scenofest provides a wealth of opportunities for students and rising artists to participate in lectures, workshops and performances given by outstanding theatre schools and young emerging performance companies worldwide.
Students will take charge of organizing and managing the international stage designers and their models, photos, costumes and renderings for the WSD exhibit, and facilitating the scheduling of lecturers and workshops and providing any needed resources for the performers of the Scenofest performance festival. In addition to attending sessions, students will provide management and support to approximately twenty International performance companies.
The seminar will engage students in multiple theatrical management roles. For instance students might be assigned to be the lead facilitator for a particular theatrical performance, trouble shooting and bringing the event to successful performance. Another option might be to serve as a “wrangler”, being assigned to solve immediate installation or production problems as they occur. Another option might be to organize and delegate student support staff to the various needs of the day. Additionally the seminar will include an overnight trip to London to see theatres and a performance, and an overnight cultural trip around Wales.
Students will coordinate and manage scores of individual artists and performances in multiple spaces in a relatively short time period. This is a unique opportunity for students to be exposed to different cultures with their own theatrical modes and operations. It also allows students to develop strong leadership roles as well as gaining considerable self-confidence in what could become a chaotic atmosphere. Above all, the seminar will be the extraordinary experience of successfully managing a project of a large scope and forming international friendships along the way.
Location
The seminar will be housed at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) http://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/ which is hosting WSD/Scenofest at their campus located in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The college will provide the exhibition space for WSD and multiple performance spaces for Scenofest within their new theatrical facilities, which include 3 state-of-the-art performance spaces. Scenofest will also include multiple site specific performance spaces in and around the RWCMD. Seminar students will provide support coordinating the needs of the many schools and young companies performing. Additionally the seminar will include an overnight trip to London to see theatres and a performance, and an overnight cultural trip around Wales.
Living and Traveling Conditions
Student will be in shared rooms with en-suite bathrooms as part of the RWCDM student housing provided by Royal Welch College of Music and Drama. The living conditions will be much like those at Stanford. Internet connection will be available in the housing area as well as at the College where the seminar will take place. Physical labor will be required as is typical for preparing stage performances. Work will include constructing design display panels, working with electric wiring, carrying and moving storage boxes and other similar light physical work. For students interested, the training and work might also include rigging. The physical workload will be distributed among seminar participates as is appropriate to the individual and the group. There are no planned activities considered strenuous or high risk. Dietary selections may be limited so students with severe restrictions should carefully evaluate their ability to participate comfortably.
Faculty
Michael Ramsaur is Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies and Director of Production. In addition to his academic role, he has given mentorship and advice to virtually all theatrical groups on campus. He has taught regularly at the Bavarian Theater Academy Munich and as a guest Professor at the University of Arts Belgrade in the Interdisciplinary M.A. Program in Theater, and as an honorary professor at the Central Academy of Drama Beijing. He has given lecturers and workshops in over twenty countries. He serves as Vice President of OISTAT (the International Association of Scenographers, Theater Architects, and Technicians), and is a long-time active member and recently elected an Institute Fellow of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, USITT, as well as a member of the United Scenic Artist Association (Lighting Design USAA Local #829), the International Alliance Theatrical Stage Employees (Stage Hands IATSE Local #16), the Illumination Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the International Association Lighting Designers (IALD). Ramsaur has had a forty-year career in theater including serving as a lighting designer for many theater companies internationally and locally, including Broadway by the Bay, where he is Resident Lighting Designer. Examples of his designs have been displayed at two United States Institute of Theater Technology Design Expositions, a theater design exhibit at the Triton Museum San Jose, and at theatrical design exhibitions in Prague and Shanghai. He has been awarded Outstanding Lighting Design awards from the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Association, Dean Goodman Award, and Drama Logue Award as well as receiving a Fulbright grant. His articles on lighting techniques have been published in three countries and he has created a computerized software program to aid lighting designers.
Enrollment Capacity
15 undergraduate students.
Prerequisites and Expectations
A mandatory Spring Quarter course will be offered for one or two units. All seminar participants must take this course to participate in the seminar. Aspects of project management will be introduced as well as the demands and expectations associated with WSD and Scenofest. This seminar is most appropriate and specifically aimed at students interested in the process of making and managing theatre productions. Students with experience in theatrical productions on campus (academic or club) or in high school will have priority, but those solely interested in management will also be considered. There will be no additional orientations during the academic year, just the two mandatory orientations required by BOSP, one in the winter quarter and one in the spring quarter as part of the required spring quarter class.
Grading Basis
Satisfactory/No Credit.
Passport and Visa
Students are solely responsible for obtaining their passport and visa. Every BOSP participant MUST have a signed passport that is valid for at least 6 months after the scheduled RETURN date from the overseas program. Students who do not have a valid passport must apply for a new or renewed passport immediately. For information on obtaining or renewing a U.S. passport see http://travel.state.gov. To expedite your passport processing, click on the following link and go to the appropriate tab: https://www.abriggs.com/passports.php.
For visa information for this specific seminar, please click on the link below and go to the appropriate tab: https://www.abriggs.com/visa_country_index.php.
Health and Safety
Students on international programs should be aware that attitudes toward medical conditions, disabilities, and psychological conditions vary by culture and under the laws of the host countries. These differences impact the level of treatment and accommodation available abroad. Students should give serious consideration to their health and personal circumstances when accepting a place in a program and should consult with their physicians.
Students must be aware that certain immunizations maybe required to protect their health in Wales, United Kingdom. Students must review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for complete information on health conditions and vaccinations in Wales/United Kingdom at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/united-kingdom.htm. Students must also consult the on-campus Vaden Health Center Travel Clinic (http://vaden.stanford.edu/travel/). Students are expected to make an appointment with the on-campus Vaden Health Center Travel Clinic as soon as they are accepted to the program at (650) 498-2336 ext. 1 to discuss any health concerns, pre-departure immunizations and any personal prescriptions before going abroad.
Students must review the U.S. State Department’s consular information website for complete information on safety and security in Wales/United Kingdom at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1052.html.
As with any foreign travel, emphasis will be placed on staying away from questionable situations, avoiding injury, and preventing infectious disease. Students will be expected to travel in groups, avoid travel at night, and stay with the group unless prior approval is obtained. Additional issues of personal health and safety and precautions will be discussed in detail during the mandatory pre-seminar preparation and upon arriving in country.
While overseas, students are advised to be alert to their surroundings, and be particularly aware of any health and safety advisories for the areas in which they will be visiting. Students should consult with their physicians to be prepared for potential illness. Additional safety and health precautions and other important considerations will be provided at the pre-departure orientation.
If you are uncomfortable traveling under such conditions, you should not apply to this seminar.