Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Seeking Stagecraft Pioneers

Seeking Stagecraft Pioneers - Telling the Story without Currently Enrolled Students
by CRTC Director Steve Rothenberg

We are in middle of an invigorating and hectic CRTC recruitment season. One of the highlight of the process is the manner in which our current students tell our story to prospective students. For example, last Wednesday we were on the Merrimack Valley High School stage presenting to their sophomore class. Joining me was our entire team of teachers, and even more impressively, 20 of our current students. The student volunteers spoke to the audience with heartfelt honesty about their CRTC experience.

An inherent challenge we face - by depending on students to tell our story - marketing a brand new program like Stagecraft takes a different approach.

First and foremost we need to define the program for prospective students - other common names for this career realm is: technical theater or theater tech. In essence, Stagecraft is the creative, technical, and organizational ability to put on a production involving lights, sound, scenic, and costumes. I use the word creativity intentionally, as the competencies go far beyond the technical skills. The artistry just adds another layer to it - the problem solving skills demands in this career are incredible.

To get a visual, we refer to Broadway plays like The Lion King or Spiderman, or for that matter most any Hollywood movie. Stagecraft related careers involve TV, video, concerts, movies, and plays. Opportunities to apply learning (internships, job shadows, and jobs) are omnipresent in the metro Concord area and students will be working in the community regularly.

To summarize, we are looking for one class of students to be pioneers and try this new program. We are confident that next year, those students will tell the story perfectly.

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