General Information and Policies
GENERAL INFORMATION AND POLICIES
Professional Expectations
The faculty expects students to be self-disciplined, passionate about the arts and committed to giving 100% in the classroom and in production. Christian commitment should be reflected in the chosen profession and study of each student on the campus of ETBU. Mediocrity in educational work ethic is an affront to that Christian commitment; however, a commitment to excellence and to realizing one’s full potential honors God.
With this in mind, it is expected that the successful theatre student at ETBU will:
- Prepare for, participate in and attend class on a daily basis;
- Learn effective time management skills for success in a university environment. Always be on time for class, meetings and rehearsals;
- Always learn assignments, lines, blocking, movement, music, etc., by or before the due date;
- Always work outside of class and rehearsal on performance and production assignments;
- Accept constructive criticism from professors in the spirit it is given;
- Respect their professors, administrators, classmates, cast and crew;
- Respect the facilities in which they work;
- Respect themselves, and that respect is constantly reflected by appropriate attitude, decorum, and attire;
- Support the image of commitment to Christian excellence the department strives to convey on a daily basis through your actions, words and deeds.
Please be aware that, for your future reference(s), these are the basic criteria by which your work ethic and your contributions to the ETBU Theatre Program will be evaluated and judged.
Academic Expectations
It is the belief of the faculty that serious academic preparation is essential in the development of any performing or designing artist. Therefore, the faculty has must be approved by the faculty established academic standards that must be met in order to qualify to serve as a cast or crew member of any Mainstage or Discovery Series production.
Students earning less than a 2.0 G.P.A. will not be eligible to participate in departmental productions during the following semester. Students making insufficient progress towards completion of the general education requirements as determined by their faculty advisor will also not be eligible to participate in departmental productions. Additionally, any student who has earned more than 89 hours of college credit and who has not passed the Junior Qualifying Examination will not be eligible to participate until a certified passing score is reported.
Although productions at ETBU are an integral part of the educational experience of all students, involvement in production will not mitigate the academic or attendance expectations of the classroom.
Student Involvement
All theatre major and minor students should understand that their first artistic commitment is to mainstage productions. Mainstage productions take precedence over community theatre productions, productions by other organizations, and other short- and long-term production obligations. Each student’s commitment to the program has a direct correlation to the program’s commitment to the student.
All Theatre Arts majors and minors are required to enroll in the Theatre Production and Workshop course (THEA 1100/3100) while at ETBU. Theatre Arts majors will enroll for six (6) semesters, while minors are required to register for three (3) semesters. While all theatre arts students are encouraged to audition regularly for upcoming productions, only theatre arts students with a performance concentration are required to audition for each production. Exceptions are rare and must be approved by the theatre arts faculty at least one week prior to the scheduled auditions. Theatre Arts minors are strongly encouraged to audition for each production. Only extreme circumstances should keep a student from auditioning, performing or being involved in backstage or front-of-house activities.
Those not cast are expected to contribute to each and every production (e.g., working on the crew – light, set, sound, costumes, props, or as a house manager, usher or ticket agent) as assigned by faculty. All majors are required to participate in every departmental production each semester in order to remain involved with the production program. However, students who are student teaching are not allowed to participate in departmental production as their focus should be on their assignments associated with their student teaching responsibilities.
Students who fail to make a sufficient contribution to the program activities and in so doing fail to provide adequate opportunity to learn and apply required performance and technical competencies may be removed from the program. Such a decision will be made by the faculty only after attempts to counsel the student have failed.
Production Assignments
During each student’s time with the theatre program, he or she is expected to effectively accomplish the following assignments at least one time:
- Master Electrician.
- Sound Operator.
- Light Board Operator
- Properties Master.
- Wardrobe Head.
- House Manager.
- Publicity/Marketing Manager.
- Box Office Manager.
- Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager
This list can be abbreviated for those transferring into the program as long as those students demonstrate competency in all these areas.
Work Study
The faculty understands the need for many students to work. However, past experiences indicate that many of our majors fail to apply for financial aid (work study and other federal or state aid). Students are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office to receive instructions on when and how to apply.
A good education is costly. As a result, many students choose to pursue outside work opportunities as a source of income. However, theatre arts majors are cautioned against committing to schedules that compete with academic requirements, production responsibilities, builds, rehearsals, and performances. Production participation is imperative for a student to have a chance to succeed in the highly competitive world of theatre. Excellence and advancement within the program are not possible without consistent and dependable involvement.
Please see the Financial Aid Office counselors to explore all possible options to enable and secure your full participation.
Call Boards
It is the responsibility of each theatre major/minor to check the Call Board on a DAILY basis. Cast and crew lists, schedule changes, messages and other vital information will be posted on these boards. All majors and minors are responsible for any announcement posted for at least 24 hours. The Call Board at East Texas Baptist University is located in the Jenna Guest Fine Arts Building across the lobby from the Black Box Theatre just inside the hall.
Workdays and Strike
Because theatre is a practical and collaborative art form, it takes the hard work and commitment of all involved to achieve excellence. Every theatre major and minor is required to attend and participate in all scheduled workdays, load-ins, and strikes. If for some reason you are unable to attend and/or participate, it is your responsibility to contact the theatre faculty 24 hours prior to the scheduled activity.
Skillful Diplomacy
One of the most important tasks theatre artists face is working effectively with the people around them. Ours is a collaborative art. The projects we select surround us with new personalities, each possessing unique opinions about how a scene should be acted, a set designed, or how a costume should fit. Though conflict is the essence of drama, it is the bane of productivity; therefore, keep the following virtues ever before you:
1) humility, so that when someone corrects you, you will not be offended;
2) generosity, so that when someone errs, you do not condemn, but forgive;
3) consideration, so that when someone believes something, you do not denounce his or her belief; and
4) tact, so that when you believe something, you know the proper place, manner, and time to present that belief.
Practice these virtues, and you will rise above petty disturbances and another’s opinion will not outrage you.