Problem Solving Philosophy: Stage Management for Theatre IV

Session Design by Becka Frost and Stormy Knaak

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Content Standards
Utah Theatre: Standard 4 Objective 6a
o Articulate personal goals.
Utah Theatre: Standard 4 Objective 5d
o Explain how theatre develops the ability to collaborate with others.
Utah Theatre: Standard 2 Objective 5c
o Demonstrate active listening skills.

Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that stage managers need to be adept at effectively and
efficiently reacting to situations in the moment because those decisions can affect others
around them.

ASSESSMENT
Performance Tasks
Students receive a piece of poster paper that is cut up into various puzzle pieces and write
on their puzzle piece one way in which collaboration (i.e. communication, cooperation, and
compromise) skills are developed through drama practices in order to explain how theatre
develops the ability to collaborate with others.
Students will respond to directions being given by the facilitator and/or members of their
group (based on class size) as part of a simulation and are graded on a rubric in order to
demonstrate active listening skills.
Other Assessments
Students will list some of their main stage managing techniques/ideas in bullet points in
order to articulate personal goals.
Students will write an individual journal entry in which they answer a prompt regarding the
difficultly of the simulations they participated in, quick decisions that they had to make,
and the consequences thereof in order to demonstrate understanding that stage
managers need to be adept at effectively and efficiently reacting to situations in the
moment because those decisions can affect others around them.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Teacher Materials
Simulation Rubric (see attached)
Student Materials
Two rubber balls (can be different sizes)
Notebook
Pen/pencil
Markers
Poster Puzzle - poster paper cut up into random pieces (enough for each student to have
one)
Tape

LEARNING PLAN
Framing / Hook

1. Circle of Reliance Game

a. Gather students in a circle and participate with students in the following activity.
b. Explain to students that they will choose a person in the circle to throw the ball to.
i. They must always throw it to that person.
c. Explain that the ball must always be moving. If something happens (e.g. the ball
drops on the ground), encourage students to quickly solve the problem.
d. Repeatedly throw the ball around the circle to the same person so that it becomes a
cycle.
e. Once students are able to complete the circle with ease, have them speed up.
i. OPTIONAL: Add a second ball to increase the focus.
f. Without warning, step out of the circle, forcing the students to keep the ball moving.
g. Once students have solved this problem, remove one of the students from the
circle.
2. Discussion
a. Ask students the following questions:
i. At first, when everyone was in the circle, what was challenging about this
game?
ii. Once people started being removed from the circle, how did you cope with
the absence of this person on whom you were relying?
iii. In regards to Stage Management, how did this game relate to the
responsibilities that come with this duty?
1. NOTE: This lesson is part of a larger Stage Management unit students
should know the basic stage manager responsibilities.

Process
3. Simulation #1
a. Tell students to return to their seats.
b. Ask students to get a notebook and pencil out.
c. Direct the students to close their eyes.
d. Read the following:
i. You are the stage manager for a production of Our Town. Tonight is your first
dress rehearsal. You unlock the door to the theatre and turn on the lights. You
check over the actors props and head to your table. As you unload your
backpack, you set up your SM binder and script. Your stomach drops. To your
horror, you see that you have carelessly forgotten your laptop! Your laptop
has all of your actor notes, your schedule for the night, your cues, stage crew
assignments, rehearsal props, and other directorial blocking and notes. Your
laptop is your lifeline! How could you have been so careless?! In your minds
eye, you see your laptop sitting on your counter, waiting to be used, mocking
you for forgetting it. You look at your watch; you have one hour until the
 actors arrive. Your house is 20 minutes away and the director left you with at
least 30 minutes of preshow work that needs to be done. What do you do?
Dun. Dun. Dun.
e. Direct students to open their eyes and immediately write down what they would do
on their paper.
i. Students have only 20 seconds to respond.
f. Once the 20 seconds are up, randomly call on students to share their approach.
i. NOTE: Popcorn quickly between students, leaving no room for individualized
discussion on their specific approach.
g. Once all of the students have shared, as a class, discuss which approach they think
would work the best.
h. Explore questions like:
i. Would this tactic/approach work with the time restraint?
ii. What are your main duties as a SM? Does this tactic/approach allow you to
fulfill those duties?
iii. Can you work without your laptop?
iv. Will your director be upset that you carelessly forgot it?
v. What can you do to ensure that this mistake doesnt happen again?
vi. How can you anticipate problems like this happening in the future?
1. How can you prevent them from happening?
4. Brainstorm
a. Prompt the students with the following questions:
i. What do you think are the most important qualities that a stage manager
needs?
1. Clarify if needed; not the jobs they do, but specific qualities that they
must possess/cultivate.
ii. How can one cultivate said qualities?
iii. What do you think is your best stage manager quality?
iv. What are some qualities you can better develop?
1. NOTE: Write down their ideas on the board.
5. Personal Goals
a. Ask students to write down a specific quality for a stage manager that they want to
have and/or become better at.
b. Tell students to write down three goals of how they can obtain that specific quality,
keeping in mind that these goals and qualities will be used as a reference when
creating their personal stage managing philosophy later in the unit.
6. Simulation #2
a. Split students into groups of 5-7.
b. Assign students roles by drawing slips of paper out of a hat with various roles
needed in the simulation (i.e., Stage manager, actor (2), technician (1), audience
members (1-3) etc.).
c. Explain to students that they will improvise a scene based on the following prompt.
They then will react to the situation that is given to them.
d. Read the following: It is twenty minutes before opening night of your production of
A Midsummer Nights Dream. The actors are in the green room warming up their
voices and bodies. The technician sits anxiously next to the curtain, waiting for you
call to open the show. The house is starting to fill up with excited audience
members. You feel the butterflies in your stomach as you take your place in the
stage managers booth, when
e. During their improvised scene, announce a situation that could be detrimental to
the show that the Stage Manager must solve immediately. These situations can
include, but are not limited to:
i. The actor who plays Lysander wanders up to your booth and informs you he is
throwing up all over the place and is too sick to perform tonight.
 ii. The set technicians broke some glass backstage and neglected to clean it up.
The actor who plays Hermia stepped on the glass and has a serious and deep
cut on her foot, blood spurting everywhere.
iii. The audience members scream in peril as your Theater instantly loses all
electric power. The entire Theater is pitch black.
iv. A gunman charges into the theater and demands money from the cast and
crew while threatening everyone with their lives.
v. The technician frantically comes on headset and tells you there is a fire
backstage that is quickly engulfing the curtains.
vi. Two actors get into a yelling fight and tensions between them are high. They
storm out on stage (in front of the confused audience members!) and yell to
you that they refuse to perform with the fellow actor.
1. NOTE: For classes of large sizes, prepare to give the 6 simulations to
groups of 5-6 students.
a. Each group will take turns with someone being the stage
manager.
b. The students who arent the stage manager will randomly select
a simulation and improvise it without the stage manager
knowing which one is being improvised.
i. NOTE: Circulate around the room to grade the students on
a rubric.

Reflection
7. Graffiti Wall
a. Give each student a piece of the poster puzzle.
b. On their puzzle piece, each student responds to the following prompt: Ways in
which Theatre develops communication, cooperation, and compromise.
c. Remind the students that they can use an example from the simulations they
participated in for this unit or any other theatre activity of which they have been a
part.
i. NOTE: For assessment purposes, assign each student a specific color for their
marker or ask the students to write their name next to their response.
d. Instruct students to work together to put the puzzle together with all of their pieces.
8. Journal Prompt
a. Students will answer the following prompts in their journals.
i. Which simulations were more difficult to solve? Why might that be?
ii. How did having ideas of your personal philosophy influence your problem
solving? Did your philosophy help to guide you in making quick decisions?
iii. In what ways do the skills of a Stage Manager translate into your daily lives?
iv. How did your decision affect those in your simulation?
v. How could the decisions you make affect those in real life?
 Simulation Rubric

STUDENT NAME:

POOR GOOD EXCELLENT

(0 points) (1 point) (2 points)
Listening Does not respond to the Responds to the instructions Responds logically and
Skills instructions that are that are given during the effectively to the
given during the simulation. instructions that are given
simulation. during the simulation.
Collabora Is not willing to Willingly communicates, Willingly communicates,
tion communicate, cooperates, or compromises cooperates, or
cooperate, or with other participants in compromises with other
compromise with the the simulation various times participants in the
other participants in the (1-3 in the scene). simulation at least three
simulation. times.
Participat Does not participate in Participates in the Participates actively,
ion the simulation. simulation. effectively adding to the
simulation.

TOTAL POINTS: ________

ADJUSTMENTS: ________

Reason: _____________________________________________
FINAL POINTS: ________ (Rubric Points +/- Adjustments)

LETTER GRADE: ________ (Based on the matrix below)

Poin Final Grade

ts

5-6 A Excellent

3-4 B Good

2 C Satisfactory

1 D Needs
Improvement

0 F Unsatisfactory