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 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 (see attached) in
order to demonstrate active listening skills.
Other Assessments
Students will use bullet points to list some of their key stage managing techniques/ideas
that they would want to use in order to articulate personal goals.
Students will complete the Stage Management homework assignment (see attached) 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)
Hat (or similar object)
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
Pieces of paper with different roles on them (see attached)
Stage Management Homework (see attached)

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 it becomes a
cycle.
e. Once students are able to complete the circle with ease, instruct them to 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 stage manager 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?
e. Direct students to open their eyes and immediately write down on their paper two
options of what they could do to solve the problem.
i. Students have only 30 seconds to respond.
f. Once the 30 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 stage manager? 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 (or similar object) 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 technician 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.
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.
f. Repeat step E, rotating their role in the simulation until each student gets a chance
to be the stage manager.
1. NOTE: For classes of large sizes, prepare to give the 6 simulations to
groups of 5-7 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.
g. Briefly discuss the following questions:
i. What decisions did you make in your simulation that affected the other
participants?
ii. How did these decisions affect them?
iii. As a stage manager, you will make lots of decisions that affect many people.
In your own life, how can the decisions you make affect the people that you
interact with?

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 on the back of their puzzle
piece.
d. Instruct students to work together to complete the puzzle.
8. Homework assignment
a. Pass out the homework assignment (see attached).
 Simulation Rubric

STUDENT NAME:

POOR GOOD EXCELLENT

(0 points) (1 point) (2 points)
Listening Does not respond to Responds to the Responds logically and
Skills the instructions that instructions that are given effectively to the instructions
are given during the during the simulation. that are given during the
simulation. simulation. (e.g. creates a
solution to the problem given
to them)
Collabora Is not willing to Willingly communicates, Willingly communicates,
tion communicate, cooperates, or cooperates, or compromises
cooperate, or compromises with other with other participants in the
compromise with the participants in the simulation at least three
other participants in simulation various times times.
the simulation. (1-2 in the scene).
Participat Does not participate in Participates logically in the Participates actively and
ion the simulation. simulation. logically, effectively adding to
the simulation. (e.g. engaged,
listening to other participants,
energy is appropriate for the
situation)

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
Simulation #2 Roles

Stage Managers

Technician

Actor

Actor

Audience Member

Audience Member

Audience Member
 Name__________________________________
Date___________________________________

Stage Management Homework

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 goals 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 as a stage manager affect people in real life? List some
examples.