Prerequisites
This course if open to Seniors (90+ credit hours completed) with permission from the student’s advisor and Jury Members.
Credit Hours
The Senior Capstone course is three credits.
Course Description
The Capstone project serves to demonstrate the student’s proficiency in theatre. It is the culmination of coursework in the Marshall University Program Theatre curriculum.
Students must develop proposals appropriate to a 3 hour creative commitment in production. While varying with the individual student and their project, students should expect to spend a considerable amount of time on this project.
Students should consider carefully the production responsibilities associated with the proposed project. Input from their Mentor/Instructor of Record is by no means exclusive, but rather should serve as a guide for topic selection.
Assignments will be submitted via Blackboard in the BFA – Production Theatre Capstone organization.
Proposal – 10%
Having obtained a Senior Capstone Project Proposal Form and consulted with their academic advisor the student should identify a project mentor and two additional full time School of Theatre faculty members to serve on their three-person Capstone Jury. The jury shall contain at least one performance and one production faculty member. The project mentor will serve as the Jury Chair and the Instructor of Record. Additional faculty, from outside SOT, full or part-time, may be asked to sit on the jury with permission of the Jury Chair. These additional members shall not have a vote when determining the project grade. A part-time faculty member or a faculty member from outside the SOT may serve as the project mentor. In this instance the student’s academic advisor will serve as the Jury Chair and the Instructor of Record.
Proposal forms are available on the SOT website under “Student Resources.” Proposals must be submitted at a time determined by the Project Mentor.
Additional support documentation for the Proposal should include a Letter of Intent, Jury Member Request documentation, and a projected calendar of events, among others.
Journal – 10%
Students will keep a detailed journal of their evolving process beginning with the preparation of the Project Proposal Form and ending with the final submission of the Proposal Package prior to their Jury Defense. Journal commentary may include personal thoughts and/or Production Meeting commentary. A minimum of five (5) and a maximum of ten (10) Journal entries will be submitted by the deadlines determined by their Project Mentor.
Periodic Documentation / Research – 30%
BB submission 1: Merged Project/Production Calendar, and written Project Concept supporting the Artistic Vision as provided by the Director. 50 points
BB submission 2: Studied reading of the script, assembled research dossier, detailed breakdown of production requirements taken from the script, production specific notes and artistic approach or metaphor identified. 50 points
BB submission 3: Initial Production Design elements (sketches, renderings, cue sheets, initial sound cuts, magic sheets, swatches, etc) as shared with Creative partners/colleagues.
BB submission 4: Project Implementation elements (updated cue sheets, technical drawings, patterns, hook-up sheets, speaker plot, etc) used to realize the Project.
BB submission 5: Final Project Package to include finished documentation of elements, production cue sheets, page-to-stage process images, sound disc, “as builts”, etc
Public Presentation – 30%
Public Presentation/Performance of the work.
Self Assessment – 5%
Student will complete a written self-assessment in which he/she will reflect on the efficacy of their work and discuss strengths and weaknesses with regard to skills, professional practices and collaboration with peer artists as well as problems encountered and solutions found.
Jury Defense – 15%
Students will complete an oral self-assessment / Q&A with selected jury members in which he/she will reflect on the efficacy of their work and discuss strengths and weaknesses with regard to skills, professional practices and collaboration with peer artists, as well as problems encountered and solutions found.
Grading
A student must earn a C or better in order to pass the course and graduate with a BFA.