"THE LIVING" FA 08

CASTING, TECHNICAL ASSIGNMENTS & EXPECTATIONS

MAJORS CASTINGING REQUIREME
All Department of Performing Arts Majors are required to audition for each departmental production. Departmental productions are also open to non-majors as well as community members.

Stage Management and technical positions are assigned on the basis of casting. If a Department of Performing Arts major has not been assigned a role in a given production, that major will then be assigned a role in the production capacity.



REHEARSAL SCHEDULES
Directors are expected to provide persons auditioning with a general rehearsal schedule at the time of the audition and a detailed rehearsal schedule no later than the first scheduled rehearsal.

Traditionally, non-musical Mainstage productions are rehearsed for approximately five and half weeks, Monday-Friday evenings, within three hour blocks. Musicals may rehearse seven-eight weeks. Periodic weekend rehearsal may be required as needed.



EXPECTATIONS
The Performing Arts Department expects students to be self-disciplined, passionate about the arts and committed to giving 100% in the classroom and in production.

THE IDEAL STUDENT WILL:
- attend class on a daily basis
- maintain a respectable GPA each semester
- exemplify time management skills (maintain a daily schedule calendar; arrive 15 minutes early
                      “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late.”
- have lines, choreography and/or music memorized and prepared on or before the due date
- maintain preparation work outside of rehearsal on character, choreography or performance assignment
- respect professors, classmates, cast and crew
- accept constructive criticism from professors in the spirit it is given
- respect the facilities in which we work
- maintain the image of excellence the Performing Arts Department strives to convey on a daily basis.

DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAM GOALS

Goal 1 (Rigorous Pre-professional Training)

To provide current, comprehensive training in Theatre and Dance through a liberal arts curriculum that integrates academic rigor with performance-based techniques.

• Students will demonstrate the creative and technical principles of performance through their ability to design, perform, analyze, and communicate within the mediums of theatre and dance.

• Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of the historical, social and artistic context of their work through the development of solid research abilities.

Goal 2 (Academic Scholarship)

To provide broad-based and discipline-specific performing arts curricula that fosters academic curiosity, scholarship, development of the intellect, and the ability to be effective written, oral, and artistic communicators.

• Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of scholarly inquiry through analysis of the history of their craft and the study of new developments within the mediums of theatre and dance.

• Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of the importance of cross-disciplinary study in order to produce thoughtful works of theatre and dance that comment upon and connect to a wide range of social topics and cultural values.

Goal 3 (High Personal and Professional Standards)

To provide a training environment that supports the development of a high standard of personal and professional integrity along with a disciplined, healthy approach to the artistic process.

• Students will demonstrate the mental and physical discipline required to nurture a creative project from inception to completion through their successful participation in production opportunities.

• Students will demonstrate high personal and professional standards, continued growth, and critical appraisal of their work and the work of their colleagues as practitioners and engaged spectators.

Goal 4 (Skills and Dispositions to Succeed)

To provide a training environment that fosters development of the skills and dispositions needed to ensure success in post-graduate performing arts endeavors.

• Students will demonstrate the skills, attitudes, and approaches utilized in the professional arena through their active, collaborative participation in production as members of the Department’s Production Company.

• Students will demonstrate the skills, attitudes, and approaches conducive to success in advanced training through their active, disciplined participation in academic, studio, and co-curricular training.

Goal 5 (Navigating the Life of an Artist in Service to Their World Community)

To provide training that encourages a sense of responsibility to and awareness of the greater world community.

• Graduates will demonstrate a clear understanding of the way in which their creative work raises social awareness, communicates life’s shared experience, and contributes to the betterment of their communities.

• Graduates will demonstrate a clear understanding of the importance of being active members of their artistic and wider communities through participation in artistic events, service opportunities, and as advocates for the performing arts.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
All students should understand that their first artistic commitment is to UL Department of Performing Arts productions. Department of Performing Arts productions take precedence over any community theatre productions or other producing organizations.

WORK
The faculty understands a student’s need to maintain a paying job outside of University commitments. However, completing the required Department of Performing Arts curriculum alone will not make a student competitive in the arts - production participation is imperative for a student to best be positioned for success in the respective worlds of theatre and dance.

Past statistics have proven that many of our majors fail to apply for available financial aid (work study or other Federal or State aid). Please see the UL Lafayette Financial Aid Office to receive instructions on when and how to apply.

In support, eligible students are encouraged to apply for departmental scholarships and assistantships that may be available, being certain to meet the 2.75 cumulative and departmental 3.0 GPA scholarship eligibility requirements. Scholarship criteria may differ for scholarships created by donors outside of the department, so please inquire.