Production & Managerial Arts
Special Effects
The Special Effects and Design for Performance program is an immersive, practice based program that equips students with the knowledge and skills to respond to design briefs as set, costume and lighting designers. The program develops students in a comprehensive range of skills and knowledge through research and practical exercises in model-making, rendering, digital visualization and fabrication, manual and computer-aided drafting and life drawing, as well as screen design, storyboarding, and pre-visualization.
Students also investigate the social, historical and cultural contexts informing contemporary art, architecture and design, the history of costume and clothing, color and lighting theory. They learn in a collaborative environment through workshops, conceptual and realized projects such as major designs for productions, exhibitions and installations. Each year students also develop their practical skills as crew on various LIHSA productions.
Directing
At LIHSA the student director is developed through practice, encouragement, critical feedback, and collaboration. In addition to exposure to the theories and practices of the great directors of the past, students are encouraged to experiment with both the formal structures and physical ideas of directing, and apply theories from intersecting art forms such as music, painting, and dance to their work on the stage. Directors are asked to move constantly between practical considerations of staging and collaboration to the deeper issues behind the existence and nature of theatre and film. The training at LIHSA is project-based and has directors working daily with actors, playwrights, dramaturgs, and stage managers.
Stage Management
The Stage Management department is designed to prepare the qualified student for professional stage management employment, with the intended goal of assisting the student to recognize and fulfill the role of passionate artistic collaborator and effective organizational manager throughout the entire production process. At LIHSA we train our student stage managers to have portable, flexible, and scalable skill-sets that allow them to work in a variety of arenas. This allows students to build best practices in many other areas: opera, dance, television, and corporate events, to name a few. A major focus of the program is on leadership training: setting the tone, driving the process, and delivering results. Stage management students are required to work on departmental presentations both on and off campus.
Instructors are phenomenal and very supportive. Colleges and universities know the school; I found out representatives attended performances and knew of me before I applied to their programs.
Program Requirements
All students accepted in the Production & Managerial Arts program are required to take 3.0 core credits over the course of 2 years. Students in all three program strands will complete an additional .5 credits in Career and Financial Management coursework, a requirement of a CTE program. Beyond the required core, students take 4.5 elective credits with different semester offerings each year.
Lighting Design & Electrics
In this introductory lighting class, students will learn the basic function of theatrical lighting, how to hang lights and plug them into existing theatrical electrical systems and focus them on stage. Students will also gain insight into the programming of cues and designing the different looks necessary for a production.
Audience Management
The House Manager oversees all facilities except those on the immediate stage. Some House Managers, especially those in larger theaters, also function as facility managers. Facility managers are usually responsible for booking the theater so that it is continually occupied and returns a profit to the owners, public or private. In this class, students will learn about audience management and how to fulfill the expectation of a professional production.
Careers in the Arts
Students in this course will engage in an exploration of options available to artists after high school, matching industry requirements with pathways, including, college admissions and cost associated with it. Students will complete portfolios, engage in mock interviewing and develop resume related material. Students will also research related trends in the creative arts sector, types of jobs available and professional organizations affiliated with different sectors. Traits that are valuable for artists to possess will explored and students will learn about advocacy and networking in the professional arts world.
Life Cast & Character Design
Students enrolled in this class will have the opportunity to get a life cast made of themselves, as well as participate in the life casting of other students. With completed life casts, students will work on creating characters and sculpting appliances to be cast in silicone and applied to their faces. In this studio-oriented class, students will learn the proper molding and casting techniques for silicone appliances.
