Joan Channick, Chair
The Theater Management program prepares aspiring managerial and artistic leaders to create inclusive organizational environments favorable to theatrical creation, supportive of artists and other theater workers, conducive to collaboration, and responsive to their communities. Individually and collectively, we are committed to implementing and practicing anti-racism and anti-oppression in our workplaces and our classrooms. We strive to model equitable policies and practices.
The program provides students with the knowledge, skills, experience, and values to enter the field at high levels of responsibility, to move quickly to leadership positions, and ultimately to advance the state of management practice and the art form itself. Although the focus is on theater, many graduates have adapted their education successfully to careers in dance, opera, media, and other fields.
In the context of an integrated general management perspective, students are grounded in the history and aesthetics of theater art, production organization, hiring and unions, the collaborative process, decision-making and governance, organizational direction and planning, motivation, organizational design, human resources, financial management, development, marketing, and technology. While focused primarily on theater organizations, discussions incorporate other performing arts organizations, other nonprofits, and for-profit organizations to help identify the factors that make organizations succeed. It is training in the practice, informed by up-to-date theoretical knowledge.
The training combines a sequence of professional work assignments, program courses, electives in other programs and schools, topical workshops, and a case study writing requirement. In a distinctive feature of the Theater Management curriculum, students have the opportunity to engage in the management of Yale Repertory Theatre from the beginning of their training, and to collaborate with students and faculty from other programs in productions of David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Cabaret. Students participate actively in setting objectives for their own growth, as well as in assessment of their professional development.
Extracurricular participation in the Yale Cabaret is encouraged, subject to prior notification of the program chair.
Joint-Degree Program with Yale School of Management
Theater Management offers a joint-degree program with Yale School of Management, in which a student may earn both the Master of Fine Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees in four years (rather than the five years that normally would be required). A joint-degree student must meet the respective admission requirements of each school. The typical plan of study consists of two years at David Geffen School of Drama, followed by one year at the School of Management, culminating with one combined year at both schools. Candidates interested in the joint-degree option are advised to apply to both Schools before coming to Yale. Theater management students who develop an interest in the joint-degree option while at Yale should apply to the School of Management during their first year or, at the latest, by October of their second year. Regardless of the outcome of their application, they must inform the program in January whether they will be in residence in David Geffen School of Drama in the succeeding year.
Plan of Study: Theater Management
In the first two years, the student enrolls in a sequence of required courses, electives, and topical workshops; researches and writes a case study on a theater or other arts organization; and is given several professional work assignments. In another distinctive feature of the program, the second-year student has the option of replacing one term in residence with a fellowship in a professional setting away from campus, selected in conjunction with the faculty.
In the third year (or fourth, if applicable) the student enrolls in a minimum of four reequired and elective courses per term, attends a variety of topical workshops (seven sessions count as the equivalent of one course), and is given one or two professional work assignments of substantial responsibility.
Required Sequence
Year one
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(08)a | Toward Anti-Racist Theater Practice in Theater Management |
| DRAM 6a and/or b | Survey of Theater and Drama |
| DRAM 11a | Theater Organizations |
| DRAM 21a | Founding Visions |
| DRAM 31a | Business Writing for Theater Managers |
| DRAM 81a | Financial Accounting |
| DRAM 111a/b | Functions of Leadership |
| DRAM 121a | Human Resources: Supporting People and Building Culture |
| DRAM 121b | Strategic Planning |
| DRAM 131a | Principles of Marketing and Audience Development |
| DRAM 141b | Law and the Arts |
| DRAM 161b | Principles of Development |
| DRAM 181b | Financial Management |
| DRAM 191b | Managing the Production Process |
| DRAM 411 | Workshops* |
Years two, three, and four (if applicable)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 151a or b | Case Study |
| DRAM 211a | Governance |
| DRAM 221b | Labor and Employee Relations |
| DRAM 231b | Advanced Topics in Marketing and Branding |
| DRAM 251a or b | Management Fellowship |
| DRAM 261a | Advanced Topics in Development |
| DRAM 281b | Advanced Financial Management |
| DRAM 301a/b | Management Seminar |
| DRAM 411 | Workshops* |
*A total of seven workshop sessions in a term may be counted as the equivalent of one course.
Additional Requirements for the Degree
Anti-Racist Theater Practice Requirement
During the fall term of their first year, theater management students are required to enroll in DRAM 3(08)a, Toward Anti-Racist Theater Practice in Theater Management, in order to fulfill the School’s anti-racist theater practice requirement. Combined with the prerequisite workshop, Everyday Justice: Anti-Racism as Daily Practice, this course offers vital strategies for the lifelong development of individual and communal anti-racist practice. All students in the program are also encouraged to participate in the ten Community Days offered each year, which include School-wide and Theater Management programming.
Theater History Requirement
Theater management students fulfill the School’s two-term theater history requirement during their first year by enrolling in one term of DRAM 6, Survey of Theater and Drama, and DRAM 21a, Founding Visions. Students may take an additional term of DRAM 6 and other theater history courses as electives.
Elective Sequence
Electives may be selected from other programs of the School, from Yale School of Management or other professional schools, or from Yale College with the approval of the chair.
Courses of Instruction
DRAM 3(08)a, Toward Anti-Racist Theater Practice in Theater Management This course meets both within individual programs and across disciplines, with students and faculty members as fellow learners, using readings, viewings, and discussions in pursuit of these goals: to identify the roots and branches of racism and white supremacy in the structures and practices of theater making in the United States, including at David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre; to interrogate where the practices do harm and hinder; and to invest in the future by inviting students and faculty to imagine and uplift systems and cultures that do not depend upon or promote supremacy, to build a more just and equitable field. The Theater Management program will approach these issues through the lens of theater leadership. Aleta Staton
DRAM 6a and/or b, Survey of Theater and Drama See description under Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism.
DRAM 11a, Theater Organizations It can take a village to make theater in America: artists, audiences, and donors or investors to name a few. In addition, time and resources must be managed effectively to create exciting artistic content while achieving efficiencies when possible. Therefore, theater companies must consciously build and evolve their organization to pursue their missions, achieve their strategic objectives, and enlist stakeholders as productively as possible. The course explores the variety of organizational models in use today with an emphasis on the relationships between structure, purpose, and management style; effective engagement of stakeholders; and regulations and policies that organizations might adopt to govern and guide their operations. Each student collects in-depth information about a particular organization and presents it to the class. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Joshua Borenstein
DRAM 21a, Founding Visions This course is a study of idealism in the American art theater. History is explored through the inspired and inspiring writings of visionaries and pioneers, from Jane Addams (Hull House, 1880s) to Bill Rauch (Cornerstone, 1980s). Students encounter the letters, memoirs, and manifestos of such early figures as Jig Cook and Susan Glaspell (Provincetown), John Houseman/Orson Welles (Mercury Theatre), and Hallie Flanagan (Federal Theatre Project), and more modern leaders such as Margo Jones, Zelda Fichandler, Joe Papp, Judith Malina and Julian Beck, Douglas Turner Ward, Joseph Chaikin, Luis Valdez, Herbert Blau, Robert Brustein, Tyrone Guthrie, Charles Ludlam, and others. The course also considers the challenges of sustaining and reinvigorating a theater’s fundamental ideals, which often dissipate with time and successive leadership. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Joan Channick
DRAM 31a, Business Writing for Theater Managers This class helps theater managers strengthen their writing skills to create clear, persuasive business documents based on logic, evidence, and fact. Key topics include focus; support for each premise; writing structure; and precise use of language, free of flab. Class concentrates on succinct, cohesive writing that leads readers logically to the author’s conclusion. When possible, this class will share assignments from other theater management classes during the term. Throughout, this class looks at building the upcoming case study. Rosalie Stemer
DRAM 81a, Financial Accounting An introduction to corporate financial accounting concepts and procedures, with an emphasis on nonprofit application. Financial statements are stressed throughout the course, while attention is paid to developing procedural skills, including accounting controls. The basic financial statements are introduced: balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. Accounting for assets, liabilities, and net assets. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Nancy Yao
DRAM 111a, Functions of Leadership: Organizational Direction Management and leadership are two different things, and managers must be capable of practicing both in order to meet the increasingly complex challenges of modern theater organizations; the required knowledge and skills operate side by side. The fall term covers the first of three essential functions of leadership: establishing organizational direction through mission and strategy. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Joan Channick
DRAM 111b, Functions of Leadership: Motivation and Organizational Design Management and leadership are two different things, and managers must be capable of practicing both in order to meet the increasingly complex challenges of modern theater organizations; the required knowledge and skills operate side by side. The spring term covers the second and third functions of leadership: securing the essential efforts through effective motivation and productive management of change; and establishing appropriate means of communication through organizational design, including decision making and management of culture. Emotional intelligence is a key concept. Prerequisite: DRAM 111a. Joan Channick
DRAM 121a, Human Resources: Supporting People and Building Culture The greatest asset of any theater company is its people. This course examines the tools needed to be an effective theater leader and focuses on employee experience and culture; equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging; recruiting, hiring, and onboarding; compensation; benefits; legal issues; performance management; recognition; and learning and development. The course considers the present and evolving practices of human resources in the American theater. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructors. Trinh DiNoto, Florie Seery
DRAM 121b, Strategic Planning This course focuses on the planning process and the myriad forms it takes within arts organizations. Various concepts important to planning, including mission, strategy development, and alignment, are reviewed. However, most of the work takes the form of answering the question, “How do we do this aspect of planning?” Sessions consist of case studies, interactive discussion, and reading of arts organizations’ actual plans. Prerequisite: DRAM 111a. Lisa Yancey
DRAM 131a, Principles of Marketing and Audience Development This survey course explores the fundamentals of nonprofit theater marketing, communications, and audience development. Topics range from high-level strategic components such as branding, positioning, audience research, and budgeting (revenue and expense); to campaign tactics including digital channels, direct marketing, traditional advertising, partnerships, and publicity; to data-driven practices such as segmentation, campaign response data/return on investment, and other key performance indicators. Students develop a single-ticket marketing plan. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Andrea Cuevas
DRAM 141b, Law and the Arts An examination of the legal rights and responsibilities of artists and artistic institutions. Topics include the law of intellectual property (copyright and trademark), moral rights, personality rights (defamation, publicity, and privacy), and freedom of expression. The course is also an introduction to the structure and language of contractual agreements, and includes discussion of several types of contracts employed in the theater. Other legal issues relating to nonprofit arts organizations may also be discussed. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joan Channick
DRAM 151a or b, Case Study An applied writing project in collaboration with a faculty supervisor. The student focuses on a particular theater organization approved by the program chair, by gathering information, conducting interviews, analyzing a difficult issue the organization faces, writing a case study with video supplement, and writing a teaching note. The work begins during the student’s first year, and the written case study must be completed by the end of the student’s second year. Additional financial aid funds are provided to cover one month of living expenses during the summer after their first year of study to allow for travel and research related to the case study. Joan Channick, Deborah Berman, Joshua Borenstein, Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., Naomi Grabel, Andrew Hamingson, Carla L. Jackson, Florie Seery, Sally Shen, Lisa Yancey, Nancy Yao
DRAM 161b, Principles of Development This introductory course explores the elements and best practices for managing a successful not-for-profit development department. Discussions delve into the responsibilities and practical applications of development—identifying, stewarding, cultivating, and soliciting gifts from annual to capital campaigns. Thorough, practical exploration of board development, institutional identity, proposal development strategies, and solicitation techniques is included. Students are introduced to all aspects of the development sectors: individual giving, corporate sponsorship/philanthropy, government/legislative, foundations, and special event fundraising. Each student creates a hypothetical organization for use throughout the term. An emphasis is placed on relationship development with potential funders. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Andrew Hamingson
DRAM 181b, Financial Management The objective of this course is to prepare students to use financial information for management decisions. Topics include creating and understanding financial statements, developing and reporting on operating and capital budgets, financial analysis and planning, and cash flow. Students apply their learning using the current financial documents of theaters and performing arts groups for many of the assignments. Prerequisite: DRAM 81a or, with prior permission of the instructor, equivalent nonprofit accounting knowledge. Joshua Borenstein
DRAM 191b, Managing the Production Process An investigation of the relationship between the artistic director and the managing director. This course explores the role of a managing director in the production process of regional theater, including season planning, artistic budgeting, contract negotiations, artist relationships, and production partnering. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Florie Seery
DRAM 211a, Governance This course examines governance within arts and cultural organizations with a strong emphasis on its practice, as well as how that practice can be managed and adjusted. The first part of each class consists of interactive presentations using real examples from multiple organizations in the field, or case work focused on one particular company. The second part is a laboratory in which students use the concepts learned to prepare and present their findings to the rest of the class. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Nancy Yao
DRAM 221b, Labor and Employee Relations A course on how to read collective bargaining agreements and think about the collective bargaining process in the not-for-profit theater, along with negotiation of the agreements and practice under them, through the study of the agreements between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists. Students become familiar with LORT’s bargaining history with AEA, SDC, and USA, as well as select nonprofit theaters’ agreements with other theatrical labor unions. The class explores various schools of thought on best practices for labor management relations and the context within which nonprofits and LORT relationships are operating today. The class uses as case studies provisions that govern media and electronic rights to examine bargaining strategies and approaches—successful and compromised—aimed at achieving management goals of securing more flexibility, decreased costs, and expanded capacity to capture and exploit content. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Laura Penn
DRAM 231b, Advanced Topics in Marketing and Branding This course focuses on brand development and institutional communications, with an emphasis on data tools and analysis, industry trends, pricing, and messaging. Various strategies and tactics are explored using case studies, articles, reference books, and visits from industry specialists. Students complete a brand evaluation and recommendation at the end of the course. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Naomi Grabel
DRAM 251a or b, Management Fellowship Each second-year student in good standing may choose to replace one term in residence with a fellowship in a professional setting away from campus, selected by the faculty. The fellowship replaces one required program course, four electives, and a term-long professional work assignment. The purpose of the fellowship is to pair the student with a successful manager in the field who acts as a mentor. Ideally, the fellowship consists of frequent meetings with the host mentor; the opportunity to shadow the mentor as they conduct business within the organization, in the local community, and in the national field; access to board and staff meetings; and assigned tasks to perform within the organization. Additional financial aid funds are provided to offset living expense costs during the fellowship term. The fellowship and case study requirement (DRAM 151a or b) may not be combined. Joan Channick
DRAM 261a, Advanced Topics in Development A series of topics are discussed in great depth, including corporate sponsorship, board diversification, board recruitment techniques, major gift cultivation strategies, real estate project development, development department management, leadership transitional fundraising, capital campaign planning and implementation, and solicitation techniques. Students focus on an actual performing arts organization to model their assignments. The emphasis in the course is on the importance of planning, creativity, and innovation in the field of development. Prerequisite: DRAM 161b. Andrew Hamingson
DRAM 271a, Producing for the Commercial Theater This course focuses on the fundamentals of commercial producing on Broadway. Among the topics to be covered: why produce commercially; who produces; Broadway and Off-Broadway; the relationships between commercial producers and nonprofits; and ethical issues in a commercial setting. Practical matters covered include optioning and developing work, raising money, creating budgets, and utilizing marketing/press/advertising to attract an audience. Open to non-Theater Management and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joey Parnes
DRAM 281b, Advanced Financial Management This course focuses on advanced financial management topics to further develop students’ interpretive financial skills. Topics include capital structure, financial analysis, financing and debt, investments, endowments, planning to achieve financial goals, and managing through financial difficulties (fraud, internal controls, bankruptcy). Prerequisite: DRAM 181b. Harold Wolpert
DRAM 301a/b, Management Seminar An upper-level seminar sequence designed to integrate knowledge and skills gathered from all courses and professional work through analysis and discussion of case studies. Third- and fourth-year Theater Management students may take one term in their third year and one term in their fourth year. Prerequisite: DRAM 111a. Carla L. Jackson, Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., Roberta Pereira, David J. Roberts
DRAM 331b, Managing Crisis and Recovery This course explores diverse topics in crisis and change management in arts and cultural organizations. Through class discussion, case studies, assigned readings, group projects, and guest lectures, students investigate various crisis and change management practices as well as responsive strategic planning. The emphasis in this course is on the lived experiences of those directly involved in and/or responsible for developing a crisis response and management plan. Students apply their learning using these experiences of arts and culture leaders to develop fundamental principles of creative problem solving and adaptive capacity. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Kelvin Dinkins, Jr.
DRAM 341a/b, Independent Study Students who want to pursue special research, independent projects, or the study of topics not covered by the Theater Management curriculum may propose an independent study. Following program approval of the topic, the student meets regularly with a faculty adviser to seek guidance and to report on progress. Faculty
DRAM 351b, Responsive Arts Responsive arts support dialogue and development of nuanced and equitable relationships across intersecting cultures. The course introduces this approach to utilizing radical inquiry to answer questions about what future arts practices might look like, what they might mean, and what their impacts on the public might be. Students explore the theory and practice of collective cultural production designed to research and generate artistic programming that expands an institution’s capacity to respond to stakeholders, new frontiers of audience participation, and new and hybrid skills, practices, and aesthetics that support meaningful and consequential public communication. Garth Ross
[DRAM 361a, Artistic Producing Students immerse themselves in the understanding and function of the artistic producer. This course explores producing in the context of the nonprofit theater, investigating producing through four distinct but equally important pillars: artistry, leadership, facilitation, and advocacy. Students discuss and evaluate how these pillars serve the art-making process and create the conditions that allow artists to do their work. Students tackle all this through the lens of their core values; values shape the kind of artistic producer one becomes. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to ten. Not offered in 2023–2024]
DRAM 371a, Identity-Specific Theaters The course explores the history, impact, and current state of identity-specific theaters in the American theater ecology. Guest speakers from leading identity-specific theaters such as African American, Latinx, Asian American, Muslim, disability community, or LGBTQ+ engage in dialogue with students on issues of aesthetics, intersectionality, and social justice through art, as well as organizational topics including historical funding patterns/access to resources; sustainability; equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI); and audience engagement; among others. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. David J.Roberts
DRAM 381b, Human Resources Management: Recruiting and Managing Today “People are our most important asset.” This course approaches the management of people from a strategic perspective. While this course covers human resources management (HRM) topics such as HR strategy, planning and recruitment, staffing, training and development, and other aspects of HRM, it considers the relationship between these HRM practices, employee experience, and organizational effectiveness. In turn, this course adopts an integrative approach. Thus, application of (1) knowledge from previous coursework in strategy, management, accounting, finance, and operations; (2) work experience; and (3) judgment, critical thinking, and creativity is important to students’ learning experience in this course. Prerequisite: DRAM 121a. Sarah de Freitas
Theater Management Program Topical Workshops
A total of seven workshop sessions in a term may be counted as the equivalent of one course.
DRAM 411(02), Values-Based Planning (three sessions) At a moment of enormous change, this workshop explores concepts of innovation, adaptability, value, and values as a basis for planning and for imagining how the arts of the future might be organized and behave. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Faculty
DRAM 411(05), Advanced Business Writing for Theater Managers (four sessions in spring) This workshop emphasizes techniques and best practices for writing the case study, including refining the dilemma, organizing and structuring information, and succinctly stating the challenges the organization faces. When possible, students’ writing for other theater management classes this term will become shared assignments. Rosalie Stemer
DRAM 411(06), Case Writing (four sessions) In collaboration with case study supervisors, this workshop focuses on each student’s individual case study to strengthen the writing, identify essential components of the case, sharpen the dilemma, and structure the case logically. Workshop also covers writing the teaching note. Students meet in group and individual sessions. Rosalie Stemer
DRAM 411(07), Case Studies (two sessions) This workshop provides an introduction to writing case studies suitable for classroom use. Among the topics discussed are framing case dilemmas, structuring case research, outlining the case narrative, and writing introductions. The workshop consists of both lecture and in-class exercises. Faculty
DRAM 411(11), Entrepreneurship (four sessions) This workshop explores the meaning and practice of entrepreneurship. Much of the time is spent on identifying challenges in the field and how to develop projects or companies that might attack them. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Beth Morrison
DRAM 411(13), Risk Management and Safety Culture (two sessions) Management and leadership are core elements to a successful organizational safety program. This workshop looks at the building blocks of a successful safety program, discusses the importance of a good safety culture, and offers insight into best practice. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Anna Glover
DRAM 411(21), Nonprofit on Broadway This workshop is devoted to an examination of nonprofit/commercial partnerships, both in form and substance. We look at Manhattan Theatre Club’s evolution in this arena as a way of talking about non-recourse loans, enhancement deals, ticket buys, wholly owned for-profit subsidiaries, and entirely self-produced or self-controlled open-ended runs. Discussion includes technical topics such as author’s royalties, subsidiary rights, and contracts with future theaters. Consideration is also given to marketing of works on Broadway using common methods but a not-for-profit budget competing in a commercial marketplace. Students view videos of PSAs, TV ads, institutional videos, and “snackable” videos for social media. The workshop also examines the linkage between social media and advertising, along with the more traditional methods of direct mail and some print advertising. Faculty
DRAM 411(27), Real Estate (two sessions) This workshop, including real-world and lecture learning, provides an overview of what theater leaders will encounter when pivoting from planning to implementation and maintenance of capital projects. Topics range from selecting architects, contractors, owner’s representatives, and consultant integration, to ongoing operations and maintenance literacy, as well as pop-up capital works that artists encounter as producers. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Faculty
DRAM 411(28), Self-Marketing (two sessions) This workshop covers positioning oneself for return to work in the field, preparation of résumés and cover letters, interview techniques, use of references, negotiating a job offer, and other topics. Required for final-year Theater Management students. Faculty
DRAM 411(29), Making the Ask Artistic directors, executive directors, managing directors, producers, and development professionals all need to know the dynamics of asking for money. In this two-part workshop, students learn how to identify funding priorities, assess a prospect’s interests, align them with a project, determine an appropriate ask amount, select a venue for the meeting, and steer the discussion while staying open to cues the prospect offers. We also discuss the steps to build confidence and prepare to make one’s best presentation. Students assume leadership roles and practice making an ask using scenarios influenced by real situations. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Deborah Berman
DRAM 411(30), Tessitura (four sessions) An introduction to using Tessitura as a customer relationship module. Tessitura is used by many arts and cultural organizations for ticketing, marketing, development, and data analysis. The workshop covers basic ticket-selling functions, as well as using marketing campaigns and data analysis to tell the “story” of the patron’s relationship with Yale Repertory Theatre. Janna Ellis
DRAM 411(37), Cultural Policy (four sessions) Both a product and a process, cultural policy provides frameworks for making rules and decisions informed by societal relationships and values. This workshop explores the dynamic ways in which arts and culture can shape public policy in order to foster cultural democracy. Guest cultural producers and case studies allow students to understand the interconnection of the arts with various societal issues, their role in shaping potential solutions, and their role in developing the leadership needed to bring change to their communities. Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Gonzalo Casals
DRAM 411(43), Growth Mindset An introduction to concepts of adult development, emphasizing the value of adopting a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. Required for first-year Theater Management students. Joan Channick
DRAM 411(44), Overview of Theater Management Professional Development System Explores the premise behind deliberately developmental organizations. Reviews the structure, assessment tools, and expectations for the Theater Management program’s professional development system. Required for first-year Theater Management students. Joan Channick
DRAM 411(45), The Manager as Coach This workshop helps prepare students to hold supervisory responsibilities in their second-year professional work assignments. Whereas the emphasis in the first-year workshops is on receiving feedback, this session focuses on delivering feedback, using a coaching model. Required for second-year Theater Management students. Joan Channick
DRAM 411(46), Giving and Receiving Feedback Examines the role of feedback in adult development. Topics include distinguishing among various types of feedback, receptivity to feedback, and effective feedback techniques. Required for first-year Theater Management students. Joan Channick
DRAM 411(47), Building a Deliberately Developmental Organization In preparation for assuming organizational leadership roles in the field, students consider how to build a deliberately developmental organization whose culture supports peoples’ growth and encourages achievement of each individual’s full potential. Required for final-year Theater Management students. Joan Channick
DRAM 411(48), Creating a Personal Development Plan Considers how to recognize and overcome one’s own immunity to change. Students create a personal development plan for their tenure at DGSD and for their eventual return to the field. Required for first-year Theater Management students. Joan Channick
DRAM 411(50), Aesthetic Values in a Changed Cultural Context (four sessions) This workshop examines the relationship between the aesthetics, ethics, and economics of nonprofit professional arts organizations. It begins with a working definition of art as “the way we share with one another what it means to be human,” and with the observation that nonprofit professional arts organizations in the United States (in the main, as a class of institutions) have historically excluded many populations from this sharing. Students discuss the inherent aesthetic values of resident theaters in the United States—including the historic context in which such values came to be institutionalized—and consider the possibilities and consequences of changing policies and decisions in such areas as hiring, programming, architecture, and governance in light of the changed cultural context. How would artistic practices and policies of arts organizations need to change if the goal were to foster a more democratic culture? Open to non-Theater Management students with prior permission of the instructor. Diane Ragsdale