CA 370 PRODUCTION ENSEMBLE Research Guide

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CA 370 provides students with training and an historical and contemporary context for their related practicum roles as production heads and stage management and design personnel. Issues will be drawn from the School's current production season and from national and international forums in related fields. Assignments will be conducted in class and through practicum work on productions.

This research guide is intended to help you find key information sources to help you succeed in your CA 370 roles, in production, stage management and design.  To illustrate creative research strategies, I'll use the Fall 2021 dance production inspiration,  M.C. Escher's Belvedere. Further down the page are resources aimed at helping you succeed in your life as a theatrical production professional.

If you don't find what you need using these search strategies, please contact Sylvia Roberts, the Liaison Librarian for Contemporary Arts, at sroberts@sfu.ca or 778-782-3681 (voice mail).  If you need immediate assistance with your research, try one of the options under Ask a Librarian.

PPT slides (Oct.6, 2021)

CREATIVE RESEARCH

If you have an inspiration, use this to get started with your research.  You may want to explore sources, looking for an overview, related topics and examples, as well as any bibliographies of key sources.

Start by noting what you know about your research topic and what you hope to find out. For example, if you wanted to learn more about this image, what would your questions be?

Image of Escher's Belvedere graphic

M.C. Escher. Belvedere (1958)
https://www.wikiart.org/en/m-c-escher/belvedere
(CC BY-NC_SA 4.0)

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Start by noting what you know about this image, the parameters of the production, questions that you might have, for example:

  • Who was M.C. Escher?  What were his creative and intellectual inspirations?
  • When and where was this work produced?
  • What else was happening politically, culturally, economically at that time?

 It's best to be as specific as you can when starting to search so that you aren't overwhelmed with results that are only distantly related to your topic. 

If your specific search doesn't work, try using other search terms that relate to your concept.  You may discover these terms as you research so make notes as you go.  This can be a good time to consult with a librarian about effective search terms for your interests.

Consider questions of who, what, where, when and why to help focus your research questions, for example:

  • Who might have produced the information you want?  Scholars/researchers?  Regulatory bodies?  Professional associations?
  • What specific information would help you answer your question? 
  • Do you need  find materials that relate to a specific historical time or to a specific place?
  • Why are you searching for this information?  How are you going to use it?
  • Does the material need to be in a particular format?

Lateral thinking can be sometimes be helpful if your searches are returning useful results.  Try searching for a broader concept (optical illusions) or a narrower concept (staircases) or a related concept (illusions in stage design).

INVESTIGATING THE BACKGROUND OF TOPICS

Use the following to find an introductory overview of  your topic.  These background sources will provide key terminology, concepts and leads to related topics, as well as a bibliography of relevant sources.  Once you've learned more about your topic, you can develop a more focused and effective search strategy.

IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS OF TOPICS

To find in-depth discussions of tropics that interest you, whether as creative inspiration or to get more detail on a professional practice, you can search for materials in the SFU Library collection.  The Library collection contains print & digital texts, both longer (books) and shorter (chapters in books, articles), images, sounds, films, news, maps and other forms of information to support the research, teaching and learning at SFU.

Library catalogue

Start by searching the Library catalogue, using search terms that represent your search interests. For example, search for information that discusses Escher and Belveder.

You can use the limiters in the left colum to focus your results, by year of publication, by type of source or by subject, which describe the major focus of the work.  For example, we can limite by Source to Reference. Reference books provide overviews of topics and can provide useful background as well as leads to related topics.

Reveal sources:  try Reference - takes to book on mathematics, search for Escher in Back of the book index, screen captures with keywords highlighted

This gives us a few ideas as to concepts that relate to Escher's work: e.g. PERCEPTION, GEOMETRY, OPTICAL ILLUSIONS, DIMENSIONALITY, figure/ground

These concepts can be used to generate additional searches. 

Consider synonyms or related concepts that you can use as search terms, e.g. broader, narrower, names of people, things, places

Also consider works listed in Bibliography, search for these in Library catalogue

E.G. Escher, M. C. The Graphic Work of M. C. Escher. New York: Meredith Press, 1967.

Search for book - point out books limiter in side bar - in-depth approaches,

e.g. Schattschneider, Doris, and Michele Emmer. 2005. M.C. Escher's Legacy: a Centennial Celebration : Collection of Articles Coming from the M.C. Escher Centennial Conference, Rome 1998. Springer. - read table of contents, introduction - use back of the book index

Article databases

As well as the Library catalogue, you can use subject specific databases to find articles that relate to your interests.

You can can use these database to search by topic or by name to find discussions, reviews, research and news related to theatre practice.

Research journals in theater

As well as searching the databases, you may find that there are some research journals that address your professional interests directly.  Below are a selection of theatre research journals in the SFU Library collection.

  • TDR: The Drama Review provides scholarship on performances and their social, economic and political contexts. With an emphasis on the experimental, avant-garde, intercultural and interdisciplinary, it covers dance theatre, performance art, popular entertainment, media, sports, rituals and performance in politics and everyday life."
  • Theatre Journal contributions from noted practitioners and scholars...features social and historical studies, production reviews, and theoretical inquiries that analyze dramatic texts and production.
  • PAJ : a journal of performance and art  extended coverage of the visual arts (such as video, installations, photography, and multimedia performance)... reviews of new works in theatre, dance, film, and opera....include artists' writings, essays, interviews and dialogues, historical documentation, performance texts and plays, reports on performance abroad, and book reviews.
  • Theatre History Studies provides critical, analytical, and descriptive articles on all aspects of theatre history.
  • Asian Theatre Journal dedicated to the performing arts of Asia, focusing upon both traditional and modern theatrical forms....offers descriptive and analytical articles, original plays and play translations
  • Theatre Topics devoted to issues of concern to practitioners...focuses on performance studies, dramaturgy, and theatre pedagogy. Concise and timely articles on a broad array of practical, performance-oriented subjects (with special attention to topics of current interest to the profession) keep readers informed of the latest developments on the stage and in the classroom.
  • Theatre and Performance Design research evaluating the effect of scenography on the aesthetics and politics of performance
  • Theatre Research International

SOURCES FOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

 SFU Library collects materials that will give you detailed information about how to perform effectively in your production role. Some provide overviews of specific production roles, others provide details on one aspect of production, examples of designer's work or discussions of issues that concern those working in theatre.

Below are a selection of recent titles that relate to these topic. Click on the link to get to the Library catalogue record to access the full text or to put a hold on a print book so you can pick it up.

  • Theatre artisans and their craft : the allied arts fields (2020) online
  • An Introduction to Technical Theatre (2018) online
  • Setting the Stage: What We Do, How We Do It, and Why (2017) online
     
  • Dance production : design and technology (2016) online
     
  • The craft and art of scenic design : strategies, concepts, and resources (2017) online and print
  • Progressive perspective drawing for theatrical scene design (2021) online
  • Drawing the line : hand drafting for film and television (2018) online
  • Essentials of period style : a sourcebook for stage and production designers (2016) print
     
  • The lighting supervisor's toolkit : collaboration, interrogation, and innovation toward engineering brilliant lighting designs (2021) online
  • Stage lighting : design applications and more (2019) print
  • Living the lighting life : a guide to a career in entertainment lighting (2021) online
  • The automated lighting programmer's handbook (2017) online
  • Lighting dance : a study of technical, philosophical, and psychological shadows  (2021) online
     
  • Theatre Aurality (2018) online
  • Sound effect : the theatre we hear (2020) print
  • The art of theatrical sound design : a practical guide  (2019) print
     
  • The properties director's toolkit : creativity, collaboration, and communication for prop shop management in the theatre and performing arts (2018) online
  • Prop building for beginners : twenty props for stage and screen (2021) online
  • The prop effects guidebook : lights, motion, sound, and magic (2018) online
  • The fake food cookbook : props you can't eat for theatre, film, and TV (2018) online
     
  • The costume supervisor's toolkit : supervising theatre costume production from first meeting to final performance (2019) online
     
  • The stage manager's toolkit : templates and communication techniques to guide your theatre production from first meeting to final performance (2021) online
  • Stage management basics : a primer for performing arts stage managers (2017) online
  • Stage Manager: The Professional Experience—Refreshed (2017) online
  • Stage management theory as a guide to practice : cultivating a creative approach (2020) online 
  • Whenever You’re Ready: Nora Polley on Life as a Stratford Festival Stage Manager (2018) print
     
  • The theatrical firearms handbook (2014) online
  • Automated performer flying : the state of the art (2020) online
     
  • Digital media, projection design, and technology for theatre (2018) online
  • Scenic automation handbook (2018) online
  • Staging Technology : Medium, Machinery, and Modern Drama (2021) online
  • Digital Theatre: The Making and Meaning of Live Mediated Performance, US and UK 1990-2020 (2020) online
     
  • QLab 4 : projects in video, audio, and lighting control (2018) online
  • Vectorworks for entertainment design : using vectorworks to design and document scenery, lighting, rigging, and audio visual systems (2021) online
  • Electricity for the entertainment electrician & technician : a practical guide for power distribution in live event (2021) online
     
  • What is scenography? (2019) online
  • Beyond scenography (2019) online
  • Digital scenography : 30 years of experimentation and innovation in performance and interactive media (2021) online
  • The history and theory of environmental scenography (2018) print
  • The scenography of Howard Barker : The Wrestling School aesthetic 1998-2011 (2021) online

SEARCH BY SUBJECT HEADING

If you want to find additional books like these, you can search the Library catalogue, using similar search terms.

Alternatively, you can browse the list of titles that have been assigned a standard descriptive term used to help researchers find all the books that relate to this topic.    

screen capture of library catalogue search for stage manager as a subject

Relevant subject headings

TUTORIALS FOR TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

VALUES BASED PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Below you will find some organizations and resources that will support your professional practice. This section is still in development.

Sustainability:

Accessibility

  • Theatre Research in Canada/Recherches Théâtrales au Canada, 2016, Vol.37 (2),  Special issue devoted to Performance and Disability
  • Deaf Artists & Theatres toolkit

Equity

GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND SUPPORT

City of Vancouver

STAYING CURRENT

TRADE / PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINES

As well as the academic journals that publish research in the fields of theatre, dance and performance, SFU subscribes to trade or industry magazines aimed at theatre professionals, students and others with an interest in the stage.  As well as discussions of current trends and issues, these magazines publish reviews, advertisements for professional education, job opportunities.  You may want to review the contents of these publications so you get a sense of what concerns working professionals in your field.  Some examples:

PROFESSIONAL AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

ACTSAFE
" a not-for-profit health and safety association supporting British Columbia’s arts and entertainment industries"
Offer courses and resources, listed by topic and by profession, e.g. managing productions during COVID-19, as well as links to occupational health and safety service providers

Associated Designers of Canada
"national, professional, non-profit arts service organization dedicated to promoting the art of live performance design in Canada, including the design of scenery, costumes, lighting, projection, and sound"...offers advocacy and promotion work on behalf of the profession, as well as professional development, member directory and resources like tip sheets for producers and designers, guide to standards & working procedures

Associated Designers of Canada, ADC 659
"On January 1, 2021, the ADC was granted a charter from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, forming a new autonomous local: Local ADC659 — the only nationwide IATSE charter in Canada."
Provides the text of standard form contracts and agreements used by membership and a membership directory

Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology
" not-for-profit national association that actively promotes the professional development of its members and works for the betterment of the Canadian live performance community....provides opportunities to its members to communicate, network and expand their knowledge and skills through workshops, conferences, electronic forums, and publications in the areas of technology, management, design, architecture and education for live performance in Canada."
serves technicians, craftspeople, managers, designers, educators & students, theatre consultants & architects, suppliers & manufacturers
annual conferences and a job board

Canadian Association for Theatre Research
The Canadian Association for Theatre Research is a non-profit organization founded in 1976 to support and encourage research in theatre and performance studies in Canada, with a special interest in Canadian work. Our membership includes scholars, students, and theatre professionals from around the world who are leading developments in our field.

Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance
"non-profit charitable organization whose membership includes theatre companies, theatre makers and artists, and other organizations and individuals that support theatre"
industry news

BC Alliance for Arts & Culture
"nonprofit provincial organization that works to advocate, inform, connect and serve BC's Creative Community. Our members include organizations, professional associations, not-for-profit groups, artists, and cultural workers throughout British Columbia."...advocates to various levels of government on arts policy and funding, provide opportunities for networking and collaboration through workshops, speaker series, community outreach;  provide a range of valuable services and supports for our members such as group health insurance; job postings, calls for artists and volunteer opportunitie; resources

Professional Association for Canadian Theatres (PACT)
Represent theatre companies; includes contracts and other resource documents..."All in" resource directory "meant to act as a starting point to those of us trying to better understand issues of equity, diversity and inclusion."

Labour unions, collective agreements and worker protection

IATSE Local 118
"labour union supplying technicians, stagehands, artisans and craftspeople to the Greater Vancouver entertainment industry"
negotiates and enforces collective agreements between members and organizations providing employment to them and industry links

IATSE Local 168 
"represents the many fine Craftspeople, Technicians, and Front of House personnel" on Vancouver Island
negotiates and enforces collective agreements between members and organizations providing employment to them

IATSE Canada includes a directory of locals located elsewhere in Canada

IATSE International
"The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE) was founded in 1893 when representatives of stagehands working in eleven cities met in New York and pledged to support each others’ efforts to establish fair wages and working conditions for their members."

Beyond Canada

Stage Managers Association
Although this is an American organization, they have an international cohort program for stage managers based outside the U.S.  You may also find some useful professional development materials on this site, such as links to interviews with working stage managers about their professional concerns

United States Institute for Technical Theatre (USITT) is an association for theatrical technicians, designers, and managers. The group holds a yearly conference in the United States to introduce new and demonstrate technologies, as well as providing a forum for theatre professionals of all levels to expand their network.  Online courses available