1  

Theatre Arts Department Planning Portfolio Assessment/Program Review

MARCH 2011

Valinda Tivenan, Department Chair

Adjunct Faculty Sheryl Donchey

Beth Hansen AmyLouise Sebelius

Sean Small

The SAC Theatre Arts department was born in 1915, the same year the college first opened under the direction of Enest Crozier Phillips, making the SAC Theatre Department one of the longest existing programs of the college.

I. Goals and Objectives

The following questions are addressed under each goal list below:

1. What are the department’s annual Goals? How do they align with the college mission statement and the Santa Ana College Strategic Plan?

2. What progress has been made toward the department’s goals in the past four years? What causes can be identified?

THEATRE ARTS DEPARTMENT GOALS 2010-2011

Goal 1- Fill the Full-time Theatre Arts Faculty Vacancy  

Goal 2- Maintain a strong comprehensive Theatre Arts curriculum under the direction of the new full-time performance instructor

Goal 3- Increase enrollments in Performance based courses.

Activities important to the success of this goal are:

• Recover the lost theatre course offerings/productions that are core to our student success and degree completion. These course offering reductions are a result of the state budget crisis. The SAC theatre department cannot be competitive with other community college programs without main stage productions.

• Develop connections with High School drama programs

Goal 4- Increase Enrollments in Theatre Technology courses   

 

2  

Goals 1 – 4 are essential to the college mission as this department prepares students for transfer, employment, careers and lifelong intellectual pursuit in a dynamic learning environment

The replacement of the full time acting/directing professor vacancy is a strong link to the ongoing and future successes in the above 4 goals. Vital to the health and success of any program is the leadership, inspiration, and dedication provided by the full time faculty in each service area. Theatre is a performance based program that has had its only acting/directing full time position vacant for 3 years, since the retirement of Sheryl Donchey after 32 years of full time service. The SAC Theatre department has suffered due to this vacancy.

Acting/performance is the foundation of any theatre department. Vibrant collegiate acting programs with strong enrollments lead to vibrant support programs. Progress toward meeting goals 1-4:

1. The theatre department gained approval to hire a fulltime replacement acting/ directing assistant professor in December 2010. The position has been advertised and applications are now being accepted through March 5th. A hiring committee has been created and the dates for screening and interviews are on the schedule for March and April of 2011.

2. Under the direction of Theatre Arts Department Chair Valinda Tivenan, new

courses have been created providing acting students with a variety of performance experiences which are an alternative to the traditional main stage departmental productions. These new courses have been instrumental in the department’s success in the wake of severe budget reductions resulting in the elimination of most of our main stage productions. It is our expectation that these courses will provide invaluable on-stage acting experience that will give our students a definite advantage when they do audition for main stage presentations.

o One of these new courses, THEA 152 Tour Ensemble, takes a SAC developed performance out to feeder high schools, doubling as a marketing tool for our department.

o Other new Performance courses are:

THEA 151 Showcase THEA 153 Introduction to Directing THEA 154 Performance Ensemble

3  

o 2 New Associate Degrees have been developed in both the acting and technical theatre areas that are now 18 unit transfer degrees allowing the department to focus on teaching the basic skills in each area, foster graduation rates, and encourage transfer to universities.

Goal 5- Upgrade and Maintain Phillips Hall

Goal 6- Maintain and Upgrade current technologies in our classroom and productions   

Goals 5 and 6 address the college mission in several ways. The Strategic Plan (Theme II: Use of Technology) calls for classroom mediation, maintenance of technology, and technology support. Theatre is a facility dependent program that relies on the availability and function of its spaces, and the incorporation of the support technologies that are used in the entertainment industry.

• Many of our most current technologies are now over 10 years old and need replacement. Repairs are becoming less and less a viable option as many of the replacement parts are obsolete.

• With the reduction in instructional equipment money we have been unable to replace worn and aged stock scenery, lighting and sound equipment that are essential instructional support for our stage productions.

• Our stage floor is approximately 15 years old and needs replacement. • Our only classroom (P105) is not mediated.

Progress towards maintenance and technology upgrades has been minimal with the exception of the following:

• In 2007 the counterweight fly system received a very overdue scheduled maintenance.

• 1 smoke door was replaced at the same time that the fire alarm system was renovated.

• M &O gave P100 a minor upgrade to the temporary power

Goal 9- Recover the lost faculty, staff, student assistants and course offerings due to state budget crisis

Goal 9 is essential to the college mission as this department prepares students for transfer, employment, careers and lifelong intellectual pursuit in a dynamic learning environment. Integral theatrical components that catapult the acting student into their specific characters are costumes, scenery, props, sound effects, music, etc. In the wake of the budget crisis the theatre department lost numerous support staff positions forcing us to produce with bare minimum technical support. This lack of support seriously deteriorates the quality of the overall instructional experience for our students and leaves the faculty scrambling to find ways to make this situation look as if it is not a problem. As a result our students, faculty, and production quality all suffer from

4  

these reductions. If these reductions remain in force the SAC Theatre Department will eventually lose its competiveness with other local community college theatre programs.

The lost positions are as follows:

• Two Costume technicians- Ongoing up to 19 hours o These costume positions were jointly used by both the Dance and

Theatre departments. • One Costume technician- Short term up to 19 hours • One Stage Technician- Ongoing up to 19 hours • Two Stage Technicians- Short term up to 19 hours

o The stage technician positions were jointly used by Dance, Music, Theatre, and the entire college whenever there is an event in Phillips Hall.

• 2 Student Assistants- Costume and Stage

Progress –There has been no progress towards this goal due to the budget restrictions.

Goal 10- Performing Arts Complex   

The Dance, Music and Theatre Arts department have reported for many years the need for additional classroom, rehearsal and performance spaces. The faculty from these 3 departments worked together to develop a proposal for a comprehensive Performing Arts Complex that we hope will be included in the college wide master plan and eventually built.

• A Performing Arts complex would eliminate the current situation of having these 3 production programs spread across the campus, allowing more effective collaboration and flexible use of class rooms.

• A Performing Arts complex is as valuable as (for example) a science building as it serves our Performing Arts students in the mission of the college.

• A direct result of the performing arts programs is that they culminate into a richly diverse array of performance and concerts, i.e. live theatre, Mariachi, Vocal Jazz, Big Band, Modern Dance, Ballet, Folklorico, Hip Hop, and so much more. Not only are these performances critical to our respective curriculums and the training of our students but they also provide a tremendous value and service to our community. The performing arts departments assists in vision theme #IV- fostering an awareness of the college as a community.

• In addition the Performing Arts provide our community with opportunities to enjoy and experience the arts at very reasonable ticket prices thus allowing people to attend performances who could not afford to do so otherwise.

5  

Current Theatre Arts Facilities

• Currently, the theatre department has only one classroom which is a flexible performance space.

• We do not have a designated lecture hall which is greatly needed for our GE Introduction to Theatre courses.

• Our acting students do not have adequate study space for rehearsing scene work and currently must break up into small groups and rehearse in any space where they can find some privacy, i.e. dressing rooms, kitchen/laundry room, scene shop, hallways.

• Due to the sharing/joint use of P100 with Dance, Music and the college at large, the Theatre department is very limited as to when they can mount productions, often producing in the first 8 weeks of the semester or during semester breaks rather than the 2nd 8 weeks of the semester which would be the best time to foster student preparation and success.

Progress – Currently, a Performing Arts Complex has been included on the latest revision to the Master Plan. No designations of specific occupants or spaces, dates, etc. have been determined as of this date.

(The following report is on file and was submitted by Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts)

Fine and Performing Arts Classroom and Performance Space Complex Proposal 

Current Facilities: Proposed Facilities 

I. Performance Spaces

Phillips Hall Theater

• Seating capacity: 400 • Shared by Theater, Dance, Music, Numerous other

college and community functions

The Black Box

• Seating capacity: 75 • Used for smaller Theater productions and classes

Note: the Music Department currently uses the C104 classroom to give some performances.

II. Other Theater Facilities

Scene Shop, Costume Shop, Dressing Room The current facilities are inadequate due to size and configuration

I. Performance Spaces

“Big” Theater (replace Phillips Hall)

• Seating capacity: 500 • Larger stage dimensions: (60ft. W X 50 ft. deep) • Shared usage by Fine and Performing Arts, the college

and the community.

Black Box modular performance space

• Seating capacity: 150 • Larger dimensions: • Shared usage for Theater, Music, Dance “Little” Theater/ Music Space Seating Capacity: 250

• Stage designed for musical performance but also suitable for some Theater and Dance productions as well as college/community functions.

• Adjacent recording studio II. Other Theater Facilities

Scene Shop, Costume Shop, Dressing Room To be configured with adequate characteristics in terms of size and facilities

6  

III. Other Dance Facilities

1 Dance Studio

Marley floor, undersized for large group instruction, not appropriate for Pilates lab

Locker Rooms For production needs of Dance and Theater

Theater Arts Classroom (2) One for or acting/performance classes and the other dedicated to intelligent design lighting and technical classes

Rehearsal Spaces (4) For breakaway groups

III. Other Dance Facilities

Dance Studio (space #1) Wood floor, 80 X 60 ft

Second Dance studio (space #2) Marley floor, 50 X 40 ft.

Pilates Studio (space # 3)

Current Facilities: Proposed Facilities

IV. Other Music Facilities

Band and Choral Rooms Used as rehearsal spaces and LGI classrooms Both are undersized

Piano Lab Dedicated classroom to piano classes and other music theory classes (current size is adequate)

Small Classroom Used for smaller music classes and electronic music Currently has 7 computer workstation

Practice rooms (6) Small closet-sized rooms for student practice

Music Lab Facility with 6 computer workstations that supports curricular work in music classes. Current lab is undersized.

Currently, dance and theater do not have a designated classroom for lecture courses

IV. Other Music Facilities

Band and Choral Rooms Used as rehearsal spaces and LGI classrooms Replace with larger rooms of adequate size

Piano Lab Dedicated classroom to piano classes and other music theory classes

Medium size classroom Used for smaller music classes and electronic music Should have 15 computer workstations

Practice rooms (15) At least two should be large enough for a small chamber group to rehearse

Music Lab Facility with 15 computer workstations that supports curricular work in music classes.

V. Other Misc. components of Fine Arts Facility:

Office space (10 FT and approx. 45 PT faculty)

Box Office

Classrooms (2) for large mediated classes in General Education

 

 

7  

II. Student and Program Success The following questions are addressed under each goal list below: What are the strengths of the department?

• The theatre department offers a unique curriculum. One that: o Is richly diverse in integrating studies in history, literature, speech, art,

design, music, and movement. o Develops skills in critical thinking, creative thinking, reading, research

development, public speaking, working with group dynamics, and personal responsibility towards accountability and professionalism.

o Develops cognitive skills through the application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of all of the above mentioned items as they relate the characters they portray within scene work or productions.

• Our enrollment figures are healthy with average enrollment (at week 4) for Spring 2011 of 32.16 students per class.

The SAC theatre faculty are actively working professionals within their industry having ties to SAG, Equity, and etc.

• Atypical from most college theatre departments, the SAC theatre faculty and support staff are a collective team who choose to work collaboratively recognizing that they are stronger and more effective when leaving aside all personal agendas. Visiting faculty and designers regularly recognize and comment on our collegiality.

• The theatre faculty are skilled problem solvers. Since our curriculum is production based it is essential that we think both critically and creatively to be successful in what we do. We must think outside the box to:

o Maintain an effective and competitive theatre program o To produce a combination of main stage and non main stage productions

using minuscule to modest budgets with few support staff, diverse skill level student actors and intense production schedules.

o Meet the needs of our changing students.

Our faculty are caring and our goal is always to meet the needs of each individual student.

Our faculty and staff are always working diligently to attain program excellence with less and less support.

• Our department emphasis is to remain competitive with other colleges and universities in our curriculum, training, and stage productions.

8  

• We are continually working to maintain and improve (where needed) our course completion rates. Listed below are completion rates for the last 2 semesters.

S 2010 Completion rates F2010 Completion rates THEA 100- 76% THEA 100- 68% THEA 110- 66% THEA100- 78% THEA 111- 89% THEA 111- 86% THEA 118- 100% THEA 118- 100% THEA 166A- 100% THEA 135- 80% THEA 166B- 100% THEA152- 93% THEA 167- 87.5% THEA155- 100%

(THEA 100 is our GE class and THEA 110 is the beginning acting class. These are the two courses we need to improve.)

The theatre department is in alignment with the vision themes of the college: VISION THEME I:Student Achievement:

o Our integrated studies curriculum is a viable tool in increasing the academic literacy and learning across all disciplines of the college.

• We strive for instructional excellence

• The experience of being a student actor cast in a main stage production is often a life altering experience making it a very powerful educational experience that is unique to this department. This is due to the demand, rigor, vulnerability, exposure, artistry, responsibility to the production team, the responsibility to the public audience, etc. that is involved in being part of a main stage production.

• Our students do not want to fail in front of an audience. For an actor, the very nature of being on stage creates feelings of “vulnerability and nakedness” as they perform for an audience. This is a valuable motivational tool for success, one that is unique to the performing arts.

• Unique to the SAC Theatre department is our “Children’s Theatre Ensemble” production course. This course culminates into a distinguished main stage production providing excellence in the staging and presentation of Children’s literature to our local elementary schools. In the 15 year history of this program it has become a much sought after educational program by elementary school teachers in which our students consistently perform to sold out audiences during the week days. Our students gain practical acting experience while performing to full houses for extended runs. This is a win-win program for the SAC theatre students and our community elementary schools.

9  

Listed below are a few sample remarks made by participating elementary school teachers:

o We found our theatre experience to have a far greater educational impact on our students than did our Discovery Science trip. The play allowed us to develop rich vocabulary and other vital concepts that we believe helped us to improve our CST scores in English Language Arts. The boys and girls told us before school ended in June that seeing Jack in the Beanstalk and talking with the performers after was one of their favorite activities of the entire year.

o We used it as a complete language experience for our children…we

read the story the production was based on, we studied theater vocabulary, we talked about theater etiquette, we mapped out how to get to the play, each student took care of his/her own costs and then we went to the play. We have been for many years and have thoroughly enjoyed the quality of each experience. When we returned from the play the students had the opportunity to do related reading, writing and art projects.

o We use your production as an extension of our reading comprehension program.

o The annual SAC theatre production is often the subject of our students’ favorite day in their first grade essay that they write on the last day of school.

o We have brought our students every year for many years and it is always one of our best field trips. Besides the wonderful plays, the students enjoyed the characters discussing the play after the performance and greeting them outside as well. For many students, this is their first opportunity to see live theatre.

A partial listing of some of our Performance/Acting students and their successes:

We have ongoing successful student transfers to local theatre programs such as: CSUF, CSULB, CSUSF, UCI, UCLA, OCCIDENTAL, OTIS COLLEGE OF THE ARTS, CAL ARTS, and CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Occasionally our students transfer to other prestigious universities: Karla Loaiza- UC Santa Barbara (BA Acting) Joel Mijares- USC (BA Acting) Michael Lackna- UC Berkeley- Currently a self employed lighting designer Valerie Bart- UCLA Bachelors; Yale Masters (in costume design)

10  

Katherine Bowers-SAC – Certificate in Acting, and degree in Communications/Television Worked as a professional actress on both stage and television Currently the host of “Across a Blue Sea with Katherine Bowers,” an international travel video program Produces videos for cable, and runs city television stations

Diana Burbano-SAC – Certificate in Acting Received Equity Card immediately following graduation at SAC Is a working professional actor Teaches acting at South Coast Repertory Theatre Playwright for young audiences

Barbara Covington-SAC Theatre Student B.A. in Theatre Arts from CSUF M.A. in Theatre Arts [Directing emphasis] from CSUF Works as a professional director, and T.V. writer Works as a Theatre Arts Professor [including at Santa Ana College] Additional degrees in Computer Technology

Brandon Crane-Since leaving the SAC Theatre Dept: Has shot 10 national commercials Has worked professionally on many stage productions Has worked as a master electrician, head carpenter, and departments head for 3 major Los Angeles Theatres Has worked as a lighting designer at the Pasadena Playhouse, the Alex Theater, and Pasadena City College Recently incorporated Valley Live, a new musical theatre company in Fresno.

Steven Diebold SAC – Certificate in Acting Received a B.S. in Communications. Continued on to UCLA Extension for film studies Producer, director, wrote commercials, and animated works Went on to Pepperdine and received a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, incorporating his theatre training Became a business coach after returning to UCLA for another Master’s Degree [Marketing] Currently designs technology products and starting an angel investment firm to help entrepreneurs bring products to the market. Is producing a video series as a host to discuss business models

Jennifer Eaton-SAC Theatre Student Chose not to go to training beyond SAC Works professionally as an actor, singer, and dancer around the world

Glynna Goff-Eloe-SAC – Certificate in Acting B.A. in Communications, Dance and Theatre Emphasis from Chapman University Worked professionally as a dancer and actress in Los Angeles Currently lives in Anacortes, WA, where she runs a non-profit dance studio Works as a free lance choreographer for Musical Theatre, and as an acting coach in Skagit Valley Still busy in community theatre as an actress

Sara Guerrero-SAC Theatre Student The founding Artistic Director of Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble in Santa Ana Producer, director, writer

11  

Currently has been invited by South Coast Repertory Theatre to present a new works production of Angel of the Desert, by Janine Salinas, as part of SCR’s Studio Series.

Melisa Halfman-SAC Theatre student who transferred to CSUF B.A. Degree in Theatre Arts Works professionally as an actress, dancer, and singer Adjunct faculty member at the Orange County High School of the Arts.

Gemma Hebson-SAC Theatre student who transferred to CSUF B.A. Degree in Theatre Arts Works professionally as an actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer Teaches and choreographs for the Orange County High School of the Arts

Grace Heer-SAC Theatre Student Transferred to Occidental College, graduating with a B.A. in Theatre Arts Created her own business, ”Powerful People Play”, which leads play parties for adults, teaching how play builds productivity.

Jane Hillary-SAC – Certificate in Acting Professional actress and professional director Teaches youth acting for the Laguna Playhouse.

Oahn Nguyen‐ SAC Theatre Student Co-founded the Chance Theater in 1999 (an Off-Broadway theatre in Anaheim Hills), where he is currently Artistic Director. He also serves as Producing Associate at South Coast Repertory. He is an award winning actor & director. 

Maximilian Mastrangelo-SAC – Certificate in Acting A working actor for 17 years, in film, television, and on stage Currently a Program Supervisor/Director/Producer with Kaiser Educational Theatre Co-hosts a Film Review talk show every Sunday entitled, “Film Fustians”.

WendyTobiska-SAC Theatre Student Professional singer and actress Currently teaches in the Music and Theatre and Integrated Arts Conservatories at OCHSA, as well as serves as the Production Assistant for the M&T Dept. Also teaches for the Pacific Symphony’s Arts-X-Press program.

Sam Zeller-SAC – Certificate in Acting B.A. in Theatre and Journalism at UC Irvine Performed on cruise ships, and abroad at several venues A working professional actor Teaches Master Classes in Musical Theatre at UCI.

Continued…The theatre department is in alignment with the vision themes of the college

VISION THEME II: Use of Technology Provide a technology rich environment

• Unique to the SAC Theatre Department is the Entertainment Lighting curriculum/certificate that is offered. This technical education program was started approximately 10 years ago, making SAC an educational leader in teaching current lighting technology as it applies to the entertainment industry.

12  

o As a result, we serve technical prep students whose goals are to work in the much sought after technical departments of popular theme parks (i.e. Disneyland), event corporations, concert touring productions, theatre touring productions, etc.

o In addition to our typical unskilled student we also train working professionals and college/university professors who need to gain current technical training.

o Our curriculum has been used as a model for other colleges and universities.

o (See the list below of student successes under Work Force Development.)

o Provide innovative classroom technologies We are using Blackboard for hybrid and online instruction and plan to

add sound and video to our online courses. We believe that the flexibility of online instruction for our student has

generated a significant increase in enrollments (300%).

VISION THEME III-Innovation

• The very nature of what we do relies on innovation. • We seek to continually find better and more diverse teaching techniques and styles.

VISION THEME IV-Community

• Foster an awareness of the college as part of the community o While the Theatre main stage productions are critical to our curriculum and

student success they also provide opportunities to our community to attend low cost quality performances. Just as we provide a service to the community, the community serves our SAC theatre students.

• Attain higher achievement attitude among our prospective student population o Our faculty continues to promote and expect high standards from its

students. (Noted in the departmental survey results.)

VISION THEME V-Work Force Development

We integrate basic skills and workplace competencies Expand and identify partners and collaborate with industry and communities to

identify workforce needs We offer diverse career options that are not widely known

13  

The following is a partial listing of Technical Theatre Student successes:

Employed at Disneyland- Technical Services Department (A highly competitive and sought after place of employment) Matt Sarvis Jonathan Ramos Joel Harari Patrick Hand| Kristina Esparza* Completed Certificate Daren Fortney (Entertainment Art ) Richard Dalo

University Professionals that we have trained Debra Lockwood, CSUF Andrew Milhan, CSULB Lonnie Alcarez, UCI Matthew Schleicher, Master Electrician CSUF

College Professionals that we have trained Dan Volonte, Citrus – Developed Program Similar to ours after taking courses Rick Golson, Orange Coast Jim Rynning, Irvine Valley Nancy Christian, Chaffey College

Newport Mesa Unfied School District that we have trained Ronald K. Martin, ROP/ Corona Del Mar Drama

Santa Ana Unified School District that we have trained John Westmeyer, Godinez High School Omar Eaton, Valley High School

Industry Professionals that we have trained Micheal Schrupp, X-nth Lighting Design Chris Kittrel, Independent Lighting Desginer Karen Del Leon, CULB Carpenter Performing Arts Center Brian Staubauch Edgar Garcia, LTBK Productions Ariel Muono, Brite IDEAs Amber Ruiz, TeamIz Entertainment Ryan Kinanski (Father is world famous Lighting Designer for Yanni, Gwen Stefani, No Doubt) Matthew Peters, Strand Lighting USA Technical Support Jon Hyrkas, Huntington Beach Playhouse, The Gem Theatre

14  

What improvements does the Theatre Arts department need? • Ability to rehearse and perform at optimal instructional times of the semester that

are not currently possible due to lack of space or the sharing of space. • Work towards obtaining an overall growth within the department to allow us to be

more effective in completing the following: o Reduce the overall number of combined course offerings giving each level

of instruction the individual attention that they deserve. o Offer courses with greater frequency allowing students to more efficiently

complete their course of study. • The monitoring of new theatre performance classes over the next few semesters to

evaluate their effectiveness in the effort to improve student acting skills. • Effectively counsel the theatre students and publicize the 2 new transfer 18 unit

degrees to assist in improving our completion and graduation rates. • Initiate and pursue funding for the SAC Theatre Department to participate in ACTF

(American College Theatre Festival) which will provide another layer and level of instructional experiences for both the actor and technical student, also providing another layer of added exposure to the SAC Theatre Department.

• Fill a vacancy and hire a full-time acting/directing professor who will be a leader in the future development of the department.

• Regain lost technical support for production work • Regain reduced supply budgets for production work • Review Entertainment Technology curriculum, update the advisory committee. • Assist in reducing the strain of funding our production programs by partnering with

the SAC Foundation to seek and obtain community support.

What are Faculty’s perceptions of the success of the program?

AmyLouise Sebelius (Adjunct)  

• The SAC theatre Department has solid leadership, it has a healthy desire to grow and prosper and I believe it has the means to do so. The program has survived quite well considering the massive financial cuts it has endured.

• The program needs to become a destination program through building our class offerings and continuing our dedication to providing excellent training, year round.

Sheryl Donchey (Adjunct)

• As I reflect upon my tenure at Santa Ana College, the first word that comes to mind is pride. Pride in both our outstanding faculty and in our students alike. The SAC Theater Arts students are eager and ambitious artists who are given individual attention, drawing the best that is possible from each student. Our faculty members are all working professionals, caring and exemplary individuals who know their craft, and are exceptional

15  

teachers. As for our students, they come from every walk of life and ability level, but are here for the quality education for which our Department has always been known.

• That does not mean that there is no new work to be done. The hiring of a new full time acting/directing professor is essential to the future success of this department and this new person, when hired, will need to carefully oversee the performance transfer degree to ensure that our students needs are being met while keeping the curriculum competitive.

Sean Small (Adjunct)

• If I were to measure the success of our program by the quantity of returning students, the positive attitude of our current students, and their commitment to the study of their chosen craft, I would say beyond a shadow of a doubt that our program is a success. Despite the economic hand we have been dealt over the last few years, our program continues to strive and maintain itself. If our program was not successful, by attrition it would have died out years ago. I believe that our program is able to achieve this success due to our dedicated faculty and staff who are committed to the students and their success! Our faculty and staff continue to work collaboratively to think outside the box in the effort to maintain a healthy program that is relevant to our students. I believe we have done an excellent job!

• To improve our program, we need a fulltime Performance instructor. This will allow the Theatre Department to further develop the performance program to meet the current demands of our students. Building a successful performance program will in turn help to support the existing technical program. Both of these programs are symbiotic, without one, the other will not flourish. Secondly, the Theatre program needs an infusion of funds for capital purchases. These purchases are needed to maintain technology to industry standards.

Beth Hansen (Adjunct)

• I have been involved with Santa Ana College’s theatre program for over 15 years with my primary role being with the Children's Theatre program. As a 30 year theatre veteran I can honestly say that there is no other existing program like this at any other theatre in Southern California.

• The value of this program is immeasurable. The students that are enrolled in these productions show tremendous growth as actors/performers, as professionals, and as human beings. Meanwhile, the children that attend these performances are forever changed by the experience..

• It is clear that the SAC theatre program needs greater financial support to rehire the support staff that was lost due to budget reductions as well as a full time acting/directing teacher.

• Acting students learn invaluable life skills and values through the process of being part of a theatrical production.

16  

What are opinions of students regarding the program’s quality? Upon what variable is this based?

In February 2011, a survey was given to all current performance students to help us determine how to best meet the needs of our students as we move forward in the coming semesters with class scheduling and program modifications. Questions 25 and 26 relate to student opinions regarding the quality of this program. The specific questions and results can be found in section IV of this report.

• However, of the 50 students surveyed 46/50 stated that the theatre department provides excellent training and instructors, while 3/50 stated that they had not taken enough courses to know. In addition, 39/50 students stated that the theatre department has high standards and expectations for its students, while 8/50 stated that they had not taken enough courses to know.

III. Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Innovation Describe the Curriculum offerings, their relationship to the discipline, and substantive curriculum changes. How has the program kept up with changing needs of the students and community?

• One of the most significant methods that the Theatre Department uses to address the evolving needs of our students and community is by revising and developing appropriate curriculum. After successfully testing some new performance courses as 198 courses in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010, major curriculum changes were made fall 2010 to better meet the needs of our performance majors. The end result was the creation of 4 new performance courses that will ultimately provide more opportunities for actors to be cast in roles and gain the essential performance experience they need. In addition, these new courses allow the department to be cost effective in reducing production costs (a requirement with the cutbacks we have faced in the last several years).

• Another influencing factor in the curriculum revisions was the participation of Theatre Department Chair/Professor Valinda Tivenan in the C-ID list serve meeting (October 8th, 2010) in which the attending faculty wrote the Draft Descriptors for the recommended 3 core transfer theatre courses. As a result of participating in this process, Valinda Tivenan subsequently revised both Theatre A.A. degree programs (Fall 2010) to reflect 18 unit transfer programs as encouraged in Senate Bill 1440.   

 The two programs are: 1: Theatre Performance 2: Technical Theatre These two revised programs will be effective Fall 2011 and are as follows:

17  

PERFORMANCE EMPHASIS Theatre Arts Associate Degree Major requirements for the associate of arts degree Core Courses: Units Theatre Arts 100 Introduction to the Theatre 3 Theatre Arts 110 Fundamentals of Acting 3 Theater Arts 131 Stagecraft 3 Total: 9

(Plus 9 units from the following courses:) Units Theater Arts 105 A Cultural History of World Theatre 3 Theater Arts 111 Intermediate Acting 3 Theater Arts 113 Acting for Television and Film 3 Theater Arts 118 Fundamentals of Scene Study 2 Theater Arts 132 Stage Makeup 2 Theater Arts 150 Theatre production 2 Theater Arts 151 Showcase 2 Theater Arts 152 Tour Ensemble 3 Theater Arts 153 Introduction to Directing 2 Theater Arts 154 Performing Ensemble 2 Theater Arts 155 Children’s Theatre Ensemble 2 Theater Arts 156 Reader’s Theatre Workshop 2 Theater Arts 250 Advanced Theatre Production 2 Total: 18

TECHNICAL THEATRE EMPHASIS Theatre Arts Associate Degree Major requirements for the associate of arts degree Core Courses: Units Theatre Arts 100 Introduction to the Theatre 3 Theatre Arts 110 Fundamentals of Acting 3 Theater Arts 131 Stagecraft 3 Total: 9

(Plus 9 units from the following courses) Units Theater Arts 132 Stage Makeup 2 Theater Arts 133 Stage Lighting 3 Theater Arts 135 Technical Production 1 Theater Arts 150 Theater Production 2 Theater Arts 165 Introduction to Intelligent Lighting 1.5 Theater Arts 166A Programming and Design Projects 1 Theater Arts 166B Advanced Programming and Design Projects 1 Theater Arts 167 Set Up for Intelligent Light 1 Theater Arts 168A Computer Applications for Lighting 1 Theater Arts 168B Advanced Computer Applications for Lighting 1 Theater Arts 170 Entertainment Technology internship 1 Total: 18

18  

Describe the use of technology and how these tools enhance learning. (note to me: include Bb, hybrid and online courses)

• The Theatre Department is constantly evolving in the use of technology to aid in the delivery of curriculum. We offer Introduction to Theatre and entertainment lighting courses in either hybrid and fully online courses, taught primarily by Valinda Tivenan and occasionally by adjunct faculty. The pedagogical methodologies used have been adapted after attending several @One courses. This online course format and delivery requires ongoing efforts from its faculty to seek new, more interesting, (i.e. video) and effective lessons via Blackboard.

• The Theatre Department is constantly evolving to incorporate and utilize the current theatre technologies used in its’ industry. This is primarily found in the Technical theatre curriculum.

• Under the leadership of Valinda Tivenan the Performing Arts departments have been able to obtain the supporting equipment and services to sell tickets online while at the same time developing an email patron list for marketing purposes.

What changes have been made in Pedagogy? • In addition to the incorporation of Blackboard and media rich internet sites (i.e.

YouTube) in many classes we are also working together in department meetings to discuss SLO assessment and to share and develop effective grading rubrics.

• Faculty continues to seek and pursue training in new technologies within the industry as well as technologies that foster more effective instruction.

IV. Assessment of Conclusions and Recommendations

What research the department conducted?

• A survey was given and collected in February 2011 to 50 performance students. The purpose of the survey was twofold:

o Ascertain useful student information so that we may better serve our students in the ongoing process of curriculum revision, program revisions and the scheduling of classes.

o Use the survey as another method of evaluating SLOs

The 27 question survey, the results, the findings are included below.

19  

SURVEY OF THEATRE ARTS PERFORMANCE STUDENTS ‐SPRING 2011 (Items in red are student responses) 

A. STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS 1. What is your English Ability level? 

a. 34 English is my native language and I read, speak, and write in English with no difficulty. b. 1   English is my native language and I read, speak, and write in English with some difficulty. c. 13 English is not my native language but I read, speak, and write in English with no difficulty d. 1   English is not my native language but I read, speak, and write in English with some difficulty e. 1  English is not my native language and it is difficult to read, speak, and write in English 

 2. What is your educational goal at SAC? 

a. 12  Obtain an Associate (AA) degree in Theatre b. 3    Obtain an Associate  (AA) degree in another area c. 17  Transfer to a 4 year university and major in Theatre Arts d. 10 Transfer to a 4 year university and major in a different subject area. e. 1   Obtain a vocational certificate in Theatre f. Other.  (Please fill in the blank.)_________________________________________________ 

Responses: Personal Enrichment Obtain AA. Transfer, minor in theatre AA then audition for AMDA Transfer to a 4 year w/ minor in theatre Major: other  

3. How old are you? a. 0  Under 18 b. 38  18‐ 24 c. 6  25‐30 d. 3  31‐40 e. 3  41 and over 

 4. What is your gender? 

a. 26  Male b. 24  Female 

 5. How many hours a week do you work? 

a. 24 I do not work at the present. b.  8  I work part‐time and less that 20 hours per week c. 9  I work part‐time, 20‐30 hours per week d. 9  I work full time. 

6. If you work, is your work schedule flexible enough that you plan your school schedule before planning your work schedule?  (Skip this question if you do not work.) 

a. 18  Yes b. 4   Sometimes c. 6   Definitely not.  

20  

7. What form of transportation do you use to get to school? a. 9   I walk and/or ride a bike. b.  7 I use public transportation. c. 28 I drive myself to school. d. 4 I rely on a family member or friend to drive me to school. 

 8. Are you typically able to take courses during the weekday mornings? 

a. 33  Yes, any morning is good for me. b. 11 Yes,  but only certain days of the week c. 5 No 

 9. Are you typically able to take courses in the afternoon? 

a. 26  Yes, any afternoon is good for me. b. 17  Yes,  but only certain days of the week c. 6  No  

 10. Are you typically able to take courses in the evenings? 

a. 26  Yes, any evening is good for me. b. 21  Yes,  but only certain days of the week c. 3   No  

 11. How did you first hear about the SAC Theatre Department? 

a. 29  From the SAC class schedule b. 7   At your high school  c. 6  From a friend or family member d. 4  From another SAC student e. 3  Other (Please fill in the blank.)_______________________________________________ 

Responses: Theatre Research; SAC theatre alumni; Talked to a consuler 

12. Please tell us why you are taking theatre acting classes? a. 23  Because I am investigating acting as a career and how I might fit into an acting career b. 1   Because I want to make acting/theatre a career c. 1   Because I want to improve my public speaking skills d. Other.  (Please fill in the blank.)_________________________________________________ 

Responses: I love these classes, they reduce stress I wanted to be back on stage Performing Arts major I am a film maker Require for an AA Fun Major requirement/English  I think it will help get into the film industry  

21  

13. Do you want to be cast in a SAC Theatre Arts main stage production? a. 34  Yes, yes, yes! b. 12  If it works into my schedule it would be fun. c. 3    No, I am not interested in being cast. 

 14.  Have you auditioned for any of our main stage productions? 

a. 23  Yes b. 26  No 

 15. If No, please explain.  _____________________________________________________  

(Skip to question 19) Responses: 

  N/A 1ST YEAR 

  They have not fit into my schedule   Need to make money, already constrained with time   Have not had opportunity yet   I am tech not actor   It is my first year, and don’t feel ready to audition   My first semester in theatre   Only on my 2nd semester but I will audition at next production   Did not have time   I don’t have time   First semester for SAC   Busy   Because I forget too, and the time didn’t fit schedule 

Did not have time before My first year at SAC    

16. If YES, were you cast in a role? a. 20  Yes b. 4   No 

17. As a result of being in a production, did you feel that your acting skills improved? a. 23   Yes (1 responded with an additional: yes, yes!) b. 1   A little c. 1  No 

 18. Part of the student learning objectives in all acting classes is for the actor to be able to creatively and critically 

develop the characters they portray.  After being in either a project show or a main stage production, how would you rate the acting choices that you made in developing your character? (Skip to question 19 if you have not been in a project show or a main stage production.)

a. 15   I am confident that I was successful in developing my character. b. 11  I am trying to put this concept into practice but it is a work in progress and I need more practice. c. 0  I am having difficulty with this concept but I am trying.  

22  

 19. Please select the acting courses have you completed or are currently enrolled in? 

a. 45  THEA 110 Acting Fundamentals b. 17  THEA 111 Intermediate Acting c. 2    THEA 113 Acting for Television and Film d. 13  THEA 118 Scene Study e. 7    THEA  150 Theatre Production f. 9    THEA 151 Showcase (Previously called: THEA 198 Showcase) g. 3    THEA 152 Tour Ensemble (Previously called: THEA 198 Tour Ensemble) h. 3    THEA 153 Introduction to Directing (Previously called: THEA 198 Introduction to Directing) i. 23   THEA 154 Performance Ensemble (Previously called: THEA 198 Actor’s Laboratory) j. 1    THEA 155 Children’s Theatre Ensemble k. 1   THEA 250 Advanced Theatre Production 

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND THEN ANSWER THE CORRESPONDING QUESTIONS BELOW: 

Once a student is cast in a SAC Theatre Arts main stage production, students are required to attend a demanding rehearsal schedule.  The typical rehearsal schedule requires 4 to 5 evenings each week for 5 weeks (from 7‐10 pm.)  These rehearsals are then followed with 8 public performances that are held on two consecutive weekends (Thurs, Fri, & Sat nights and Sunday matinees).  Knowing this schedule please answer the following questions. 

20. Before reading the above description were you aware of the typical rehearsal /performance schedule required of all cast members? 

a. 46  Yes b. 3    Kind of, but I didn’t know the specifics c. 0    No 

 21. Would you be able commit to the described rehearsal/performance schedule mentioned above should you be 

cast in a SAC main stage production? a. 43  Yes b. 4    No 

c. If NO, please explain _____________________________________________________ Responses: Other class I am currently working at 2 jobs, I would need to quit 1 to adhere to this schedule Work schedule fluctuates I have too many other commitments/classes Not this semester, I have classes in the evening I work in evening  

22. Would there be a better rehearsal time other than evenings? a. 39  No, evenings work the best b. 9 Yes. (Please tell us when.)_________________________________________________ 

Responses: 

23  

Early mornings Day Morning Daytime Right after theatre class, an extension of class Well around 5‐7 would be great Weekends May be a couple rehearsals in the afternoon Morning 

  PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING AND THEN ANSWER THE CORRESPONDING QUESTIONS BELOW: 

Recently, several new theatre arts courses have been developed that provide alternative performance opportunities for our acting students.  Each course has unique and specific goals with varied time commitments. These courses are: Tour Ensemble, Performance Ensemble (Student Directed One Acts), Introduction to Directing, and Showcase.  

23.  Have you taken any of these courses? a. 29  Yes b. 20  No (Skip to #25) 

  24. Select ALL of the statements below that best describe the experience you had with these courses? 

a. 45  The course provided an acting experience that was unique from the THEA 110, 111, & 118 courses. b. 17  I enjoyed being cast in a role that culminated into project public performances allowing me to get 

some acting experience outside the classroom environment. c. 2  Even though the acting experience was scary it allowed me to get my feet wet and gain some public 

acting experience. d. 13  I really appreciate these intermediate acting experiences and realize that they are preparing me to 

audition and be cast in a main stage production. e. 0  None of the above. Please tell us about your experience. 

________________________________________________________________________  

25. The SAC Theatre department provides excellent training and instruction. a. 46  Yes, I agree. b. 3  I have not taken enough classes to form an opinion. c.  I believe the department could make improvements in this area. (Please 

explain______________________________________________________ Response: I adore the SAC theater department!      

24  

26. The Theatre Arts department has high standards and expectations of its students. a. 39  Yes, I agree. b. 8    I have not taken enough classes to form an opinion. c. 0    I believe the department could make improvements in this area. (Please 

explain______________________________________________________ Responses:  

27. If I could make one recommendation to the theatre department it would be:  

________________________________________________________________ Responses: Continue to innovate Less nitpicky, let us act Relax, and have fun Keep it going. We need it desperately. Continue to find ways to make students grow in absence of proper funding‐ I know it must be challenging More newer scene selections Offer more technical classes More classes! (Especially technical like theatre make up) Keep the courses and allow for expansion I love being here. I hope I can continue auditioning here. None. This is a great department. More variety of scenes to study and more work on body work Greater exposure to a variety of great acting scenes over history or how to access them To  maintain and employ passionate and dedicated professors like Sheryl Donchey who care about the success and development of her students. More main stage productions: to have more Have more evening classes None, teacher is excellent! Work in DMC on film projects I have not taken enough classes to form an opinion Showing actual clips or movies that has the theatre acting More classes Do more plays N/A Great as is Nothing doing great job To make more roles available to students outside TA Offer more courses 

25  

SURVEY FINDINGS:

1. Students overwhelmingly believe they read, speak, & write English with no difficulty, despite the findings of our faculty

2. Our students have 3 predominate educational goals: • Obtain an AA degree in theatre • Transfer to a 4 year university to major in theatre • Transfer to a 4 year university to major in another subject

3. Approximately 80% of our students are 18-24 years old 4. Fairly equal gender distribution 5. Approximately 50% of our students do not work 6. Of those students who do work, more than 50% plan their class schedules

prior to their work schedules. 7. 58% of our students drive themselves to work 8. 42% rely on walking, public or private transportation to get to school 9. There is a fairly even distribution of “availability” to take morning, afternoon, or

evening classes. 10. Most of our students heard about the SAC theatre department from the class

schedule. This is an indicator that we need to become visible in the high schools. Our new Tour Ensemble class is one answer to improving in this area.

11. Slightly less that 50% of our current students have auditioned for a main stage production. This statistic is skewed by the fact that we have offered very few productions in the last 3 years.

12. A result of being cast in a main stage production, the students recognized that their acting skills improved.

13. Most students who have been cast in a project show or a main stage production saw progress towards the performance SLO- making effective acting choices for their specific character.

14. Most students recognize the rehearsal and performance requirements of being cast in a main stage production.

15. Most students would be able to commit to the rehearsal and performance requirements of being cast in a main stage production.

16. Evenings are the best time for most students to rehearse for a main stage production.

17. 58% of our current students have taken at least 1 NEW alternative performance course.

18. The alternative performance course received all positive feedback. 19. The students overwhelmingly believe that the SAC theatre department

provides excellent training and instruction. 20. The students overwhelmingly believe that the SAC theatre department has

high standards and expectations of its students.

26  

21. Recommendations for theatre department improvements focused on 3 central themes. • The need to offer more classes • The need to offer more main stage productions • The desire to acquire and access a greater variety of scenes for use in

acting classes.

Summarization of direct SLO assessment. How has this informed future plans for the program?

The theatre arts curriculum is a unique program that intrinsically includes studies that address the student learning objectives established by this college.

For example:

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS-

• Reading - Students are required to read scripts of diverse genres and styles while gaining knowledge in all aspects of American and world history.

• Writing- Students are required to complete research into the specifics of a script which includes learning about the specifics of its characters, its location and time period, the society and government as it applies to the plotline, the design elements such as fashion and architecture to name a few. All of this research culminates into written assignments that provide ongoing experience in transforming their research into written format.

THINKING AND REASONING- • Creative thinking- Based on the above statements of how theatre curriculum

involves research, the students must then transform the knowledge gained from their research to creatively develop characters, scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, etc. Creative thinking is essential in being successful in mounting productions on very small budgets, with short turnaround times, and little support staff.

• Critical thinking-Students must identify, interpret, develop, and effectively utilize character objectives while taking directorial advice, criticisms and directions. They must memorize dialogue and procedures for incorporation into a final product/performance.

DIVERSITY-

• Cultural- Scenes and play selections utilized in theatre classes and our stage productions provide rich opportunities for learning about and experiencing diversity. Titles are often selected as a means to provide experiences with specific social, political, societal views points.

27  

• Social- Being part of a theatre production provides a unique process that forces students to actively interact, bond, and rely on one another. The experiences can be stressful while powerful at the same time

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY-

• One of the most significant lessons in being part of a stage production is the value of being part of a team. Students gain invaluable experience in understanding the role of an individual as well as the role of the team to the success or failure of a project. They gain an appreciation and understanding that they are there to serve the public and that they have a responsibility to the public (the audience).

LIFE SKILLS-

• A direct result of studying theatre arts is the development of diverse skills that can be used in many aspects of life. A few examples:

1. Learning to interact with diverse personalities, to deal with interpersonal conflicts, to collaborate with others are immeasurable interpersonal skills.

2. Improving ones communication skills is an invaluable life skill. 3. Recognition of the value and gaining an appreciation of the arts 4. Gaining an understanding of the value of creativity 5. Being professional through being courteous, on time, reliable, & dependable

SLO ASSESSMENT SPRING 2010- The Theatre Department conducted an assessment of its SLOs in the core competency of “Thinking and Reasoning”

FALL 2010- the Theatre Department conducted an assessment of its SLOs in the core competency of “Information Competency.

The findings for the THINKING AND REASONING SLO Spring 2010- Critical Thinking

• General Education Classes

2 Sections/Online-This SLO was assessed based on the results of a cumulative project where the students were required to develop and write a Rough Draft Script based on the previously developed Dramatic question, Message statement, protagonist story, plotline, and character analysis. They were evaluated for their critical and creative thinking in the development and problem solving of this assignment.

The average grade in Critical thinking was 8.73/10 points while the average grade in creative thinking was 4.2/5 points. As a rule this project has proved to be a great instrument to teach, implement and process the information taught in the class. The

28  

biggest problem seems to be with poor English language writing skills, and the lack of attention to developing a dialogue style that is unique to each character.

• Acting classes THEA 111- Intermediate Acting- This SLO was assessed using a rubric for a written character analysis for a character from a scene that they will be presenting. They must explicate information from the text, and mesh facts and creative ideas. Overall, the student achievement was good. However some students did not read the entire play and only read their particular scene which resulted in inadequate analysis. The students excelled at creativity in character, background development and providing good detail To improve this success of this assignment it will be essential to make sure that students understand the necessity to read the entire play, not just their scene.

• Technical classes THEA 166a – Programming and Design Projects- This SLO was assessed with the use of rubrics for practical programming assignments. The critical thinking level of success was very high with the only exception being a student that enrolled with no prior lighting experience. This student required additional time to complete the lessons but by the end of the class was working almost as efficiently and effectively as the other students. The creative thinking aspect of this course is not given as much emphasis and consequently the success level is substantially lower. This course is due for quadrennial revisions Spring 2011 and will be revised accordingly.

The findings for the INFORMATION COMPETENCY SLO Fall 2010

• General Education Classes THEA 100- Introduction to Theatre (Online)

This SLO was assessed based on the results of 3 exams The level of success was mixed. The good was that there was a fairly high grade distribution of A’s and B’s (46%). The bad was that there was fairly high failing grade distribution of D’s and F’s( 26%), leaving the balance earning C’s (28%).

There are many grading and assessment tools used in this course but the one consistent problem for all assignment seems to be based on poor time management and procrastination by the students.

A more user friendly textbook has been adopted and the exams have been revised from previous semesters. There is some improvement is this SLO due to these changes. As time permits, the revision of lectures is necessary so that they include a variety of medias (video and sound) with the hope that this will

29  

better stimulate and engage the students, fostering regular and consistent study habits.

THEA100-Introduction to Theatre (Face to Face)-

This SLO was assessed based on the results of a reaction paper where students were expected to research, identify, interpret, apply performance analysis techniques by using proper terminology, genre and theme identification. In general, most students were successful excelling in the use of objectivity, logic and support. The findings in this assessment were more relevant to the Communication Skill SLO which displayed that the students need work in grammar, spelling, punctuation, overall writing skills.

• Acting classes

THEA 111 Intermediate Acting- o

This SLO was assessed based on the results of a rubric for a combination written and performance assignment. Students developed a written scenario/script based on information gained from class lectures and text book readings. Following all requirements and directions, the scene was then performed for the class.

Overall, the success level of this assignment to the core competency was very good. The students were able to take the given information and use proper terminology. However, even though the research was evident, it was the weakest unit of the assignment.

Some students did not adequately prepare and were not well rehearsed which means that we need to continue to work with students to overcome problems with self discipline.

More work on the research aspect of this project is needed. • Technical classes

THEA 131 Stagecraft- This SLO was assessed based on the results of 4 exams and the transfer of information to weekly labs where they had to use the information to complete lab assignments.

o On the exams 60% of the students received A’s and B’s, 15% earned C’s, and 25% earned D’s and F’s. The faculty believes that these exams are an effective assessment tool as those that did not do well were consistently those who did not study for the exams.

o The application of information competency in the lab assignments proved very successful. Students as a whole were able to illustrate their understanding of the information and use the information to complete routine and custom lab assignments.

o Currently, there is no shown need for improvement with this SLO in this course.