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Directing a Lab Theatre Show

Prospective directors interested in Lab Theatre production must select plays with limited technical demands and small casts. The focus of Lab production work is upon "actor to director," "actor to actor," and "actor to audience" relationships. That is, technical demands (scenery/lights/sound) must be kept to a minimum. Lighting equipment is restricted to that provided for Lab theatre productions. All properties (from stock, loan or purchase) are subject to the approval of the department technical director. Basic set arrangements/design, however minimal, must receive the approval of the project advisor, the department technical director, and all faculty utilizing the space during the term of production. Any changes to these approved plans must receive similar clearance.

Consideration will be given to any proposal regarding the Lab, but approval by the faculty will be guided by the above criteria as well as the specific needs and demands of the department as a whole at the time of application and production. The faculty also will consider the individual merits of each applicant and the quality/consistency of their previous work in the department. Laboratory Theatre projects may be canceled at any time for any reason seen fit and necessary by the theatre faculty.

Lab Theatre Proposals

Individuals wanting to produce a show in the Lab Theatre must secure a theatre arts faculty member to sponsor the proposal and to supervise the production. After approval of the proposal, the director must register for TA 350 or TA 408 with the sponsoring faculty member. Proposals for Lab Theatre productions must be in writing (typed) and submitted to the theatre arts faculty in advance of the proposed production dates, ideally a minimum of eight weeks.

Proposals must include:

Play title, author, and brief production history
Desired dates of production
Proposed rehearsal schedule
Cast and crew requirements (A student designer/technical director should have been arranged by time of the proposal's submission and their name must be included as part of the proposal)
Lights, sound, furniture, properties, costume and makeup requirements, plus detailed explanation for any requirement which cannot be met from the main theatre stock.
Ground plan/layout of acting area
Statement of production concept and goal(s)
One copy of the acting version of the playscript, with notations explaining the particular demands of the text
A proposed budget of expenditures

Those who submit Lab Theatre proposals and any members of their production may be invited to attend the faculty meetings during which their proposal is reviewed. The faculty may request clarification and explanation of concerns about their proposal.

Review of each proposal will be conducted by Theatre Arts faculty at the earliest possible faculty meeting following its submission. Any appeal of decisions made as a result of this review must be submitted to the theatre faculty in writing. Appeals will be discussed at the first regular theatre arts faculty meeting following the request. Decisions of the theatre faculty regarding use of the Lab Theatre are final.

Proposals will be given consideration in the order of receipt of submission. Student-directed productions will be given priority over non-student directed productions. Directors who are theatre majors will take precedence over non-theatre majors. Instructional use of the facility will have priority over non-instructional use (e.g., TA 454/554 Advanced Directing students who are required to do productions as class projects will receive first priority).

Approval of any proposal includes authorization for specific performance/ rehearsal dates. The performance run of a Lab Theatre production will be limited to one week, including technical and dress rehearsals. This limitation is imposed in order to free the facility for other uses.

Keys will be distributed to the director/project coordinator as approved by the faculty. Casting for Studio Theatre productions will be from "open auditions" with adequate prior notice. There will be no pre-casting. Regularly enrolled OSU students have priority over non-students in all casting decisions. Note that while enrollment for academic credit for the director of a Lab Theatre production is required, theatre arts academic credit for any other role or function related to Lab Theatre productions is generally not available, encouraged, or suggested. Request for exceptions to this guideline must be made in writing to the theatre faculty within two weeks of the proposal's original approval.

Use of Lab Theatre Facilities

Seating in the Lab Theatre is flexible. However, no change in the arrangement of the seats or any other structural element of the space may be made without specific approval of the theatre faculty. Any such requests must be included as part of the original production proposal. As a standard practice, seating units may not be moved at any time, nor may any seats be added or removed. The only exception to this regulation will be in the case of providing accommodations for patrons in wheel-chairs. Marring or defacing any of the wall surfaces, ceiling, floors, seating units or platforms for any reason whatsoever is not acceptable. Use of adjacent spaces (loading area, shop, lobby, etc.) must take into account departmental needs and activities. Properties, costumes, or equipment must be stored in out of the way corners. The Lab Theatre is a classroom and must be returned to an absolutely neutral state after each rehearsal/performance. Any alterations to the space which cannot be returned to a neutral state on a daily basis must be approved as part of the original proposal. "Neutral state" means that furniture, blocks, properties, etc. have been moved out of the way and/or stored and that the chairs have been returned to a basic classroom set up (along with the blackboard and lectern). Smoking is not allowed unless necessitated by the script and approved by the faculty.

Lab Theatre Production Finances

Currently, the Theatre Arts Department provides production royalties for all student productions and a basic budget of $50.00. Any expenditures beyond this amount must be approved by the theatre arts faculty and should be included, as much as possible, in the original proposal. Unauthorized expenditures will not be honored by the University Theatre or the Department of Speech Communication, and will be charged to the director. Lab Theatre directors are expected to keep an accurate record of all expenses incurred for their production, and to submit to their faculty advisor a documented list of the expenditures by the first regular working day following the final performance of the production. Charges and reimbursement for cash purchases for a Lab production must be reported to the theatre office manager with documentation as soon as possible.

Because of seating limitations in the Lab, there will be no advance reservations of seats for any Lab Theatre production. Tickets for all publicly advertised performances in the Lab Theatre will be issued strictly on a first-come, first-served basis, with sales starting forty-five minutes before each performance. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., and matinee performances at 2:00 p.m. Late arrivals will not be seated. Four seats will be reserved for wheel-chair patrons until five minutes before the scheduled curtain, at which time they will be released for general sale. Due to state fire regulations, audience members may be seated only in the fixed seating provided; no standing will be allowed. The cost of admission for Lab Theatre productions/activities will be determined by faculty each year or per production.

All exceptions to approved Lab Theatre productions must be reviewed again and approved by the Theatre Arts faculty. Violation of this or any other policy stated in this document may result in the loss of Lab Theatre production privileges and/or the cancellation of a scheduled production.

You may pick up a copy of this document at the

Theatre Arts Office.

University Theatre Office