Graduate Handbook

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Design: Program Requirements and Procedures

Course Work

MFA Design Candidates must complete a minimum of 64 hours of course work and 4-5 design assignments. The program faculty must approve substitutions for any course in a student's plan of study. A typical plan of study in the graduate design program is as follows:

1st Semester

Theatre Design
Lighting Design
Drafting 1 or Drawing & Rendering
Period Styles for Theatre Design
Orientation to Graduate Studies (2 s.h.)

2nd Semester

Set or Costume Design 1-(Primary or Secondary area of study)
Lighting Design 2 -(Primary or Secondary area of study)
Drafting 2 or Elective in Theatre, Fine Arts, or Art History
Theatre History/ Analysis

3rd Semester

Set or Costume Design 2 -(Primary or Secondary area of study)
Drawing & Rendering
Lighting Design 3 -(Primary or Secondary area of study)
Elective in Theatre, Fine Arts, or Art History or Advanced Choreographic Design
Scenic Paint or Collaboration

4th Semester

Set or Costume Design 3-(Primary or Secondary area of study)
Costume Crafts or Technical Production
Theatre History/ Analysis
Comprehensive Exam/Portfolio Review

5th Semester

Set, Costume, and Lighting Design 4
Elective in Theatre, Fine Arts, or Art History or Advanced Choreographic Design
Scenic Paint or Collaboration
Drawing & Rendering
Projects in Theatre

6th Semester

Set, Costume, and Lighting Design 5
Costume Crafts or Technical Production
Theatre History/ Analysis
M.F.A Thesis

Production Assignments

MFA Design Candidates must complete a minimum of 4 - 5 production assignments to fulfill the graduation requirement. From their second semester students are awarded design assignments that increase in complexity as the student progresses through the program. A typical production plan is as follows:

Year 1
Fall: Assistant Design: Mainstage
Spring: Design: New Works Festival Project

Year 2
Two Design Assignments: Mainstage, Gallery, Second Stage, or Dance Project

Year 3
1 -2 Design Assignments: Second Stage or Mainstage

Particularly accomplished students may be awarded additional design opportunities by the program faculty. Students are prohibited from taking on additional design projects during the academic year without consent of the program faculty.

Students may earn a total of two hours of credit in the second and third year for professional development related to their production work (development of a resume, portfolio, and portfolio presentation). These hours are in addition to the 64-hour program minimum.

Design Assistant Guidelines

Each first-year MFA design candidate will be given at least one Assistant Design assignment with a Faculty or advanced Graduate student Designer during his or her program of study. Learning to assist a Designer properly is essential to each Designer's development. Assistant Designers will be given guidelines to follow during their assignment and will be evaluated by the Designer after the opening of the production. This information will contribute to the end-of-semester design reviews.

The assistant will be given a variety of projects, e.g. conceptualization (with research and drafting in hand, building a model or gathering research), documentation (completing a wardrobe chart for a production or making a prop list), and production (tracking changes to the sound cue sheet or training the run crews). Designers are encouraged to use their assistants in all three phases of the work and assistants must realize that their goal is to support the designer’s vision of the production.

The Assistant Designer has a 60-hour cap on his/her work. At the beginning of the season each Assistant and Designer meet and schedule that time that consists of hours in studio work and research, hours in the shops during the build period, and hours during technical and dress rehearsals. Assistants should use time sheets to track their hours.

An Assistant Designer's duties may consist of a combination of any of the following tasks:

Scenery

Research, Drafting, Prop Sketches and drawings, Model making, Representing the designer in the shops, Scene Shift Plots, Attendance at technical and dress rehearsals.

Lighting

Research, Drafting, Coordinating specific areas, e.g. followspots, projections, etc.,
Coordinating/Updating paperwork, e.g. Hookup, cue sheets, etc., Representing the designer in the shops, Represent the designer at the hang, Coordinating/running the focus with the Master Electrician, Attendance at cue development, and technical and dress rehearsals.

Costumes

Research, Pull stock as per drawings, Preliminary swatching, Preliminary construction drawings, Shopping, Assist with craft work, Maintain paperwork (plots, charts, etc.), Attendance at technical and dress rehearsals, Attend some of the costume fittings.

Sound

Research and locate source material, Creating shop orders, Preliminary construction drawings, Assist with sound load-in, Assist in editing and recording of cues, Track changes to the cue sheet, Maintaining paperwork (plots, charts, etc.), Attendance at technical and dress rehearsals

Should a disagreement occur during the production process, the route to remedy the situation is first through the Designer, next through the Senior Professor of the specific design area, and then through the Head of Design.

Evaluating the Candidate

1. Entering the Program
Each student entering the MFA design program will develop a plan of study in conjunction with his/her faculty advisor. One copy of the plan of study goes to the Head of Design and one copy should be given to the Director of Graduate Studies. The plan will be reviewed at the end of each semester and may be modified only with the consent of the design faculty.

2. End of Semester Review
In order to pass from one semester to the next, each student is required to present his/her portfolio to the faculty for review in a semi-formal design presentation, following guidelines that will be provided in the middle of the student’s first semester in the program. Decisions regarding continued participation in the program will be made by the design faculty on the basis of demonstrated talent, artistic potential, originality, ability to communicate ideas and concepts, discipline, and satisfactory academic and artistic progress. Students must maintain a 3.0 G.P.A and a B average or above in design courses each semester. The first year is regarded as a probationary period for all students admitted to the MFA programs in Theatre Arts. The normal expectation is that, once a student is accepted into the second year of the program, he will proceed to satisfactory completion of the degree. However, as part of the end-of semester review, a student will receive written notice of good standing or a warning notice of possible termination in the program. A student may be dismissed from the program at the end of any semester following a warning if good standing is not reinstated.

3. Comprehensive Examination
The University of Iowa requires that an MFA candidate pass a comprehensive examination/review of the subject matter and skills in the area of study. In the spring of the second year, the MFA Theatre Design candidate's exam will include a formal presentation of the candidate’s portfolio to the design faculty. The evaluation of this presentation determines a candidate's probability of completing his/her degree.

Thesis Requirements

In the design program the thesis is considered to be the body of work a student has completed in his or her residence at the university. This work is documented by the student as a list of productions (including production venue, date, director etc.), with supporting visual images. The format of this document must comply with the guidelines as outlined in the Thesis Manual of the Graduate College. The thesis defense, normally scheduled during the spring of a candidate's third year, is a formal portfolio presentation of the work cited in the written document. Students may earn up to 2 hours of credit in the third year for meeting the thesis requirement. These hours are in addition to the 64-hour program minimum.

Academic Progression - Preliminary Benchmarks

For a student to progress from one course to the next in his/her design courses, he/she must meet the following minimum requirements in each design course:

Scene Design I or Theatre Design - the student can:

Break down and analyze a script in a broad fashion

Develop a design approach and refine that approach through research

Communicate his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

Express the intention using design elements and principles in a 1-point perspective sketch and a ground plan.

Scene Design II - the student achieves competency in

Script analysis and conceptualization.

Communicate his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

The design of more challenging projects that require solving multi-scene and large company requirements.

Exploring expressive presentation techniques like storyboards and research presentations.

Using theatre masking.

More diversified rendering techniques (ie: 2 point perspective).

Scene Design III - the student gains proficiency in:

Extended research.

Communicating his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

Wider venues ( ie: musical theatre, dance and opera).

More complex documentation (ie: complete show drafting including painted elevations and colored models according to industry standards).

Taking a show through the production process, working with production staff and budgets.

Has some knowledge of collaboration techniques with production and design colleagues.

Scene Design IV - the student

Examines conceptualization techniques applied to large-scale sets

Has demonstrated ability to discuss and defend design choices.

Has demonstrated ability to collaborate with artistic and production teams.

Scene Design V - is devoted to:

Portfolio development and collaboration with other members of the artistic team.

049:135 Costume Design 1 or Theatre Design - the student can:

Break down and analyze a script in a broad fashion.

Communicate his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

Develop a design approach and refine that approach through research

Express and conceptualize his/her ideas through rendering and swatching.

049:138 Costume Design II - student gains competency in:

Script analysis and conceptualization.\

Communicate his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

Conceptual and character analysis skills.

Manipulating color, material and volume as an expression of different styles.

Rendering a full set of costumes for 2 or more productions.

Advanced period research techniques.

49:238 Costume Design III - student gains proficiency in:

Extensive research.

Familiarity with fabrics and costume construction

Communicating his/her approach to fellow theatre artists\

Documentation of design ideas.

Preparing a design for production.

Designing larger, more complex productions.

Rendering a full set of costumes for 4 or more productions

49:241 Costume Design IV - the student:

Develops analytical and studio skills with advanced projects in widening venues including musicals, dance and opera.

Develops familiarity with production methods required by those designs.

Has demonstrated ability to collaborate with artistic and production teams.

Rendering and swatching a full set of costumes, along with detail plates for 6 or more productions

49:244 Costume Design V - is devoted to:

Portfolio development and collaboration with other members of the artistic team.

49: 136 Lighting Design I - the student can:

Break down and analyze a script in a broad fashion.

Develop a design approach and refine that approach through research.

Communicate his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

Express the intention using design principles and properties of light.

Demonstrate familiarity with light plot drafting, paperwork and the mechanics of stage lighting.

49: 139 Lighting Design II - the student gains competence in:

Script analysis.

Communicating his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

Designing more challenging projects in a variety of performance venues: proscenium, thrust, arena, and flexible space.

Organizational skills.

Executing complete paperwork (hook-up, schedule, magic sheet, shop order, and focus charts).

Developing drafting skills.

49: 239 Lighting Design III - the student gains proficiency in:

Extensive research

Communicating his/her approach to fellow theatre artists

Lighting multi-scene productions.

Complete documentation according to industry standards.

The skills of taking a production from collaboration through realization, including working with directors, designers, production staff and budgets.

49: 242 Lighting Design IV - the student:

Demonstrates the ability to defend design choices.

Examines complex productions, both technical and conceptual.

Solves technical problems for lighting designers (equipment/ scenery/ rep/projections).

49: 245 Lighting Design V - is devoted to:

Portfolio development and collaboration with other members of the of the artistic team.

Admission to the Graduate Design Program

To be admitted to the design program, candidates must submit an application, scores from the GRE General Test to the Graduate College. Candidates must have a 3.0 G.P.A for admission. In addition he or she must submit a resume, three letters of recommendation, and a portfolio to the Theatre Arts Department.

The candidate's portfolio should indicate skill and an artistic sensibility. Demonstrated design or related artistic or technical competency is highly desirable. This portfolio must illustrate abilities in the relevant crafts of their chosen specialty, which may include drafting, painting, drawing, pattern making, acoustics, stagecraft, sculpture, photography, and graphic design. The following are recommended guidelines for an application portfolio.

The Application Portfolio

The portfolio should include designs appropriate to your intended area of specialization: sets, lights, or costume. Projects may be included along with executed productions. Photographic prints or slides should document executed productions.

Scenery portfolios should include: sketches or renderings and photographs of designs for projects and executed productions, as well as drafting (plans, elevations, sections, detail drawings), prop drawings, and paint elevations.
Costume portfolios should include: sketches and or renderings of projects and executed productions. Additional material such as scale pattern drafting, evidence of special construction or techniques, and make-up or hair drawings are also welcome.
Lighting portfolios should include: light plots and sections of projects and executed productions. Hookups, instrument schedules and photographic prints or slides of executed productions are expected. Sketches are also welcome.

In addition to a primary area of specialization, some candidates may wish to include material relating to a second area of specialization.

Sound portfolios should include: sound plots, cue sheets, equipment lists, concept statement, and sample tapes (cassette format preferred).

All portfolios may include additional supporting material in other areas of visual or aural design. These areas might include drawing, painting, and sculpture, fashion design, architecture, photography, and music composition, graphic, computer, or industrial design.

Each piece or group of pieces in the portfolio should be cited; for theatre work citations should include production title, theatre, director, your production title (if not that as designer) and date of execution. Supporting non-theatre work should have parallel information.

Portfolios may be reviewed in a variety of ways: submitted by mail, viewed during an admissions interview, or viewed remotely, i.e. a website. Candidates sending mail portfolios should include sufficient postage to have the portfolio returned, and should insure the contents of the portfolio. Mail portfolios are due February 1st of each year for those candidates who wish to gain admittance for the following fall.

Mail portfolios may include photographic or laser prints in lieu of original drawings, and blueprints in place of original drafting or be submitted on a CD or DVD.

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