DOCUMENT RESUME SD 137 613 08 CE 010.-742 AUTHOR Allosso, Michael; And Others TITLE Exploring Theater and Media Careers. A Student Guidebook. 'INSTITUTION Technical Education Research Center, Cambridge, Mass. SPONS AGENCY- Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education (DHEW/OE), Washington, D.C. Div. of Research and Demonstration. PUB DATE 76 ; CONTRACT OEC-0.44-9253 NOTE 144p.; For related documents see CE 010 734-744 AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Prin ing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Stock Number 017-080-01640-1, $2-15) EDRS PRICE MF-$043 HC-$7..35'plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Acting; Broadcast Industry; Business; *Career ExploratioM;-Drama; Film Criticismv-Film Production; FilmS;Instructional Naterials; LiteraryCriticism; *Mass Media; *Occupational Information; Occupations; Playwriting; Radio; Resource Guides; Secondary ,Education; Television; *Theater Arts; Writing ABSTRACT One of six student guidebooks in a series'of 11 arts and humanitieS career exploration guides for grade 7-12.teachers,_ counselors, and students, this student book.on-exidorationoftheater 4nd media careers presents-information on specific occupations' in ,five.different career areas: Performance, writing, production, business, atd education/criticism. Each .chapter includes general discussion =of the field and what people'in that'field dol.description of personality ,characteristics and interests.that-are:approptiate education or e*perience'reguired, whereand how jobs are:found and the job outlook, and suggestions a person in theifield would .Make to students.:The chapters and jobs they.cover are7as follows CO Performance Careers (actors, enteitainerso-amnotncers,, and directors)o,(2) Writing Careers.(playwrights and scriptwriters)_ (3) Production Career's (designers, backstageAheater work, and media Oroduction. work),(4) Business Careers (producers, theater businebs and Management, television And radio direCtors, 'agents and salespeople),,amd (5)-Education/Criticism Careers (teachers and librarians,and,writers about theater and liedia)..Appended are,a glosSary, a list of addresses of prOfessiohal,associations, And a list of sources of additional information. .(JT) Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes eveiy effort to obtain the best copy avable. Nevertheless, items of marginal reproducibility are often encountered &nd this affects the- quality of the microfiche and bardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available 1.da the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not responsible for the quality of the original document. ReOroduttions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. Exploring,' _Theaieioand Media Career a.student guidOook BY APjHAEL ALLOSSO 'MARY LEWIS HANSEN, PROJECT D RECTOR U S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION &WELARE RICHARD CORNELL, EDITING NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SHEILA DUBMAN,'ILLUSTRATIONS, EDITING , THIS DOCUMENT HA5 BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON DR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATIND IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDOCATION.POSITION OR POLICY TECHNICAL EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTERS, INC. 4-;,BRATTLE STREET CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02138 2 U.S. Government Printing Of f ice Washington: .1976 For solo by the Supertwendeet et Documents, U.S. Government Printing OM WnsIgngton, D.C. 20402 Ptock No, 017-080-01640 Ile loped and disswain.t- ontrac- N for Currulum Develerment Branch ivision of RttoiIrrh and Demonstration Bureau of6cupational and Adult Edueation -U S, Office of Education Vepartmemt of Health. Education and Welfare uAder ear thornbevelepment in Vocational and Tochnicel Edu on %onel Education AmendnientS Of 196B Public Law 90-576 ukgcrimination Prohibited - Tetlrn Vt of the Rights Act of 1964 States: "No person. in *he United States. shall, on the grOund of race, color, Of na . tional origin, be.excluded from participation in, be denied the benefit of or be subjmeted to dtscrim- ination under any.program or aCrivity receiving fed: eral financial assfstance," Therefore the Vocational ,kdocittion program, like all other programs Or 3CtiVi= ties receiving financial assistance from the benart- ment of tlealth. Education and Welfare ..moat be oper- ated in compliance *ith this law, The project pro nted or eeprtod herein waspei formed pursuant to a cOntrace from the U.S.Office of Education, Department of Health. Education and Welfare. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positton or policy of The O.S. Offiee of Education, and no offkial endorsement by th-e U.S. Office of Elucation'shootd he inferred. U.S. Government Printing Office a_ ington. 19Th Photo Credits: cover and pp. 5 28, 48, 49, 77, -99, Alton:Miller, through the generosity of Arena- Stage, Washington, D.C.; p. 119,-Philip courtesy The Times-Picayune Publishing Corporation, New Orleans, Louisiana. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PERFORMANCE CAREERS 3 Actors 4 Entertainers 10 Announcers 18 Directors 24 WRITING CAREERS , 29 Playwrights 29 Scriptwriters 37 PRODUCTION CAREERS 43 Designers 44 Backstage Theater Work 58 Media Production Work 75 BUSINESS CAREERS 87 ,Producers 88 Theater BusineSs and Management 98 Television and Radio Directors 103. Agents andSalespeople 108 6. EDUCATION/CRITICISM CAREERS 115 Teachers and Librarians 116 Writers about Theate"bnd Media 12c APPENDIXES A. Glossary 131 B. Professional As oeiations 135 C. Sources of Additional Information 137 1. INTRODUCTION -When you think of careers in If you answered "yes" to question theater, film, and television, C, then you weuld probably find you probably almost automatic- that ChaPter-Rour is the. Most in- . ally think Of acting. However, terestipg to you. If you answered there are many non-acting careers ."ycs" to question D, then Chapter .in theater and media. ,Five would be more suitable. (The As you glance through the lists same, of course, holds true for;the 'at the beginning of the following other three questions.) The be- chapters, you will notice a wide ginning of each of these .five chap-, variety of jobs'. Some of them terS lists the jobs discussed in may be completely unfamiliar to that-chapter. By reilding every you. You will probably want to' chapter you will discover more read about all the jobs, but first about' these jobs and deciee if you might want to aSk yourself the deed they-are jobs you might,c n- following questions: -sider as a possible,career. 1.4 The,theater'and Media industries A. Am I a doer, performer? Do are'composed of creators, bUsiness I like 'Fe speak in front.of people, production people,'and groups? Am 1 agressive.and educatorsy When you'sit= at home. willing to take risks? watching "Rhoda" on television you .see the products of all these B. DO I like'to read and write? people. Valerie Harper is visibly Might I want to write as,a career? pursuing her carper as a television actress.- But did you ever think' C. Would 1.prefer'working back- about all-the.other people,involved stage in behindthe-scene in the production without whem we jobs br 'designing for the- would never see, Valerie Harper? ater and/or film and tele-7 What about the clothes.she is wear- vision? ing? . She did not open her closet in the Morning, put on a dress . D. Am I interested in the.busi- ness and money a5pects of and wehr it to the studio and then theater and entertainment? under the lights during filming. And what abbut,the.lights?_ Some- Can 1 organize_weLl? one did not simply flick oh a_ I E. Do like sharing What 1 switch 'at the beginning of-the knew with people? show and flick it Off at the end. And who decides hew much light will be shinlng-on Rhoda at a par- Concluding this guidebook to careers in.theater and, media are ticular time?And what good is light if.there is no.one running 1). a glossary of unfamiliar terms, the camera? And what about,Rho- 2ra list of professional associ- da's apartment?.. Who set it up ations to which you can write for and decided what was.to go in it? brochures and pamphlets about the-, And what about. Valerie Harper? ater and media tareers,find 3ythe Who instructed her in the earlyN names of books and someLfilmswhich stages of her career and.helped will give you further information her to develop her craft? about aspects of theater and media. Your school counseling office and Each of these resOnsibilities your local-libraryare-additional representsdifferedjobs and is sources of/information. important by itself. Silt these jobs are also an important part One of the.best_ways to learn is of creating a production. No one to talk with people who are invol- or tWo jobs alone isthe most m- ved in theater and media careers. portant in creating a tv show, Much of the information you will film, or play..It is the combined read in this,guidebook.comes from effort of many individuals which interviews with a large number of makes the finished product.. So people who dO lhe -work described. if yoU like acting, you may, find The pages ahead will suggest your the own questions for people14orking _ easy to continue and read first.section of this book. How- in theater and media as you think ever, if you are not interested' about your-own career, in acting, do not giVe up. The other chapters will introduce you to the many non-acting jobsin theater, film, And television which are challenging and impor-0 tant. PERFORKANCE CAREERS AM I A DOER, A PERFORMER? : DO I LIKE TO SPEAK, IN FRONT OF,A GROUP?' -AM I AGGRESSIVEAND WILLIK TO TAKE RISKS?