Course Syllabus

 

THEATER CAREERS

SPRING SEMESTER

 TPP 4223C - 0001                        TUE - THU                8:30-9:50 am

Notice: The following syllabus and course schedule is a guideline only, subject to change without notice.

Instructor Contact - How to Reach Me

• Instructor: Jim Helsinger
• Office: T-218 in PAC, also at Orlando Shakespeare Theater
• Office Hours: Generally, 10:00-11:00 Tuesday and Thursday. Also available at Shakespeare offices in Loch Haven Park. For an appointment, please email my company manager, Paige Gober  at paigeg@orlandoshakes.org.  I am happy to meet with you, please call!
• Phone: (321) 217-8479
• E-mail: 
  • for this class: use the Inbox (in the menu on your left) and email me via webcourses. 
  • Outside of this class (for your professional life) you may contact me at: jimh@orlandoshakes.org
• Mailbox: In Theatre Admin Offices

• Main Office:    Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E. Rollins St., Orlando, Fl 32803

Course Information - Where do I go for class?

• Course Name: Theatre Careers
• Course ID & Section: TPP 4223C
• Credit Hours: 3
• Semester/Year: Spring 2021
• Location: Room PAC  T0244A, PAC UCF Main Campus (COVID Spring 2021 UPDATE: Class meets via Zoom)

Course Description - What is this class?

• DESCRIPTION: A course focusing on job search skills, resumes, applications, interview techniques, auditions, agents, contract negotiation, unions and other aspects of marketing of yourself ; how to find and apply for positions in professional and academic theatre.
• COURSE FORMAT: Due to the number of exercises written and performed in class, attendance is crucial. There will be practice interviews videotaped, critiques, auditions and resume/application work, accompanied by lecture/discussion on these methods, their purpose and correct use.
• DRESS: Appropriate dress is required for participation in interviews and auditions; inappropriate dress on these days will lower your grade.

Course Objectives - What will I learn?

• COURSE OBJECTIVES: To gain a working knowledge of the business side of professional and academic theatre; to acquire specific techniques that will enable a student to interview, audition, and prepare employment materials in professional manner; to disseminate information about all aspects of the entertainment industry and related jobs, allowing flexibility and career maintenance.

Required Texts - What do I have to read?

• Audition - by Michael Shurtleff.  
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – by Stephen Covey 
• Theatre Careers Packet (PDF in two parts) Download these onto your computer or iPad to read and reference.
• Careers Packet Part 1.pdf 
• Careers Packet Part 2.pdf

Evaluation and Grading - What gets an "A" in  the class?

This class contains a cumulative points structure of about 1000 points. Final grade will be determined by total accumulated points, subject to attendance and participation evaluation, minus attendance. 

LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

Assignments and Tests that are turned in late will receive 50% credit.

Online Quizzes on the Theatre Careers Packet PDF, videos, and daily class material, which are late will receive 0 Credit. So make sure you get them done before class.

Letter Grade	Points
A	93 – 100 points
A-	90 – 92 points
B+	87 – 89 points
B	83 – 86 points
B-	80 – 82 points
C+	77 – 79 points
C	73 – 76 points
C-	70 – 72 points
D+	67 – 69 points
D	63 – 66 points
D-	60 – 62 points
F	59 and below

  

Letter Grade	Points
A	90-100
B	80-89
C	70-79
D	60-69
F	59 or below

 

Attendance Policy

Attendance is important for any employee and this is a class about business. So if you DON'T want to quickly lower your grade, read on....

ATTENDANCE: Perfect attendance is assumed. One unexcused absence is allowed without penalty.  All following unexcused absences will deduct 50 points (1/2 a letter grade) from your final grade. You are responsible for all material and assignments presented in class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to acquire the information. One unexcused tardy is also allowed without penalty.  All following unexcused tardies will deduct 10 points from your final grade. It is much better to be tardy than to miss class altogether, you will not be considered absent no matter how late you enter the classroom, even if there is only 5 minutes left of class.

Absences will be excused only with documentation from a doctor, fellow professor, parent or legal guardian; no documentation will be accepted for any exam day. Even if excused, STUDENT (not professor) is still be responsible for all information presented in class that day.  Please get all handouts and assignments from another person in class.

Attendance will be kept by means of roll call at the beginning of the class.

IMPORTANT! If you are late, YOU are responsible to alert the professor to mark you present at the end of class. If you forget, you will be marked absent!                                                 

Be Punctual. Class will begin on time. If you are unavoidably detained, enter quietly. Never enter during a performance or presentation! Wait until it has been completed.

Academic Honesty - What happens to cheaters?

Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further information. I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change (or expect me to change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.

Disability Statement - Everyone is welcome!

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Ferrell Commons, 7F, Room 185, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.

Copyright - There are rules about this content....

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA - And what does FERPA mean anyway?

FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It is a Federal law (Links to an external site.) that protects the privacy of student education records. 

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need NOT make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Don't post your UCF NID, email, phone, or grade info in any public forum.

*** This syllabus is subject to change and updates at any time.