Teaching
Information regarding my teaching experience.
Documents
Teaching Philosophy Statement
I teach creative problem-solving, applying skills and knowledge to challenging situations. Lessons are exercises in problem-solving that students can then apply in their careers. Students learn to define the problem and what factors will indicate its success, research, and gather information to inform their decisions, develop a plan, and then execute it by applying skills and knowledge from the classroom.
When teaching hand drafting for the theatre, one of my projects is taking a designer's sketch of a scenic unit and creating an elevation plate. As a class, we discuss the sketch and define what the designer is looking for, how the piece needs to function, and what information the shop will need to build the piece. We gather information on the size of a human being to understand the object's scale and how that will affect how the actor interacts with it. The students then apply their knowledge from previous projects to plan the steps of executing the drawing and then apply their skills to complete the project. I grade students not on how much their drafting looks like other students' but on how well they interpreted the designer's idea and communicated that for the shop.
I have also used this method when teaching a class on digital portfolios and other materials used in self-marketing and job applications. When creating a website, a resume, or a business card, we start with defining what future employers seek in these documents and an employee. The students research what these materials look like for others in their fields and gather relevant information from their archives of work experience. Finally, they plan and execute the project. They create materials unique to them, and by understanding why they put certain items in a resume or portfolio, they can make informed changes as their careers evolve.
This focus on problem-solving in the lecture hall makes the material more engaging for students. Now that information is so easily accessible through our computers and smartphones, these classes are shifting from information you must assimilate and retain to learning where to find and apply that information. In a period styles class, instead of memorizing the difference between different styles of chairs, it is far more useful to take students through the process of finding art, photographs, and catalogs from the period in question and how to analyze, interpret, and then apply that to representing that period on stage. This practice gives the course a practical application and requires the student to engage rather than regurgitate. Even an introduction to theatre for non-majors becomes more engaging when focused on how to find entertainment they enjoy and then discuss it intelligently.
As an educator, my role is to prepare students to be professionals. By giving my students practice in creative problem-solving, I am giving them the confidence to adapt to a rapidly changing industry.
When teaching hand drafting for the theatre, one of my projects is taking a designer's sketch of a scenic unit and creating an elevation plate. As a class, we discuss the sketch and define what the designer is looking for, how the piece needs to function, and what information the shop will need to build the piece. We gather information on the size of a human being to understand the object's scale and how that will affect how the actor interacts with it. The students then apply their knowledge from previous projects to plan the steps of executing the drawing and then apply their skills to complete the project. I grade students not on how much their drafting looks like other students' but on how well they interpreted the designer's idea and communicated that for the shop.
I have also used this method when teaching a class on digital portfolios and other materials used in self-marketing and job applications. When creating a website, a resume, or a business card, we start with defining what future employers seek in these documents and an employee. The students research what these materials look like for others in their fields and gather relevant information from their archives of work experience. Finally, they plan and execute the project. They create materials unique to them, and by understanding why they put certain items in a resume or portfolio, they can make informed changes as their careers evolve.
This focus on problem-solving in the lecture hall makes the material more engaging for students. Now that information is so easily accessible through our computers and smartphones, these classes are shifting from information you must assimilate and retain to learning where to find and apply that information. In a period styles class, instead of memorizing the difference between different styles of chairs, it is far more useful to take students through the process of finding art, photographs, and catalogs from the period in question and how to analyze, interpret, and then apply that to representing that period on stage. This practice gives the course a practical application and requires the student to engage rather than regurgitate. Even an introduction to theatre for non-majors becomes more engaging when focused on how to find entertainment they enjoy and then discuss it intelligently.
As an educator, my role is to prepare students to be professionals. By giving my students practice in creative problem-solving, I am giving them the confidence to adapt to a rapidly changing industry.
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Statement
I was fortunate to discover theatre at a time when being gay was accepted by that community and celebrated. People like me were both on and off stage, and LGBTQ+ stories were being told. As an artist and educator, I want to create work where any who wish to are welcome to share their stories and perspectives. Theatre artists are responsible for sharing and representing the full breadth of the human experience. As theatre educators, we can do more than reflect the way the industry currently operates but affect change, training the next wave of artists to be cognizant of diversity and inclusion in the work they produce.
As a theatrical designer, I often am asked to create worlds for characters whose worldviews differ from mine. In my career, I have decorated the home of an African American family, designed an exhibition of Chinese culture, and created a whole landscape inspired by Aboriginal Australian dot painting. These projects require extensive research to ensure these environments are authentic and respectful. As an educator, I am responsible for integrating scripts and resources into the classroom from a diaspora of perspectives and world views, so they may practice researching and appropriately utilize cultural references in design.
In the past couple of years, I have been a part of some incredible production teams, teams with individuals who reflected the story's characters and were very different from those characters. As a member of these teams, I have been privy to the magic of bringing a diversity of thought and experience together in a room to make theatre for all people. I want to be a part of more rooms like these, and the way to see that happen is to make them. Being cognizant of our team building to ensure we have that diversity on and off stage and recruiting and training unheard voices so they can step into those leadership roles.
Our understanding of diversity and inclusion continues evolving, and I am still learning. I continue to engage with my colleagues about these concerns. As we pursue diversifying our stories, we must also ensure that the proper voices lend their experience to the conversation.
As a theatrical designer, I often am asked to create worlds for characters whose worldviews differ from mine. In my career, I have decorated the home of an African American family, designed an exhibition of Chinese culture, and created a whole landscape inspired by Aboriginal Australian dot painting. These projects require extensive research to ensure these environments are authentic and respectful. As an educator, I am responsible for integrating scripts and resources into the classroom from a diaspora of perspectives and world views, so they may practice researching and appropriately utilize cultural references in design.
In the past couple of years, I have been a part of some incredible production teams, teams with individuals who reflected the story's characters and were very different from those characters. As a member of these teams, I have been privy to the magic of bringing a diversity of thought and experience together in a room to make theatre for all people. I want to be a part of more rooms like these, and the way to see that happen is to make them. Being cognizant of our team building to ensure we have that diversity on and off stage and recruiting and training unheard voices so they can step into those leadership roles.
Our understanding of diversity and inclusion continues evolving, and I am still learning. I continue to engage with my colleagues about these concerns. As we pursue diversifying our stories, we must also ensure that the proper voices lend their experience to the conversation.
Curriculum Vitae
Course Samples
Hand Drafting for the Theatre
Stage Design Graphics 2 is a hand drafting for the theatre course at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and is a mandatory class for all Theatre Design & Production undergraduate students, with the exception of those studying costumes. I was the instructor of record for four semesters between the Fall of 2019 and the Spring of 2021. The course follows many of the expectations and projects laid out by the former course instructor Mark Halpin and relies heavily on Dennis Dorn & Mark Shanda's Drafting for the Theatre. During the second year, the course had to be modified for Covid-19 precautions, becoming a hybrid of online lectures, Canvas quizes and submissions, and one-on-one feedback sessions. The following are example materials from that course.
Digital Portfolios
I taught the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's Digital Portfolios course as a remote adjunct instructor during the Fall of 2022. The objective of that course is to guide theatre production and design students through the creation of their portfolios, websites, resumes, and other self-marketing materials. The following materials reflect a proposed updated version of the course based on my experiences that semester and to include topics that are typically covered in other classes at the University of Cincinnati.
Introduction to Theatre
As an exercise I have outlined an introductory theatre course for non-majors.
Joshua E. Gallagher, Scenic Designer / joshua.e.gallagher@gmail.com / 570-336-0376 / Site Updated: 8/20/23