The Steps in the Process

• Department chair appoints faculty representatives
• GCAST and ACT appoint student representatives
• Committee solicits proposals
• Committee reviews proposals
• Committee reads plays
• Committee meets with directors who submitted proposals
• Committee may meet with others who submitted proposals
• Committee distributes tentative roster of plays for faculty comments
• Committee submits roster of plays to department chair
• Department chair negotiates with directors, designers, etc.
• Department chair announces season

The Details of the Process

1. The Chair appoints three faculty members to represent each of the three academic areas (design/production, history/theory, performance). GCAST chooses a graduate student representative, and ACT chooses an undergraduate representative. These five members, with the department chair as an ex-officio member, comprise the Season Selection Committee.

2. The Chair charges the committee to recommend a slate of at least 8 (and no more than 10) plays to fill the coming season's five production slots before the end of the current year's fall classes. The committee may recommend different arrangements for configuring the plays to fulfill alternate versions of the production order of complex, intermediate and simple productions.* The committee looks for a balance of plays (period, style, cast size, gender breakdown of roles, design opportunities, audience appeal, etc.). Based on the committee's advice, the Chair will ultimately name the season once s/he has negotiated the availability of faculty and guest directors and designers.

*In order to create a season that poses a reasonable challenge to the production shops while ensuring a high level of physical production quality, the committee evaluates each proposal and rates it "simple," "intermediate" or "complex". Simple productions have few or no set requirements and often feature small casts or contemporary costumes. Intermediate productions might include a simple approach to one production element while posing complex challenges to the other shops (e.g., a cast of five to ten characters with few or no costume changes set in a realistic interior). Complex productions pose serious challenges to all three shops (e.g., large cast period shows, book musicals or shows requiring extensive workshop development). We have found that in the past a reasonable season from a design and production standpoint includes two simple, two intermediate and one complex production.

In terms of directing, the "simple","intermediate" or "complex" categories refer to issues such as the level of directorial skill required (e.g., a simple production might be directed by a less experienced director), level of special skills required (e.g., directing a musical, directing Shakespeare, etc.) and/or the need for expanded rehearsal time. In terms of acting, the categories indicate the level of skill required of actors for the particular production (e.g., how much a stretch would the production be for our actors).

3. In starting its work, the committee notes the production dates for the coming season; which slots can accommodate complex, intermediate and simple productions; and the design opportunities required for thesis productions. The committee considers whether there are significant anniversaries or initiatives (from the campus or the Center) that might indicate plays, authors or themes to consider or whether the committee wishes to suggest an overall theme for the coming season. The committee establishes a calendar of meetings (approximately one meeting per week) for completing its work and approves a simple, one-page play proposal form for distribution to faculty, staff and students. The form should be available for completion on the Web and and on paper with copies available at the reception desk. The committee should notify members of the department of the availability of the proposal form through e-mail notices and announcements in classes.

In soliciting proposals, the committee should make clear that its responsibility is to work from the proposals received to arrive at a roster of plays to submit to the department chair. Although committee members are welcome to propose plays for consideration, the responsibility for proposing plays that represent various academic expectations, population groups, etc. resides with each and every member of the department.

Although the committee has never followed any strict rotation of choosing plays to represent different periods or styles, the committee does consider the responsibility of the department to produce a variety of dramatic literature. In light of this, the committee may make a special request for plays of particular periods or styles. The committee and the Chair may agree to approach potential guest directors and solicit their suggestions for possible productions.

4. Any member of the department (faculty, staff and students) may propose a play for consideration by detailing that play on the proposal form and providing a copy of the play by the established deadline. Faculty (and guest) directors are asked to propose at least three plays they would be interested in directing. Directors may rank these plays in order of preference if they wish. They committee may choose to solicit proposals from other interested parties, such as the Department of Dance, School of Music, etc.

5. As proposals are received, the committee members review the information on the forms. When there are questions about the availability of production rights, the committee checks this immediately. The committee members may eliminate plays at this time based on a play's suitability for the coming season. (For example, the committee members might automatically eliminate a proposal for a Shakespearean comedy because the current season includes a Shakespearean comedy).

Two committee members read each play that remains under consideration and present their impressions to the committee. If both readers feel the play should be considered, the committee puts the play "on hold" as being under consideration. If only one reader feels the play should be considered, another committee member reads the play. Based on the additional readers response, the committee may put the play "on hold" as being under consideration or may discard the play. If both readers feel the play should not be considered further, the committee discards the play.

The committee asks each faculty director who proposes a play to meet with the committee to discuss the reasons for producing the play and to address questions about production concept, etc. (The committee may choose to meet with others who submitted proposals to explore similar issues.) Typical discussion questions, to which the committee might ask directors/submitters to respond in writing before a meeting, include: How will this play enhance and promote the academic, design, and performance goals of the Department of Theatre and/or the University? If you are proposing to direct this production, please detail your overall concept and its production requirements. If you are proposing this play for general consideration, are there concept and/or production requirements you had in mind when you proposed this play? How does this play fit (or not fit) within the proposed theme of the season. Anything else? As a result of this discussion, the committee will complete a one-page profile for each play under consideration.

When the committee feels that none of a faculty director's proposals fits into the season, the committee chair should ask the faculty member to provide additional proposals and/or consider of directing other plays that are under consideration. The faculty director should meet with the full committee to discuss either or both of these alternatives.

6. Once the deadline for proposals arrives, the committee moves to complete the process explained in step 5. Then the committee begins to narrow the list of plays under consideration and to categorize them in various ways to help see the ways in which combinations of various plays do and do not lend themselves to a balanced season. (For example, period, style, overall size of cast, gender breakdown of cast, production difficulty (complex, intermediate and simple, etc.). Over the course of several meetings, the committee also shortens the list of plays under consideration by looking at each play's pedagogical significance and, frankly, whether there is sufficient interest in the project.

7. Should the committee feel that there are shortcomings in the proposals submitted (for instance, there are no comedies), the committee may issue a call for additional proposals. Again, the committee's official responsibility is to work from the proposals received to arrive at a roster of plays to submit to the department chair.

8. Once the committee feels it has a reasonable number (and reasonable variety) of plays in the various production categories (complex, intermediate and simple), each member ranks the plays in order of desirability. Once all rankings are compiled, the "least desirable" plays are discarded, and the committee again discusses those remaining. Again, the committee members rank order the plays and then assemble the strongest contenders into possible slots for complex, intermediate and simple production demands. The committee sometimes sorts and re-sorts the plays into various possible seasons to help it see the strengths and weaknesses of potential combinations.

9. With further discussion, the committee arrives at the list of titles and considerations (production demands, desired slot for a particular play to tie in to other campus activities, etc.). The committee circulates this information to the faculty for comment approximately two weeks before the end of the fall semester.

10. Based on comments received from the faculty, the committee may reconsider its list of recommendations or call for a faculty meeting to discuss its proposals.

11. The committee submits its recommendations to the Chair before the end of the fall semester.

12. The Chair negotiates production titles and dates with directors and designers and announces the season no later than the start of the spring semester.

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Department of Theatre, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-1610