Technical Design and Production

Program Information

Jimmy Anne Gunn ('18). Photo by Joan Marcus, 2017.
Jimmy Anne Gunn ('18). Photo by Joan Marcus, 2017.The carefully curated curriculum of the Technical Design and Production (TD&P) program aims to train global technical managers and change-makers who center anti-racism in their decision-making. The program brings together immensely dedicated full-time faculty, lecturers, and production staff members with a primary focus on supporting students in their career goals. In a field that is in constant tension with rapidly evolving technology and spectacle, we train technical managers who put people before product while achieving the artistic goals.

In the TD&P program, we take pride in supporting artists and executing their visions onstage. Our scope includes the effective and efficient management of resources toward artistic goals and risk mitigation, as many of the elements we oversee require a carefully considered health and safety plan. Through that, we find joy in working together, building shows together, and creating art together.

The program weaves hands-on skill courses such as Stage Rigging Techniques and Drafting I, with theory-based courses like Production Planning and Imagining a New Anti-Racist Production Process, and elective courses. Seminars introduce students to noted professionals from the field. We encourage students to augment their education with courses from other programs and schools at Yale, including Architecture, Management, and Engineering & Applied Science.

Course are paired with professional work assignments (PWAs) that further students' skills and goals. All PWAs give students practical management training or research time to complement and reinforce skills and theory, including those from anti-racism training. Additionally, they expose students to various sectors of the industry while teaching how to work with different teams effectively and safely. The successful completion of eight PWAs is necessary for the degree or certificate.

The M.F.A./Certificate program includes a research thesis, designed, written, realized, and presented by the student in their final year of study. The thesis is an opportunity to investigate and highlight a topic in technical theatre that has or will impact the field.