Performance

8.1 Teaching

Evaluation of teaching has to take into account that Studio-related teaching is different in character and evidence from traditional classroom teaching. Acceptable documentation includes:

• Peer review: upon request in lecture cases requiring specialized expertise such as Linklater Voice Designation, the faculty member may request a peer review by those with appropriate expertise from outside of the college, especially where special skills and certification are in evidence. Faculty may submit a list of outside reviewers who specialize in their skill area for the Chair’s approval.
• Coaching and advising, which involves preparing students for auditions, coaching them in productions and advising them on career choices pre- and post-graduation
• Effective service as an advisor to students
• Course syllabi should demonstrate revisions and additions to address the changing needs of students, as well as incorporate the results of the candidate’s ongoing research/professional experiences and the integration of this research/experience into course requirements.
  • Course expectations noted in the syllabi should demonstrate a commitment to academic quality.
  • Assignments to students in courses will be rigorous and relevant to the goals and expected learning outcomes of the course.

Teaching excellence may also be documented through the following supplemental evidence:

• Examples of exceptional student work done under a candidate’s mentorship
• Record of alumni accomplishments
• Active mentorship between faculty and students, both for credit and not for credit, in the classroom and out of the classroom. Student transcripts, reviews, playbills and correspondence can document such activity
• New course development, or development of new curriculum for existing courses

These teaching metrics are in addition to the standard evaluation metrics employed across the college, syllabi and teaching materials, peer observations, and student course evaluations.

8.2 Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work

• A clear area of focus in the profession. This focus may include but is not limited to work in theatre/performance, film, television, commercials, industrial work and web-based content. The performer might also develop his/her own work or collaborate on the development of original work that is reviewed in significant print or web-based publications, or acknowledged in works of scholarship/criticism in the field.
• Publication of material on acting, performance, or the craft of acting or performance, and interdisciplinary modalities of performance either by an established publisher or in nationally recognized books, periodicals, web sources, or academic journals.
• Performances at prestigious theatre companies in the area, nationally recognized regional theatres, national tours, NYC theatre defined as Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway, or international work of high visibility in the profession such as The Roy Hart Institute in France. The venues must be appropriate to the nature of the performer’s work. A successful experimental theatre artist, stage combat performer, puppetry artist or performance artist, may not have “credits” at the venues listed above, but may, instead, have credits at the “best” and appropriate venues in his/her area of expertise, which might include alternative performance spaces, site specific or outdoor venues, grassroots or community-based theater venues, established fringe festivals, or museums or galleries.
• Engagement in theatrical work that is created with or for multiple publics, communities and audiences, as an act of creating art for civic practice and enhanced community engagement. Such activity can occur with reputable companies known for the high quality and value of their work in non-traditional communities, or occur as the result of community partnerships or grassroots acts of bringing theatrical inclusion to communities underserved in the performing arts. Documentation of such civic creative engagement can include reports and correspondence from community members and partners on the impact of the creative work and the process of creating it, as well as photographs, video, and programs from the work itself.
• Participation in at least 5 outside projects in the pre-tenure period. These should be projects at a professional level that represent real growth as an artist. There needs to be a pattern of growth and continued effort to work at the highest level possible to ensure development of both art and practice. A small role at a prestigious theatre may carry the same weight as a large role at a less prestigious theatre or vice versa.
• The following are means of evaluating the nature of a candidate’s professional work in Performance:
  • Size of the role: Does the performer carry the show or play a major supporting role, or in the case of created work, is the candidate creating original solo work or playing a major role in an original piece?
  • Reputation of the theatre: What is the national reputation of the theatre? What awards have they received? What work are they known for, and/or what artists have worked there? What is the quality/reputation of the other artists who work there? What is the venue’s reputation in the locale in which it is situated? What is the reputation of the director and/or collaborators? Working on a new play written by a well-known playwright but produced by the Boston Playwrights' Theatre might be equivalent to playing a major role in a published piece in a more traditional and/or well-known theatrical space. Likewise, involvement in a performance piece notable for its formal experimentation and innovation in a small or alternative venue might be equivalent to a performance commissioned by a larger presenting organization.
  • Visibility of the work: Is the work reviewed by a major newspaper or theatre journal? Does it have significant internet presence? Are interviews about the work or artist featured in recognized publications? Is there significant press around the festival that is presenting the work?
  • Original work that is innovative, experimental and pushes the boundaries of traditional theater presents unique challenges for quantitative and qualitative review. When new and experimental work is presented in a venue that does not engender the presence of a reviewer from a national publication, peer review by an established voice in the field can be submitted in its stead.

Acting faculty should be members of at least one of the professional trade unions for actors, including AEA, SAG and AFTRA. They should also be members of their professional organizations in higher education, including ATHE, NETC, and VASTA.

• Performance faculty should evidence regular conference participation and take and/or give workshops in areas of Actor Training that enhance their reputations as teachers of acting and/or performance and contribute to their teaching and knowledge of their field.
  Documentation of the performance work should include programs and relevant reviews, (including all available photos from all performances to capture the candidate's range as a performer), DVD or video clips if an Actors' Equity Association waiver has been successfully obtained, any profiles of the artist in newspapers, periodicals, relevant websites, and professional journals, and documentation of participation at national conferences and/or service organizations.

8.3 Service

In addition to service activities outlined in Section 8.3.1 of the Faculty Handbook, Performance faculty might serve in the following ways:

• As adjudicators or critics for showcases, competitions or festivals
• As members of artistic boards or organizations' committees
• Coach, teach in or advise for local theatre companies and outreach programs, particularly those focused on the pre-college level
• Faculty Advisor to student groups such as the Musical Theatre Society, RareWorks, Mercutio, Kidding Around, the Shakespeare Society, and Warlords

For Promotion to Full Professor

8.2 Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work

All of the above criteria for Associate in the post-tenure period plus demonstrated evidence of having made a significant contribution to the national and/or international theatre conversations such as participation in theatre panels and interviews. Evidence, through articles, reviews, interviews, or letters of support, that the candidate continues to have an important place in and lasting impact on the professional theatre. This recognizes that Boston is a national media center and that some of the work created here may be seen and reviewed as on a national level. This further recognizes that critics do not always mention the contributions of individual artists in a production. This should not be considered to be detrimental to promotion.