Performance

7.1 Teaching

• Evaluation of teaching has to take into account that Studio related teaching is different in character and evidence from traditional classroom teaching.
• Peer Review: upon request and in special cases, 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.
• Coaching and Advising, which involves preparing students for auditions, coaching them in productions and advising them on career choices pre and post graduation.
• Documented record of achievement of former students
• New course development

7.2 Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work

• A clear area of focus and/or range of work in the profession. This range may include but is not limited to work in theatre, film, television, commercials and industrial work. The performer might also develop his/her own work that is nationally recognized as indicated by either published reviews or important scholarship/criticism in the field.
• Publication of material on acting, performance, or the craft of acting in nationally recognized books, periodicals, or academic journals.
• Performances at prestigious theatre companies in the area, nationally recognized regional theatres, national tours, NYC theatre (Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway) or international work of high visibility in the profession. (e.g., The Roy Hart Institute in France). The venues must be appropriate to the nature of the performer’s work. A successful solo performer, clown or street performer, voice and speech teacher, movement teacher, stage combat, mime, puppetry or performance art, 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.
• Participation in at least one or two outside projects a year. 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 insure 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? 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? Is it one of the best theatres locally? Nationally?
  • 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.
  • Visibility of the work. Is the work reviewed by a major newspaper or theatre journal? Who is coming to see the production? Again, the work may be street theatre, and can be street theatre and be very, very good.

In most cases professional Acting faculty should be members of the professional trade unions for actors: AEA, SAG and AFTRA. They should also be members of their professional organizations in higher education: ATHE, NETC, VASTA, etc. 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.

The candidate’s dossier 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 and professional journals and documentation of participation at national conferences and/or service organizations.

Upon request and in special cases, the faculty member may request that the Chair arrange for an outside review for creative work produced by Emerson Stage, for inclusion in the candidate’s dossier. Such work, however, cannot substitute for productions for paid professional theatre companies but can serve to augment the dossier.

7.3 Service

In addition to service activities outlined in Section 7.3.1 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, Warlords.

For Promotion to Full Professor

7.2 Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work

All of the above criteria for Associate plus demonstrated evidence of having made a significant contribution to the national and/or international theatre conversation. 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.