UNC Chapel Hill - Dram 191

Dram 191 is a required class for drama majors at UNC Chapel Hill and also serves as a "High Impact" or "Experiential Education" class. Courses with those designation are designed to get undergraduates out of their comfort zone / major. As such, there is a wider variety of students to teach to. My focus is in attempting to make as many lessons as possible relevant to the outside world while still achieving a comprehensive coverage of most aspects of technical theater: math, sound, lighting, paint, carpentry.

I do this with lessons that emphasize hands on projects, guest lecturers, and reading. The semester slowly moves the students from a laborer status to their final project. There are three projects through the semester.

In Class Project -

The students assemble 2 open top boxes that I have made all the cuts for. The students demonstrate use of a brad / pin nailer and predrilling and screw guns. This project also gives them experience working with miter and rabbet joints.

The students then paint, stain, and seal the boxes. As part of this process the students work with and sand filler compounds, to learn how compounds can react to different surface treatments. I use this moment to teach the students stenciling, sponging, wet blending, blocking, and dry brushing.

This project immediately follows the tool qualification portion of the class.

All Photo Credit: Joel Ernst

Personal Project -

The students are given the choice of three projects: bookends, shoe rack, or mug rack, that I have chosen Practical Weekend Projects for Woodworkers. I provide the students with copies of the book projects. I encourage the students to modify the projects to fit their personal needs: note how different the two shoe racks are designed. The project is presented to the class: sanded to 220, stained with oil based products, and sealed with at least 2 coats.

As part of this project I require that students provide me with a cut list and a SketchUp rendering before beginning.

All Photo Credit: Joel Ernst

Final Project -

This project is very open ended. The students must design a project that meets 2 guidelines: at least one non butt joint, hidden fasteners, learning a new tool, stained/sealed, one moving component, and joints connected tightly. They must also present me with a rough thumbnail sketch in orthographic style, a cutlist, and a SketchUp rendering.

All Photo Credit: Joel Ernst