← Course dashboard · Tier 1A · Module 6 of 6 · CAPSTONE

Capstone: Running a School Musical

Estimated completion: 4-6 hours · Six portfolio deliverables · CPD hours: 2.0 · Certificate issued automatically when the Capstone scan passes — no in-person assessment
Listen to this module — narrated by Daniel

Tip: you can listen while you read along, or close your screen and treat it as a podcast on the drive home.

Why this is the Capstone. Modules 1-5 each gave you a framework. The Capstone is the synthesis: take a single hypothetical production from initial brief through to post-mortem, applying every framework along the way. The deliverables you produce here become your standard operating procedure (SOP) package — the repeatable, written way-we-do-things — for every production you run after this. It's the starting point for next year's musical, the templates you train your successor on, and the worked examples that justify the budget request.

The Tier 1A completion bar. Submitting this Capstone with all six deliverables (and ≥70% on the quizzes from Modules 1-5) issues your Tier 1A Certificate of Completion + CPD hours documentation, ready to submit to VIT / NESA / QCT / WACOT for accreditation credit.

The scenario

"Your school is mounting a Year 12 production of Les Misérables as the major end-of-year show. Cast 32, band 14, crew 18 (year 9-12 students), three parent volunteers, and you. Venue: the school's 350-seat theatre. Season: 4 evening performances + 1 Saturday matinee. Director: passionate, ambitious, has run two prior school musicals. Budget cap from principal: A$35,000. Curtain up: 19:30 on a Friday in October. Bump-in: Saturday + Sunday morning the weekend before. You have 12 weeks from this brief to opening night."

You are the Production Manager for this show. You will produce six deliverables (one per prior module), assemble them as a portfolio, and submit it to the Capstone Scanner — an automated review that checks your work against the rubric and issues your certificate instantly on a pass. There's no human marker and no in-person assessment: the apps read your real work, and the written pieces are read by an AI assessor looking for a genuine, relevant attempt — not a word-for-word match to a template. You can re-scan as many times as you like. The brief above is your only starting input — the rest is your synthesis.

The six deliverables

Module 3 — Risk Assessment

Deliverable 1: Risk register + SWMS pack

Identify at least 12 hazards across the production lifecycle (build, bump-in, tech, run, strike). For each:

For the 3 highest residual-score hazards, produce a full SWMS using the Module 3 template.

Build the register and SWMS in EasyRisk against your capstone show — the scanner reads them straight from there.

Open EasyRisk

Pass mark: all 12 hazards have unmitigated + residual scores; all 3 SWMS contain Task / Persons / Equipment / Hazards / Controls / Emergency / Sign-on sections.

Module 2 — Production Scheduling

Deliverable 2: Full production schedule (12 weeks)

Build a production schedule covering all 12 weeks from brief to opening, plus the run and strike. Required components:

Build the whole schedule in EasyScheduler against your capstone show.

Open EasyScheduler

Pass mark: schedule visibly applies the 70% rule (buffer is identifiable); dependencies between departments are explicit; meals scheduled; published call times specified.

Module 1 — Teacher as PM

Deliverable 3: Team + accountability framework

Two artefacts:

  1. Org chart for this production — name (initials only) the SM, HODs, parent coordinator, and the lines of authority. Visual format (PNG or PDF).
  2. Accountability matrix — the decision-type × authority × escalation table from Module 1, adapted to this production's specific roles. Minimum 10 decision-types.
  3. SM delegation contract — one-page, sign-ready, using the Module 1 template.

Set up your people and roles in EasyScheduler / EasyRisk People (they carry across the suite); the org chart, matrix and SM contract templates are in the resource pack below.

Open EasyScheduler · People

Pass mark: matrix covers safety stop / scope change / artistic / discipline / media / parent complaint at minimum; SM delegation explicitly lists the can-do and cannot-do scope.

Module 4 — Compliance Stack

Deliverable 4: Compliance pack

Assemble the seven-category compliance pack for this production. Minimum contents:

Assemble it in EasyRisk Schools (the compliance home — people & licences, WWCC, contractor certs, doc storage) with the test-and-tag register in EasyInventory, then Save / Archive the show.

Open EasyRisk Schools Open EasyInventory

Pass mark: all 7 categories represented; image-release form has per-channel opt-out; the streaming-rights position is explicit.

Module 5 — Budget + Stakeholder

Deliverable 5: P&L, pricing, principal brief

Three artefacts:

  1. Full production P&L — five cost categories with line items + five income categories with assumed volumes. Calculate break-even ticket price and the proposed ticket structure (adult / concession / family). Show the result fits within the A$35,000 cap.
  2. Parent communications calendar — 9 communications from week -12 through week +2 (post-mortem highlight), using the Module 5 cadence template.
  3. Principal briefing (1-page) — the budget-request brief you would take to the principal for this production, using the Module 5 four-element structure (success metric from hypothetical close, beyond-financial wins, lessons, next year's ask).

Build the P&L and pricing in EasyScheduler's budget tab; the parent-calendar and principal-brief templates are in the resource pack.

Open EasyScheduler · Budget

Pass mark: P&L sums to a positive net (or explicitly explains the loss); ticket pricing is grounded in break-even + market comparison; principal brief is exactly one page.

Synthesis — Capstone-specific

Deliverable 6: Reflection + post-mortem template

The final deliverable is yours — and the hardest. Two artefacts:

  1. 1-page reflection (500-700 words) covering: what surprised you about the synthesis; which framework you found hardest to apply; which contractor BS-line you'd be most ready to challenge; the single change you'd make to how you run productions now vs before this course.
  2. Post-mortem template — adapt the Module 5 post-mortem one-page template into a version specifically tuned to your school's reality (your venue, your contractors, your typical cast size). Sign-ready for use after your next real production.

Start from the post-mortem facilitation script template in the resource pack and tune it to your school; write the reflection in your portfolio uploader.

Open post-mortem template

Pass mark: reflection is specific (not generic), and the post-mortem template is customised (not the Module 5 default verbatim).

Tier 1B bundle only — Deliverable 7

Deliverable 7: Read & challenge your show's quotes (1B in action)

If you're doing the 1A + 1B bundle, this is where the vocabulary half pays off — you apply the Tier 1B BS-detectors to your capstone show's real numbers. Two artefacts:

  1. Lighting quote read — take a lighting hire quote for your capstone show (real, or the sample in the 1B resource pack), run the plot/quote read from Speak Lighting + Reading a Lighting Plot: count the rig, check the mover grade, price it against the 2026 rate card, and write the itemisation/challenge email.
  2. Sound quote read — do the same with a sound spec/quote using Speak Sound + Reading a Sound Spec: check console class, PA class, the engineer-vs-op split, and the input count against the orchestration; draft the push-back.

Save both annotated quotes + the two emails to your portfolio.

Pass mark (bundle): each quote is priced against the rate card with a specific, defensible challenge identified; the engineer-vs-op split and the mover/console grade are addressed.

Assessment rubric

Assessment is automated. The Pass column is what the Capstone Scanner checks for each deliverable — meet every Pass criterion across the six core deliverables and you pass Tier 1A. Deliverable 7 only applies if you're doing the 1A + 1B bundle — clear it as well and the scanner issues the combined Bachelor of being Unbullshittable credential. Credit and Distinction are higher tiers the scanner also records, but they're optional.

DeliverablePassCreditDistinction
1 — Risk register + SWMSAll 12 hazards scored; 3 full SWMSAbove + each hazard cites the specific WHS regulation / AS-NZS standardAbove + the residual score post-control is annotated with the reason it's now tolerable
2 — Schedule12-week plan + bump-in + tech + pre-showAbove + contingency plan for "lighting 90 min behind by lunch" scenarioAbove + a labour-cost forecast aligned with the P&L
3 — Team + frameworkOrg chart + matrix + SM contractAbove + explicit bypass-detection lines for contractor / director-to-student / parentAbove + a one-paragraph escalation script for each bypass type
4 — ComplianceAll 7 categories representedAbove + streaming-rights position is explicit + records-retention scheduleAbove + a contractor-quote-challenge email applying Module 4's compliance-line BS-detector
5 — Budget + briefP&L sums positive + 1-page principal briefAbove + ticket pricing references at least 2 comparable local schoolsAbove + a contractor-invoice review applying Module 5's BS-line detector
6 — ReflectionSpecific reflection + customised post-mortem templateAbove + a list of the 3 most-likely things your school will resist about the frameworkAbove + a one-paragraph plan to overcome the school-specific resistance
7 — Quote reads (1B bundle)Lighting + sound quotes priced vs the rate card with a defensible challenge eachAbove + the engineer-vs-op split and mover/console grade explicitly addressedAbove + a re-quote target figure and a negotiation script for each

Submission & assessment — how it works

There's no parcel of PDFs to email and no waiting on a human assessor. You build the deliverables inside the suite against your capstone show, and the Capstone Scanner reads them straight from your own data.

The flow

  1. Build in the apps. Deliverables 1, 2, 4 and most of 5 are built directly in EasyRisk, EasyScheduler and EasyInventory against your capstone show — so the data already lives in your account. Nothing to export.
  2. Upload the few writing pieces. The artefacts that aren't app data — your principal brief, your reflection, and your customised post-mortem template — go into the portfolio uploader on this page.
  3. Click "Submit for scan". One button. The scanner looks across your EasyRisk / EasyScheduler / EasyInventory data and your uploads, and checks each deliverable against its Pass criteria.
  4. Get an instant result. You see a per-deliverable readout — ✅ met, or ⚠️ what's still needed and where to fix it. Address anything flagged and re-scan as many times as you like.
Autonomous — nothing waits on a person Assessment is fully automated. No in-person assessment, no booking a session, no five-day turnaround. The scanner does the checking and the certificate issues itself the moment you pass. You can sit the capstone at 11pm on a Sunday and have your certificate before midnight.

How you pass

Meet both and you pass — Credit/Distinction tiers are recorded if you reach them but aren't required. Miss something and the scanner tells you exactly what; fix and re-scan. There's no limit on attempts and no penalty for re-scanning.

On a pass, your Tier 1A Certificate of Completion is generated automatically (downloadable PDF format ships in v1.1; v1 stores it on your account):

What this certificate is good for

The certificate is accepted as evidence of completed continuing professional development for teacher-registration accreditation in all four major Australian state/territory frameworks (VIT, NESA, QCT, WACOT). Submit to your registration authority during your next registration cycle.

The certificate is also evidence of competency for school internal-promotion / role-change purposes; the curriculum-alignment statement is structured to read directly as a competency map for "production-manager-of-school-shows" or equivalent role descriptions.

What happens next — Tier 1B and beyond

Tier 1A is the framework half of the unbullshittable-by-your-production-team diploma. Tier 1B adds the vocabulary half — the technical depth that lets you read a lighting plot, smell an over-spec'd sound spec, and call out the trained-markup contractors use on schools.

Tier 1B modules:

  1. Speak Lighting — DMX, dimmers, fixtures, channels, patch — vocabulary + cost reading
  2. Speak Sound — gain structure, monitor mixes, FOH, wireless coordination
  3. Speak Stage Management — cue sheets, calls, the SM's authority chain
  4. Reading a Lighting Plot — fixture counts, hire rates 2026, what trims and looks cost
  5. Reading a Sound Spec — speaker counts, system design, hire vs install, spotting the markup
  6. Wardrobe & Makeup — make/hire/buy, the alterations + wardrobe-labour cost centre, makeup + hygiene

Tier 1B is A$149 standalone, or bundled with 1A at A$349 (save A$49). For schools, the Tier 2 School License (A$1,290/yr) bundles 1A + 1B + 30 student seats + admin dashboard + a cross-suite seat in EasyOrchestra, EasyInventory, or EasyRisk.

The Capstone — start here

Open the three apps below and the resource pack, then block out 4-6 hours across 1-3 sessions to complete all six deliverables against your capstone show. Most candidates find Deliverable 2 (the schedule) the most time-consuming and Deliverable 6 (the reflection) the most useful in hindsight.

Open EasyRisk Open EasyScheduler Open EasyInventory

Once you pass the scan, treat the resulting six-document portfolio as the starting point for your next real production — it cuts the planning time on production #1 of next year by roughly 60% because most of the templates carry forward.

Resources

Everything you need to sit the Capstone. Open each in a new tab, print or save as PDF.

ResourceWhat it's for
Capstone Scenario BriefThe Les Misérables scenario in full — every constraint, in one place to work from.
Submission ChecklistSix-deliverable QA to run before you hit "Submit for scan".
Assessment RubricThe full pass / credit / distinction table with scoring criteria — exactly what the scanner checks.
Sample Completed CapstoneAn anonymised Distinction-grade submission, for reference only — not for copying.
EasyRisk + EasyScheduler Quick-StartA combined 15-minute orientation for the two tools you'll lean on most.
Certificate PreviewThe certificate format your registration authority sees on submission.

📤 Submit for scan

The Capstone Scanner reads your EasyRisk / EasyScheduler data and your portfolio uploads, checks each deliverable against its Pass criteria, and — on a full pass — issues your certificate automatically. No human assessor. Re-scan as many times as you like.

Tier 1A · Capstone · awaiting submission
Submit your six-deliverable portfolio via the course portal to claim your certificate.
← Dashboard 📤 Submit Capstone Continue to Tier 1B →

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