Well, hello there! Long time, no see... and I'm just going to get this in before another month passes us by.
When I last left you, were we just getting into the thick of things with the high school musical. I'm happy to say that the experience was excellent and left us with positive vibes all around. I learned a lot from the experience and came away with some good data; I hope to write more about those things in the future.
For now, I'll say that the work begun in 2019 has successfully revitalized and grown our theatre program. Students are more engaged, families and faculty are excited, and there's all around good will toward our work. We've laid a solid foundation from which to grow and, yesterday, I received the gift of comfort being told that my contract will be renewed for next year. That's a huge weight off my shoulders! And, this is the first time in five years I've had that information before June. Now, we can turn attention toward next year with a confidence and certainty we've never had before.
In the meantime, I will return to school on Monday (after a surprise second bout with Covid right at the end of spring break) and the last two week of A Midsummer Night's Dream rehearsal at the middle school. I'm meeting wtih the musical collaborators to plan, not just for next year, but for two years at two schools. It's a great opportunity that I'm blessed to have. Can't wait to see what happens next!
This school year presented a unique opportunity to direct plays on both sides of the MS/HS complex. At the end of January, we closed the middle school musical production of Rock of Ages: Youth Editionwhile the high school production of Oklahoma!was in full swing. Having collaborators on both projects made this a smoother transition than one might expect. I am grateful for their flexibility while I swung back and forth between the two projects.
It seems this arrangement may continue into next year with additional directing opportunities. It sounds like a lot of work (and it is), but an incredible way to further develop the theatre programs in both schools. An added benefit will be the time I've been given to plan.
Choose any number of quotes about the importance of planning here. The most difficult challenge in the process this year was being handed the reigns to the middle school shows a month into the school year. Again, having a collaborator made that process easier. The addition of time gives us the ability to reflect on this past process and to make adjustments for the year ahead. I already have a few ideas in mind and am excited by the possibilities.
It is a unique arrangement to be in charge of theatre programs at two schools. Perhaps some of you reading this post may have experience with this. Any suggestions or advice you may have are greatly appreciated!
This week, I put in a licensing request for the winter musical at the high school. It is an unconventional choice that will surprise the students and challenge them to work on things they haven't in a long time. I'm excited by it and looking forward to beginning the work.
Unfortunately, that work must wait. I've learned from experience to get the final confirmation that we're good to go before getting to far ahead. In the meantime, I will binge on the soundtrack and make notes as they come along.
A few weeks ago, I posted about engaging my theatre students in a conversation about their ideas for next year's winter musical. The email I initially sent spawned some great email exchanges and eventually we met for a "face-to-face" conversation over Google Meet. I was hoping the talk would give me some insights into their ideas about what makes a good musical (which it did), while also leading me toward a solid decision about next year's show (which it did not).
Their ideas about what to do varied widely. They seem to want more "serious" material; there was also a lot of talk about shows like Mamma Mia! and Shrek. I don't know that you can get a wider span from "serious" to Shrek. One thing I enjoyed seeing was how seriously they took the conversation and that they acknowledged how difficult it could be to select something that met so many factors. I'm a proponent of being open in my process so they can learn these things. I just wish it had brought me closer to a definite selection.
The choreographer and I have some ideas, so I am confident that we will choose a show soon. I wanted to get the students' input in order to build interest and increase participation in a program that was in decline when I began there last school year. In that sense, this was a "win" for us as a program. I loved how invested they were in some new ideas like drama club swag and smaller projects between shows. Those will be interesting ideas to continue exploring as we start the new year.
For now, I'm back to the drawing board... but leaning closely toward some more "classic" shows. They haven't done many of these in a while and I think there are a few that offer more "serious" fare than the more modern titles they threw around. One title mentioned in an email did not come up in conversation the way I thought it would. It seems a revival of an R&H standard piqued some interest, which I loved because I'm a proponent of R&H's work as experimental and darker musical fare. It was fun to hear it discussed that way. I will be adding the show to my ever-expanding and eclectic perusal list.
Last weekend (April 22-24), we wrapped up our winter musical production of Disney's The Little Mermaid with an online streaming performance. My students worked tirelessly to make it happen and while we all preferred sharing with a live audience, the experience of watching the show with their families and friends made it even more special. I'm proud of the work they did and deeply appreciated the support, excitement, encouragement, and congratulations sent by teachers and peers to the cast and crew. It is the sum of the experience that will have the greatest impact; it is why I love doing this work so much.
Those who know me will find it no surprise that I am already working on the musical for next year (I can't rest, but I also love doing this so much). I'm also reflecting on the drama club as a whole and exploring ways to expand its work and elevate its visibility within the school community. To my joy and surprise, the students are thinking about these things, too.
Last week, I sent out a student survey to get some insight from the entire drama club membership. Of the 72 students listed, only 20 have replied so far, but I also noticed these responses were from students who were not actively involved. I followed up with the cast and crew of the most recent show and openly asked for their ideas about what show to do. I gave them some factors that I consider when making a selection and encouraged them to do the same. Those factors were:
who is/may/may not be involved?
what are the strengths of that group?
what provides a new experience, or challenge for the group?
do we have the technical capability/time/interest?
variety (for example, following comedy one year with tragedy the next)
what will an audience come to see?*
what is appropriate for both audience and actors?
This lead to some interesting email exchanges and I was encouraged by how deeply students were thinking about their choices. Then one of our graduating seniors wrote to me as the representative from a group that had been discussing this in a group chat. And the play titles were very interesting. So, I asked the student to meet with me and the dance teacher to talk further. I'm so glad that I did!
What the conversation revealed is that the theatre students have an profound desire to do more serious work. Their choice of a classic, golden era musical was particularly intriguing. The dance teacher and I are using this insight to explore other titles we originally felt might be uninteresting. We also have a conversation with a larger group of students planned for Tuesday. I think this is an incredible opportunity for us to build and grow together by holding each other accountable.
We do a lot of talk about student-driven work, student voice, student inclusion. If this has taught me anything it is how important those things can be when they are put into action.
Because I can't rest, my first hours of spring break have been consumed with what musical to do next year. Mind you, we haven't even finished post-production on the video for this year's show.
I love what I do and can't wait to get back into action. Even the planning process excites me so much!
March 12 is a dubious date in my school theatre program. There are two reasons for this distinction:
March 12, 2020 - opening night for our winter musical, Into the Woods, which was postponed due to Covid just minutes before the end of the school day
March 12, 2021 - the final day of filming our Covid-restricted winter musical, Disney's The Little Mermaid
There may be many things to say about redemption and tenacity when you look at those two dates together like that. It was certainly the message that I repeated to the students as we pushed toward the end of filming through a variety of Covid-, and non-Covid-, related delays and hiccups and issues and roadblocks. But what I think is more interesting, and likely more important, is the influence those experiences will have on the students who lived them. The past two years have been difficult, which makes it easy to view them negatively; however, there is strong positive flip-side to that story. I'm curious how it will be perceived by my students and how it will play a role in their futures.
That leads me back to a question that I love to explore: "what is the role of theatre in schools?"
School theatre saved my life; there are others who have told me the same thing. Participation in theatre programs has benefits within a student's future artistic life as well as within the "real world". That has been seen in research published in Youth Theatre Journal and in my own doctoral dissertation. Now I'm curious to learn how school theatre programs can play a role within the larger school community. What is the perception of these programs from participants and non-participants? How do school theatre programs influence the overall function of a school? What happens with theatre programs are not present, or suddenly seek to exist? How about when they are first built, or "revitalized" after a significant absence?
Looks like I have some reading to do... and surveying my students for their stories... uh oh! Is this another research project in the works?
We had quite a time in the classroom this past week. 1/3 of the musical cast is now in quarantine due to positive Covid contact. They won't return until two days before our first dress rehearsal. We will now shift our plans to a fully filmed performance, which may actually take some pressure off of the cast.
In brighter news, two students in the Playwriting class received Honorable Mentions for their original, one-act plays. It is awesome recognition of their creativity and the hard work they put in to the piece. The students all loved the class so much; it was great to get their feedback about it at the end of the class. This is some fun icing on that cake!
Last week, we returned to school after winter break. This was also the time we scheduled to begin rehearsals for Disney's The Little Mermaid, the musical that I am currently directing at school. It took some time to get rehearsals off the ground, but we all finally got into the swing of things on Monday. A few small groups kicked things off as we built the "Under the Sea" number through choreography and music rehearsals. However, a growing number of students had to go on quarantine throughout the week, but we had a Google Meet link set up to allow them to continue working on the show from home. On Thursday, I joined rehearsal from the Meet. You can see a video of that here.
Prior to the start of rehearsal, I had the chance to talk with one of the students about her time at home. She attended via Meet the day before and I wanted to learn how the experience went and to tell her it was encouraging to see her working on the routine while away. The student had a simple, but very important thing to say at the end of our conversation: "It's just nice to have something to do!"
That one brief statement meant a lot and hit upon a major reason why we have pushed forward with big plans to mount a musical this year: the kids need it. You will see their excitement and energy on display in the video I posted above. I plan to share more videos throughout the process. I think it is a simple way to share the joy they have for the work and also a window into the hard work and detailed process that goes into the production of a high school musical.
I hope other schools might follow suit. I'd be curious to see how other groups are managing this odd and unfamiliar path this year.
Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday sparked two thoughts for me:
how traditions are often refreshed and revived for the better
just how resilient we can be in times of difficulty
I want to start with that last one because it sticks with me in a new way this year. It is easy to get caught up in how difficult things are in any given moment. The last eight months have certainly been awful with Covid ravaging around the globe, but let's notice how well people have been adapting and, in many cases, thriving, in this environment. I have an example specific to the parade, but let's first look at my field of educational theatre.
As you may know, school theatre programs were unceremonious and suddenly shut down in mid-March as schools and municipalities were forced to close to prevent the spread of Covid. My students and I were informed of the postponement of our production of Into the Woods just minutes before the end of the school day on opening night. Delivering that news to the cast and crew on that day was the most difficult thing I've ever done. However, those students were so incredibly resilient. We had the opportunity to get back a significant portion of our rental costs for the backdrop and costumes if we boxed them up and shipped them back THAT DAY. A significant number jumped right to the task. That act of strength in the face of heavy disappointment has allowed us to secure the rights to a bigger show at a very reasonable cost this year. We are thankful for Charles H. Stewart Backdrops, The Costumer, and MTI for their flexibility throughout all of that last year. It leaves us in a great position to do whatever possible to put up a show this spring.
I share that story to highlight how school theatre programs, as well as local and regional theatres, across the country are working extra hard to create opportunities for their students and communities to gather safely and experience the art of live theatre. Many schools are filming their shows and streaming to paying audiences (our likely process this spring). In some locations, even in my home state of New Jersey, it is possible for small, socially distanced groups to attend live performances in the theatre spaces... something that Broadway cannot allow. Yet, all this time, there is such a heavy focus on how Broadway is closed down. We are out here making theatre happen and I strongly encourage those craving live performance to support their school theatre programs and community playhouses!
There will be a lot of school theatres breaking with tradition in order to mount productions this year. As I recently told my students, the one thing we can be sure if is that we can't be sure of how anything will ultimately go. Macy's and NBC found a way to break with tradition and give us a refreshed and captivating Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday. While it was odd to see the parade without people lining the streets, and the daylight and clear weather in some segments were obvious signs that some portions were previously recorded, the result was exciting! I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the Land Acknowledgement and Wampanoag Blessing and the inclusion of groups from some of New York City's other parades. This was a great way to liven up the event and give us something that we don't always get to see. I hope these can become regular segments of the parade and that Macy's & NBC can further explore avenues to bring in performances and groups that aren't commonly seen on television. Frankly, they could cut back on more of the pop stars and celebrities in order to do it. Maybe adopt more of a variety show type atmosphere? That's what makes shows like NBC's America's Got Talent so appealing. Where else do you "fringe" performers like spoken-word poet Brandon Leake, ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer, or dog shows like Olate Dogs, celebrated so publicly?
In the end, I'm grateful to have a new perspective from which to view my own work and popular entertainment in general. The holiday season is a great time to dream about new beginnings in the New Year. What great examples for me - and for all of us - to embrace as we continue to move forward throughout it all.
After a great, yet unconventional school year, I am eager to get back. This is the first summer where I know my course load and the first time that I can go into September with plans in place. Previously, I've either been hired just before school began - or with the school year already in session, left in the dark about classes until arriving at school for the first professional development day. I'm further ahead in my planning than in those situations, but I'm getting ready with such a large question mark about how exactly our hybrid school model will pan out. That is the case for every teacher in America who hasn't yet begun school - it is frustrating, but necessary.
The biggest question right now is what form the winter musical might take. Choices are limited because of the need to secure streaming rights for the performance. I do have a show in mind and am eager to start planning because it will be a big undertaking if we can perform "normally" - we have no idea if we will be able to bring an audience together in March. I know that March is months away, but I always start planning this far out.
It's the inertia that is so frustrating at this point. Planning and preparation is necessary, but I don't want to waste that precious time doing things that may be unnecessary depending upon the circumstances.
Remote learning was challenging. That's no surprise and while each stakeholder has their own reasons why, we can all agree that it was a challenge. But from my perspective as both a teacher and a parent, it was a challenge well-received and one that - after a series of significant hiccups - went pretty well.
That's not a consensus view, I know. Plenty of people want school buildings to open up rather than struggle with the challenges of remote learning again. I miss working directly with my students and want to return, too. I'm all for a return, provided that we can do so safely. The rising numbers in my neck of the woods is troubling and hopefully we can get things under control before September. I'm also fortunate that my school district is starting a week later than most in order to finish some major construction projects at the middle school/high school complex. We are six weeks from the first day. The district is also planning very thoroughly and the plan currently under consideration is sensible and oriented toward safety for us all.
Whatever the return to school buildings (NOTE: not to "school" as some people will claim. Schools didn't close in March, the buildings did. We all continued with school even when working from home - an important distinction)... the return NOT be a return to normal. I think that under it all what we really want when talking about going back to school is a return to "normal". That leaves me in an interesting place where I am planning for something that is not quite clear, or understandable. But that's all things, isn't it? No matter how often we've experienced a certain something, or know what that something has been, it is never the same one year to the next - not even one day to the other. That idea is important to keep me from overthinking things. I'm going to plan for my classes and be more open than ever to the unknown of our hybrid classroom/remote learning model.
I'm excited to return. It's all I can think about and I'm doing my best to temper that excitement so as not to overwhelm my supervisors with questions and ideas that need to take a backseat to the pressing details of just how we all get back into the building safely.
That excitement comes from a love of my work and is further fueled by frustration. We had incredible excitement and momentum surrounding the high school winter musical and the new Theatre classes at the middle school. I know the students feel that frustration, too, and suspect that it will fuel them as it does me. Above all else, this whole experience reminds me the importance of grit and resilience and the need to just keep swimming, especially when the current gets rough.
This is my third consecutive year teaching in the classroom (not counting the one year immediately after grad school). My journey to this work has been anything but traditional, which I think is one of the biggest benefits that I bring to the position I am in today. And not just content-wise as a theater teacher, but because of what I learned about audience engagement. My daily audience is my students; however, they're not the audience to whom I'm referring. Student engagement is important, of course, but so is engagement with the families and community outside of the school.
Audience engagement is important inside and outside the classroom
Dr. Joe Sanfelippo is the superintendent of Fall Creek School District in Wisconsin. His One Minute Walk to Work videos are a great resource for educators, but also a master class in leadership. In a recent Tweet, Dr. Sanfelippo talked about regularly connecting with parents, not just in the moments where we need them, or need to inform them. I've recently found how important that part of the job is. In the short time I have been in my current job, a number of parents have told me how much they appreciated hearing from me. Building those relationships is important for a child's education. I've taken steps this 3rd quarter to reach out to parents more often, but also emphasized the idea that Theatre is a communication between actors and audience. That skill is at the heart of my curriculum and surprisingly something in need of development in our society of advanced technology meant to bring us closer together. Just two weeks in now and already it seems as if students are creating with each other quicker and with less hesitation than in previous quarters. I hope this will lead to deeper collaboration by the end of our 10-week session. At the high school, I hope to achieve my goal of expanding the student theatre program's social media presence will have long-term benefits. Our first gauge will be how well increased communication and engagement works with regard to ticket sales for the upcoming musical (Into the Woods - March 12, 13, 14). Perhaps from there, a link can be made to the transferable marketing skills developed in the theatre classroom.
Theatre In Our Schools Month kicks off today and for the first time I am participating as the leader of a school drama club. Our state Thespian chapter shared a series of prompts for the occasion that were created by Thespian Troupe #5840 at Gloucester County Institute of Technology. I have adopted and shared these with the community at Lacey Township High School with the goal of getting as many students, teachers, staff, and community members involved in celebrating. While I look forward to seeing what they share, I am also excited to share a few things myself, particularly today with the prompt:
“Favorite song that you have performed or want to perform”
I am a huge musical theatre nerd. The history of the genre is fascinating to me and I have also been known to burst into song on occasion. This is something I usually try to keep under wraps, of course (unless I’m teaching upper elementary or middle school students whose appalled amusement is quite enjoyable), so it may come as a surprise to some reading this blog (and not quite a surprise to others, like those who live in my house).
Finding just one favorite song for this prompt is tricky. So here are a few that might fit the bill:
1. “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’!” from Oklahoma!
I’ve written about this song before and how much I like Hugh Jackman’s performance of it. This is an easy song to sing and I think I manage it pretty well in the car. Not a role I’d ever want to play, nor is it one in which I’d be cast. The character’s name (Curly) isn’t accidental!
2. “If I Can’t Love Her” from Beauty and the Beast
Similar to “Mornin’”, this is a great song to sing and way back when I was an auditioning actor (as opposed to a working one), this was one of my go-to songs. It fit my range well and the emotional depth of the song is moving. Terrence Mann sung the song well, but Josh Groben's pretty good, too.
3. “A Little Priest” from Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. It has all of the Sondheim qualities to enjoy and is an amalgamation of performance styles that feel appropriate to, if not actually of, the Victorian era in which the story is set. “A Little Priest” is a good music hall / vaudeville routine that swings across the emotional and psychological spectrum of the murderous, vengeful Todd. I have never played Sweeney Todd - and would gladly welcome the chance to do so -, but did perform the song during my freshman year of college. In my undergraduate program, senior Honors students research and present a performance thesis at the end of the year. I was cast with three other students to perform a musical revue that included “A Little Priest” and the preceding “Epiphany” (another excellent song).
Click here to see Angela Lansbury & George Hearn perform this song.
4. “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid
That may seem like a goof, but file this song under “favorite that you want to perform” for me. A few years back, I was teaching a playwriting residency to a large group of 4th and 5th graders. We were talking about how sometimes a play is fueled by a character who wants, or needs, something that they feel they must have. This song popped into my head and I went with it... actually, I began singing it… and it worked. Ariel has everything she could possibly have, but what she really wants is a whole world away from her. We all feel like that at some point in our lives. It is also a good touchstone for younger audience members from elementary school to high school who can’t wait to get older and get out into the world to see what is beyond what they’ve always known.
Obviously, I will never play Ariel, but if there was ever a “miscast” performance like they do at MCC Theatre’s annual gala, this would be a song I’d like to sing. Or perhaps even “Never Go Back to Before” from Ragtime. That’s a good one, too.
5. "Lily’s Eyes" from The Secret Garden
When this show opened on Broadway, I fell in love with it to the point of jealousy when my sister received a copy of the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. We lobbied to produce the play in college and when it was chosen for the season during my junior year, my friend Lou and I auditioned with “Lily’s Eyes”. We were cast in the roles of Archie & Neville Craven, respectively, and sang this song quite often. I couldn’t get enough of it. The song still moves me today and is absolutely the most favorite song I have performed.
For a while now I have been thinking about how much theatre - musical theatre in particular - has been a source of comfort and joy throughout my life. This morning, my commute was infinitely improved with the discovery of a long-lost Ragtime soundtrack. So, I thought it a good time to begin what I hope can be a regular series about show tunes. One song recently on my mind is “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” from Oklahoma! I realize there are some people who see Oklahoma! as naive, or even “cheesey”, and I will admit that I felt that way about it for quite some time. But after discovering the 1998 Royal National Theatre production on PBS a few years ago, I’ve been converted. That production, directed by Susan Stroman, had a realistic quality to it in which the characters felt as close to real people as a musical with dancing cowboys and farmers could possibly be. Plus, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” is an easy song to sing and holds an interesting place in American theatre history with a connection to today’s “history maker”, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. Both Oklahoma! and Hamilton are considered “ground breaking” in their time. We understand how that moniker can be given to Hamilton, but perhaps it is less obvious for Oklahoma! The Rodgers and Hammerstein staple was an experiment in musical theatre when it premiered in 1943. Musical theatre at the time followed a typical structure with song-and-dance numbers and action reminiscent of Vaudeville and other variety entertainments. However, when the curtain rises on Oklahoma!, Aunt Eller sits alone on stage as Curley enters the scene singing the opening number all on his own. In the HBO documentary Six by Sondheim, Stephen Sondheim, who was a protege of Oscar Hammerstein II, describes this as an example of how Hammerstein’s greatest influence in American theatre is his work as “an experimental playwright”. Sondheim himself would further alter the musical theatre structure with his self-described “conversational songs” and word play. Things brings us to Hamilton, which alters musical theatre structure again with the inclusion of rap and hip-hop into conventional theatre. More directly, there is a line of mentorship between these three artists. As Sondheim was mentored by Hammerstein, Miranda learned from Sondheim (who Miranda affectionately calls “Sondheezy”). (This lineage has a role in the history of American young playwrights programs, too.) This clip from the 1998 production at the Royal National Theatre in London is the version I enjoy the most. If you haven't seen it in full, check it out on the PBS website. I also use this video when lecturing about musical theatre, or in some playwriting workshops with young people. Hugh Jackman is a big appeal, especially to those students who know him primarily as Wolverine. (And wow, can he sing!)
