We're Back!

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!

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Drive and the Student Actor

This past week, I began reading Daniel Pink's book, Drive. (I know that I'm late to the party on this one, but many things happen only when it's time). I'm one chapter in and already a fan of Pink's thesis that human motivation is not necessarily driven by rewards (money, fame, praise, etc). There's something more intrinsic involved. That makes a lot of sense to me and I'm eager to find out more.

One quote from the first chapter really hit home for me: "If you need me to motivate you, I probably don't want to hire you." While the source comes from a "business leader, who didn't want to be identified", I immediately related it to casting actors and team building in the collaborative realm of theatre. I've adapted that into the quote in the graphic on this post. It's harsher than what I would say to a student, but it is easy to imagine it being said outside of the school setting and in the "real world" - professional theatre and beyond!

Student actors often ask me what they can do to really stand out in an audition. Whether that audition is for me or for another director, I tend to give two pieces of advice: make a choice and be open to direction. It's less about being the best and more about being eager to work. If you're not eager or excited to do the work necessary to perform in a show, then you're going to have a hard time doing that work. It goes for theatre; it goes for anything.

Sometimes people just aren't "into it" and, for some things, that's fine. When it comes to school theatre, I want to work with anyone who wants to put in the work to create an exciting experience with me. What I look for in student artists are motivation and excitement. However, I don't expect anyone to be as excited about the work as I am. (I LOVE this stuff).

More to come as I keep reading, I'm sure!

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Who is school theatre for?

Back in March, I wrote a post exploring my initial thoughts about the role of a school theatre program within the larger school community. A few weeks later, I created a brief survey that I sent to the membership of my high school drama club to gain insight on students' perspectives of the program and its function. About 20% of the students who received the survey provided a response. The results were generally what I expected:

students participated in their school theatre program as a creative outlet and because it was a place where they felt comfortable to be themselves

Those within the drama club frequently refer to it as a "family". I've only been at the school for two years, but what I've seen supports the kind of inclusion you might assume when you read or hear that word.

On the flip side, families can be exclusive groups, too. The next logical step is to explore the perception of the program from those who are outside the family... or is it?

Who is school theatre for? The quick and obvious answer is it is for the students who are active members; however, the primary function of the club is to present stories that are seen by those who exist outside of the family. It is an interesting tight rope to maneuver. That dichotomy also makes school theatre an incredible training ground for collaboration, empathy, and leadership.

More on that in a future post. In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you balance the need for school theatre to serve its students members and the community audience? Is there a point where one may take precedence over the other?

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