The Drama Teacher Podcast

Episode 214: Theatre as a teaching tool The drama classroom is not just a place for games and play time. You can use theatre as a teaching tool - perhaps the most important one students will ever receive. That's the philosophy of long time drama teacher Michelle Huerta and she has grown and changed over the years as her students have grown and changed. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy School Daze Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 214. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode214. Today is a lovely conversation. It's one of those ones that, you know, it starts in one place and ends up in another. You know, I say that and then, well, I suppose all conversations do that, don't they? We don't just stay in one place. Otherwise, all the words would just dump all on top of each other and you wouldn't be able to understand anything. Now, I'm thinking about conversations that tumble on top of each other. This tangent is brought to you by Theatrefolk.com. Our guest today is a 30-year teacher veteran and, frankly, I love what she has to say about being a long-term teacher. I love what she has to say about 21st century students. I love her advice for new teachers and I know that you are going to love it, too. Let's get to it. I'll see you on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am so excited today to be talking to Michelle Huerta. Hello, Michelle! MICHELLE: Hi Lindsay! How are you? LINDSAY: Fantastic! First of all, please let everybody know where you are in the world today. MICHELLE: I am in Austin, Texas – very far southwest part of Austin, Texas. LINDSAY: Very nice. How long have you been a teacher? MICHELLE: I have been teaching for over 30 years. LINDSAY: I like the laugh before you thought. It was like, “Oh, my goodness, 30 years.” MICHELLE: Yeah, yeah. LINDSAY: Let's talk about that for a second. That's fantastic. How do you feel about teaching for 30 years? MICHELLE: I can't believe that it's been that long. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. But, whenever I say it, I realize that means I must be old if I've been teaching that long. But I love teaching middle school and I've been teaching middle school now for about 25 years. LINDSAY: Let's talk about that for a second. What keeps you teaching? MICHELLE: The kids. I just love working with the kids. I think, middle school, a lot of people go, “Oh, you teach middle school? Oh, my gosh!” but I actually love middle school compared to high school because, in high school, they're getting to that age a lot of times where they're a little jaded. They think they're a little bit too cool. In middle school, there's still that excitement about learning new things and figuring things out. I really enjoy their enthusiasm and it makes me energized, if that makes any sense. I know a lot of people would think that's crazy – that it usually makes you tired – but, their energy, I feed off of it. It's just great. LINDSAY: I think that just means that you've actually found and lived the thing you were meant to do, right? – when it energizes you instead of exhausts you. MICHELLE: Exactly. LINDSAY: Here's a great question. It's really interesting. I talk to a lot of new teachers in a lot of situations where there's a lot of turnover of teachers. Since I have a 30-year veteran on the line here, do you think that students have changed in your time of teaching? MICHELLE: They have. They've changed and so has education a little bit. I know we teachers that have been in the field for a long time say, “Oh, this is the same thing, it's just a different name.” But, I think, especially in the last few years with the use of technology,

Episode 213: Happy Birthday Frankenstein! It's Frankenstein's Birthday this month! Or more accurately, it's the birthday of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of the classic gothic romance Frankenstein. Drama teacher and playwright Laramie Dean talks about writing his adaptation of the novel (Frankenstein Among the Dead), what it's like to take on this iconic work and writing for his students. How do you adapt it to the high school stage and high school budgets? How do you adapt it so there is more variety in the gender roles? (PS: there are great parts for girls in his play!) Show Notes Frankenstein Among the Dead Laramie Dean Podcast: This Place Scares Us on Frankenstein Among the Dead Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 213, and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode213. Did you know it's Frankenstein's birthday this month? Happy birthday, Frankenstein! Well, more accurately, it is the birthday of Mary – oh, I'm going to say this so wrong – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley – Mary Shelley – the author of the classic gothic romance, Frankenstein. Our guest today tackled this iconic story and adapted it into a play – a play for high schools. Not an easy feat, right? There are many movie adaptations, many parodies. “It's Frankens-teen, not Frankenstein.” That was the worst ever, don't you think? I think! Many versions of the monster. How do you make it theatrical? How do you adapt it to the high school stage and high school budget? How do you make it current to the student climate? We can't publish a play that's all guys and all the great parts. So many questions! Let's get to the answers. I'll see you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello! Thank you everybody for listening! I'm here today with Laramie Dean. LARAMIE: Hello, Lindsay! LINDSAY: Tell everybody where in the world you are. LARAMIE: I am in Missoula, Montana. LINDSAY: Missoula, Montana. Very nice. We're going to talk about a lot of things. We're going to talk about you. We're going to talk about Frankenstein Among the Dead which is this lovely – let's see – this lovely thing. It's a brand-new play here at Theatrefolk. We're going to start with you and teaching. How long have you been a drama teacher? LARAMIE: I started teaching theatre in 2003 as an assistant to one of the professors of the University of Montana where I had just recently finished my bachelor's degree in acting and I was sort of at odds. I didn't know what I wanted to do anymore. Dr Jillian Campana – who is a huge influence on me and my career – asked me to come and assistant direct the university's production of The Laramie Project. I had never directed before. She said, “Oh, you'll be great, you'll be great!” We had a freshman in the program. He was very hard to reach, and she was having trouble directing him. She said, “You work with this guy after rehearsal.” I was like, “Ah, umm…” I sat down with him and we talked. I gave him some suggestion and some direction. He changed for the better and, all of a sudden, I went, “Oh, my god, I can do this. I'm actually good at this.” I went back to grad school and Jillian gave me lots of opportunities with TA and then I got my own classes and I had a playwriting class. Finally, several years down the road, I decided to become a high school theatre teacher and ended up with my job at Hellgate High School which is the most fantastic name a theatre teacher like me could possibly work at. LINDSAY: Well, we're going to talk a little bit about horror and that, I think, is just an even better school title when you like horror and you write horror. You work at Hellgate High. I just think that's fantastic. LARAMIE: I agree!

Episode 212: Drama Teachers: Take back the classics Julie Hartley wants you to take back the classics. Lose the idea that Shakespeare is high brow and just for people who only have a grasp of the language. Listen in to learn a practical and classroom driven approach to a classical text. Show Notes Julie Hartley website Centauri Arts Camp Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 212. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode212. Today, we are talking the classics – the “classics” with quotation marks and fancy fonts. For example, classics, Shakespeare!' Now, we're not just talking Shakespeare, we're not just talking the classics. We are specifically talking about taking back the classics. The word “classic” has such a connotation to it, right? It makes some people think of a piece that is beyond them. “Oh, it's so uber important! Oh, it's a classic!” Or the opposite. “It's dusty and boring and completely irrelevant to the current times.” Our guest today wants you to trash both those notions. Shakespeare is current and relevant. Shakespeare should not be put on a pedestal. I love it! I love her approach, and I know you will, too! Let's get to it. I'll see you on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello everyone! I am here today, talking with Julie Hartley. Hello, Julie! JULIE: Hi! LINDSAY: First of all, could you tell everybody where in the world you are? JULIE: Physically, right now, I am in Toronto. I work generally all across Southern Ontario. LINDSAY: Very cool. Very cool. When this goes to air, it will be hopefully nice spring weather and maybe even summer weather. Right now, though, I think we're both dealing with a little bit of winter fatigue. How was the ice storm where you are? JULIE: Hopefully, it's clearing up today. It was pretty bad over the weekend, though. We're definitely ready for spring here. LINDSAY: I know it, I know it. I know too that spring for you means something kind of exciting. We're going to be talking about Shakespeare, and particularly how you can take classical text and really make them come alive in the classroom. Julie, you were many hats, and one of your great hats is an arts summer camp. Talk about that for just a second. JULIE: Yeah, sure! We've been doing this for the past 24 years. What we do is, every summer, we bring together up to 500 children and teenagers from all over the world. They come and join us at a big center down in the Niagara region, and we bring together arts professionals – mostly from all over Canada – who offer specialized courses for the teenagers. In theatre, we have everything from stage combat, clown, improvisation, comedy. We have programs that focus on scene study and other programs that focus on devised theatre. Pretty much, I guess, a child or a teenager could come to us every summer for about five to six years and never cover the same material twice. They have so many different focuses they can choose from, all of them to do with theatre. It's a summer camp, but it's also an arts training ground for kids in the summer. LINDSAY: I think it's wonderful. And the name of your camp? JULIE: It's Centauri Summer Arts Camp. LINDSAY: Very nice. Very nice. You've had quite a journey because you didn't start in Canada. You started in the north of England. I think everybody knows that you are from England, but I'll just say it. How long have you been in Canada? JULIE: I've been in Canada now for 25 years. We emigrated in order to set up the camp and it was successful, so we stayed here, and we built an arts career for ourselves here. I was a teacher in the UK before we emigrated. LINDSAY: I know that you do a lot.

Episode 211: Putting together a touring high school show How do you put together a touring show with your students? Drama Teacher Mike Yoson and his advanced production class completed their first tour this past year. Listen in to hear the successes and struggles of this fabulous project. Show Notes The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 211. Woot, woot! And you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode211. All right. I love starting with questions. I have so many questions for you! And then, it becomes interactive. You can answer. I can't hear you but… well, actually, yes. Yes, I can. Of course, I can. I always hear you. Do you have an advanced theatre class? Are you looking for a new challenge? What about a touring show? Can you imagine putting that together with your students? Eh? Yes? No? Never? Maybe? Well, our guest today did just that, and you – lucky you – get to find out all the successes and struggles of this fabulous project. So, let's get to it. I'll see you on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello everyone! Lindsay Price here from Theatrefolk. Thanks for joining me! I am talking with drama teacher – Mike Yoson. Hello, Mike! MIKE: Hello! How are you? LINDSAY: I'm fabulous! I'm fabulous! So, tell everybody where in the world you are. MIKE: I am in Piscataway, New Jersey. That's the central area of New Jersey, about an hour outside of New York. LINDSAY: Very cool, very cool. How long have you been a drama teacher? MIKE: This is my third year – fairly new. LINDSAY: That's okay. That's all right. We know lots of people who are new. What was it about teaching? What drew you to teaching drama? MIKE: Sure. I grew up being the biggest drama kid ever. I actually went to school for acting. I went to school in New York for that. And then, after I lived there for four years, I came back to New Jersey and I ended up working at a school for students with multiple disabilities as an aide. It was a school that I'd worked at in the past and I ended up having a full-year job there. Through my time at that school, I realized, “Hey! I think teaching is a really cool thing to do and I really enjoy it.” So, I decided to combine my two passions. I went back to school, got my theatre ed certifications, and started teaching high school. LINDSAY: Have you been at the same school since you started? MIKE: Yes, Piscataway High School. LINDSAY: But it's a very specific shift, eh? MIKE: Oh, yeah. LINDSAY: To go from “I want to be a performer” to “I want to be in the classroom.” What do you think it is about being in the classroom that that's the thing that you wanted to pursue? MIKE: Well, I loved my high school theatre days. I look back on it so passionately. I just think it was so much fun. Once I started delving into the teaching, I realized how cool it was to expose kids to theatre for the first time or even develop their skills if they were “theatre kids” from birth like I was. Just to see them grow and develop and find a new passion or just find a place where they can grow more confidence. That's what I love about teaching theatre. LINDSAY: You've been doing it for three years now. What's one thing that was pretty unexpected about teaching that they didn't really prepare you for when you went to school? MIKE: Hmm… LINDSAY: Unless you had an amazing teacher, unless you had an amazing school. MIKE: I had great professors and everything. I guess the biggest – how do I say it? – obstacle starting teaching was that not every kid is super passionate about what I'm teaching or what we're doing in class. My first year specifically because, when I came into my position,

Episode 210: A Facilitating a student led production Have you ever sat back and let your students take control of a play? How do you let students learn from the struggles throughout the process, rather than making the decisions for them?  Drama teacher Saran Hankins shares her experience facilitating a student driven production. Show Notes Shuddersome The Myths at the Edge of the World Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 210, and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode210. Today, we're talking about student-driven work. Have you ever sat back and let your students take control of a play? Now, how does that make you feel? Does that make you feel excited, nervous, nauseous? How do you let students learn from the struggles that they'll find throughout the production process rather than making the decisions for them? That's exactly what our guest did with a recent production of Shuddersome, and it is a great conversation, so let's get to it! I'll see you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello everyone! Thank you for joining us! I am here with Sarah Hankins. Hello, Sarah! SARAH: Hello! LINDSAY: So, first of all, please tell everybody where in the world you are right now. SARAH: I am at Clinton High School in Clinton, Mississippi. LINDSAY: Nice, very nice, and how long have you been at your school? SARAH: This is my third year teaching at Clinton High School. LINDSAY: Oh, and how long have you been a drama teacher? SARAH: This is my seventh year. I'm about to finish up my seventh year. LINDSAY: Very good. Okay. So, seven years in, what is the thing that keeps you teaching? SARAH: Honestly, the students because they change so much, and you just get to build these relationships with them that, you know, your normal classroom teachers don't have. So, they honestly keep me coming back, day after day. LINDSAY: Awesome. Well, that's good. It's good to have something that keeps you coming back. I know that's not the case for everybody. What was it that made you want to go into teaching and being a drama teacher? SARAH: Well, funny thing is – and I just shared this story with students earlier – I actually swore I would never become a school teacher. And then, it just kind of hit me that I would be missing something, and my life wouldn't be as fulfilled if I weren't a school teacher. But my mom is a 36-year veteran of public schools in Mississippi. She retired a couple of years ago. And then, my grandmother was also a teacher, and my sister is also a teacher. So, I guess you could say it runs in our blood. LINDSAY: Oh, man! I can totally see it, though! Surrounded by teachers and go, “This is not for me.” SARAH: Yeah. But, as far as theatre goes, when I was in ninth grade, I did a little bit of theatre here and there – at my church or in my school – but we had a community theatre called Brickstreet Players, and they needed a backstage hand and they asked me – this pipsqueak of a ninth grader to do that – and I got in and I met some wonderful people. And then, I met my mentor, and it just worked out where I found my passion. And so, I'm able to utilize that passion. I was given the opportunity to teach theatre and it's been a journey ever since. LINDSAY: Awesome! What's the most memorable thing that your mentor has ever said to you? SARAH: Oh, gosh! Probably that theatre can be summed up in one word, and that is “reaction” and that's really what life is. It's reacting to everything that's around you because you're not just one person. And so, that really helped open my eyes and helped me to start discovering who I was as a person. And then, in turns,

Episode 209: Page to Stage: What can you learn in 48 hours? What can you learn when you put up a show from page to stage in 48 hours? Teacher and playwright Scott Giessler shares his experience. If you want your students to have an immediate lesson in problem solving this is the conversation for you! Show Notes Life, Off Book Finishing Sentences Oddball Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! Here is the question of the episode: “What can you learn when you put up a play in 48 hours?” I'm just going to let that resonate with you. Play to stage in just two days – not two months, not a year – two days! So, this 48-hour play project, that's what our guest did today with his students, and he's going to share his experience with this great project, this great problem-solving project. Aha! Everything is a learning experience. Now, I have to warn you, the sound may be a little wonky. When we recorded it, there was bad weather on my end, bad weather on his end, so that's what I'm blaming it on – weather! But what Scott has to say is so lovely. Oh, I really love this conversation, so hang in there. I'm going to hang in there. You do it, too. All right? Let's do it. LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am here, talking to Scott Giessler. Hello, Scott! SCOTT: Hello! LINDSAY: So, tell everybody where in the world you are. SCOTT: I am calling from very cold, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. LINDSAY: I hear you. I feel you. I'm hoping that, when this goes up, maybe it won't be so cold, but you never know! SCOTT: Yeah. LINDSAY: Scott, you are a teacher and playwright, so let's just start with the teacher first. How long have you been a drama teacher? SCOTT: I've been doing it for 17 years, and it's been a pretty steady job at that. I started in 2001 and I've been just working at it ever since. LINDSAY: What made you want to get into the teaching aspect? SCOTT: Okay. Well, I had another life before this where I was working in the commercial sector because I went to college and I wanted to be a screenwriter. After I left college, I went through several different jobs in the commercial sector, just in the entertainment biz – both in Boston. Then, I moved to LA and did a little work there. There was just a point where I started to realize that there was kind of that big, empty hole in my life of, you know, these jobs are interesting on some level, but I couldn't care any less about them. And then, it all came to a head when I'd gotten laid off at a job and I just couldn't imagine applying for any other jobs that were available. My wife and I sat down and sort of talked about it. We developed a plan to move back east to New Hampshire where I'd spent a lot of my summers. When I got here, as it turned out, the local high school was looking for a theatre teacher. So, things really kind of magically came together for me, all in the summer of 2001, and they hired me on a wing and a prayer because I had no credentials at the time. Eventually, you know, it started off as just sort of a stipend job when I was a study hall monitor, and I think I taught a theatre class in middle school while I was getting my certification. Eventually, they hired me on full-time at the high school. LINDSAY: And now, it's 17 years later. SCOTT: It is! LINDSAY: Okay. SCOTT: Unbelievably, yeah! LINDSAY: It's very frightening how time just sort of magically melts, isn't it? SCOTT: Lindsay, you ain't kidding. LINDSAY: And, the older I get, the faster it melts. SCOTT: Yes. LINDSAY: So, that's how you got into it. 17 years later, why is this the job that stuck? Why are you still in it all this time later? SCOTT: Man, well, you know, I'll tell you, I'm not really certain. I will tell you that,

Episode 208: Production Case Study: You're a Good Man Charlie Brown Bekah Schneider is a teacher in South Korea and there was a lot to overcome with this production: students not knowing the source material, fear of failure, and doing choreography by Skype. After all that this was her best production experience in 20 years. Listen in to learn why! Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Click the photo below to see more from the show!   Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 208, and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode208. Today, we've got a production case study. Oh, production case studies are some of my favorite, favorite episodes. I hope you like them, too! I hope you like them, but I like them because I love learning the how and the why behind a production, and this particular conversation is a real treat. We're talking musicals today – one particular musical – You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Our guest today had quite the experience with the show. Little teaser for you! Let's find out why! I'll see you on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello everybody! Welcome to the podcast! I am talking with Bekah Schneider. Hello, Bekah! BEKAH: Hey there! LINDSAY: First of all, tell everyone where in the world you are. You're in an extra special place. BEKAH: I am in Suwon, South Korea. LINDSAY: This is pretty awesome because I'm doing this recording which will mean nothing to you much later in the time when this gets posted, but it's a Thursday night, and where you are, it's a Friday morning. BEKAH: Yes, it's true. It's very fun. LINDSAY: Yes, I'm sure it is. It must be hilarious when you're trying to communicate home, you know? BEKAH: Yes. Yes, exactly. LINDSAY: How long have you been a drama teacher? BEKAH: I have been a drama teacher officially in school systems, this is year seven. LINDSAY: Were you an unofficial drama teacher? BEKAH: Yeah. Actually, you know, I was a professional actress growing up and I did work in our state and traveled with our state. And then, I was a creative director at the church and did acting classes for students outside of that. I didn't step into formal classroom education until much later in life, but it's been very fun. LINDSAY: What made you want to step into the classroom? BEKAH: I loved what I did working with children, but I knew the influence of working with children would be greater if I had kind of a steady stream of students and classes. I am a single parent. And so, from a work perspective, teaching was something that I was passionate about already with the schedule and then working with children, and it just kind of all fit together. I get to do what I want to do which is drama. And so, I love it. I absolutely love it. LINDSAY: How did you end up in Korea? BEKAH: Ah! Now, that is a story! My brother actually moved to Korea twenty years ago and has been in the international school scene. There's quite a large community. In fact, even with our DTA community, there's many of us from all over the world. And so, he had been over here for twenty years and called me and said, “There's a job and you should apply.” I said, “No, I'm super happy.” He's my older brother, so he kind of bullied me and harassed me into at least looking at it. And then, I applied confident that I would never get the job and confident that we would never move and, you know, we did. So, we've been overseas for three years now. It's been really fun. We really felt like just the series of events that orchestrated us over here were pretty phenomenal and really unexpected. It wasn't something we were looking for, but I'm so glad we're here. LINDSAY: What's the makeup of the students that y...

Episode 207: A Fabulous Theatre Fundraiser Don't you want to learn more about a fabulous theatre fundraiser idea? Of course you do. Listen to drama teacher Alyssa Pitner talk about creating a haunted house with her students. Take notes now, implement in the fall! Show Notes Horror Movie 101 Shuddersome: Tales of Poe The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Bottom of the Lake Frankenstein Among the Dead Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo Ashland Falls Close Encounters of the Undead Kind The Haunting of Chip Lake Lodge   Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Oh, I hope you're well. I hope you're well! Are you okay? Maybe I'm not so okay. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 207. And you can find any links – there are a lot of links – any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode207. Today, we're having a little chat about fundraising, specifically a fabulous theatre fundraising idea. Don't you want to learn about a fabulous theatre fundraising idea that you could do? Of course! Our guest today has that fabulous theatre fundraising idea and it's not just an idea. She implemented it. She implements it every year and she's going to share it with all of you. So, get your pen and paper, get your phone out to take notes, listen in and get all the info, so it's something that you can implement this fall. While we're talking about the fall, if you are looking for the perfect play to produce around Halloween – yes, this all fits in with our talk today – I'm doing a little teaser. Make sure you click the show notes. We have so many great plays that delve into theatrical horror. Zombie makeup unit, anyone? Click the show notes at Theatrefolk.com/episode207. I'm going to share more news, more titles at the end. I'll see you on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello! I am here talking to Alyssa Pitner. Hello, Alyssa! ALYSSA: Hi! LINDSAY: All right! Now, tell everyone where in the world you are right now. ALYSSA: I am in Queen Creek, Arizona, at Casteel High School. LINDSAY: Very cool. And the weather? Is it still warm there? ALYSSA: Oh, yeah. It's not even really sweater weather yet. Oh, well. LINDSAY: Ah, too bad, too bad. ALYSSA: I know. I don't have to shovel snow or scrape ice off my windshield. My life's so hard. LINDSAY: And how long have you been a drama teacher? ALYSSA: I've been a drama teacher now for three years. LINDSAY: Oh, cool. ALYSSA: I'm a newbie, but… LINDSAY: You're new. Let's talk about that for a second. What made you want to become a teacher and specifically a drama teacher? ALYSSA: I wanted to be a teacher since I was a kid because I got some weird thrill when I was younger of grading my brother's homework which I don't get that thrill anymore as an actual teacher. But, when I was in high school, I had a theatre teacher who let me direct a one-act, and I fell in love. It was the coolest experience of my high school career, and I was like, “I want to do this forever!” and I realized I could. So, that's what I'm doing. LINDSAY: I talk to a lot of people who start off in that performing track and then the love of teaching overtakes. Was it always teaching for you? ALYSSA: I love performing and I love performing in high school and I thought about pursuing it, but I wanted to be a teacher, so that's where I stayed. LINDSAY: That's good. We need people who actually love teaching and want to do it. So, that's an actual good thing. So, you've been doing it for three years now. What is something that has surprised you about being a teacher? ALYSSA: Something that surprised me? The amount of paperwork is insane, sometimes. Like, IEP paperwork if I go for that kind of stuff. And how much – as a theatre teacher,

Episode 206: Monologue Competitions: How to compete confidently How can you encourage your students to compete with confidence? Learn from the source! Student Kelsey Gilmore was chosen as critics choice for monologues and best in show in her district for her monologue performance. What did she do? How did she prepare? Show Notes All things monologue at theatrefolk.com Stressed Have You Heard Puzzle Pieces Myth-o-logues A Box of Puppies Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 206. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode206. Today, we're talking monologues and, more specifically, monologue competitions. Do you take your students to monologue competitions? Do you have your students perform monologues in the classroom? How is it going for you? Going okay? Want to do better? How can you encourage your students to compete with confidence? Well, I think the best way is to learn from the source. We're going to talk today to a student who has had great success this year in competition. If you are looking for monologues for your students, if you just can't listen to the same monologues over and over and over again, we can help. We can help! We can help! All you've got to do is look in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode206. I've put a link in there to Theatrefolk's monologue collections, monologue plays. We have a few! In our monologue books, all the monologues come from published plays, and it's a one-stop shop to find those plays! Theatrefolk.com! Okay. I will see you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello everyone! I am here with Kelsey Gilmore. Hello, Kelsey! KELSEY: Hello! LINDSAY: First off, tell everybody where in the world you are right now. KELSEY: I am in Tallahassee, Florida. LINDSAY: Awesome! You are a senior, right? KELSEY: Yes, ma'am! LINDSAY: Excellent. The reason you are talking is that you did something very exciting last weekend at your district thespian festival. Not only were you chosen for critic's choice for monologues, but you also won best in show. KELSEY: I did! LINDSAY: Congratulations! KELSEY: Thank you so much! LINDSAY: We're just going to kind of talk to you about what you did to prepare for districts and what it's like to compete and maybe some advice for some folks who are listening – our listeners, our teachers, and drama students. I know a lot of them have students who go into competition and are frustrated sometimes with competition. Let's start off with some background. Have you competed at districts every year? KELSEY: I competed my sophomore and junior year. I didn't do it in freshman year, though. LINDSAY: Do you remember what your first competition was like? I know it was a long time ago. KELSEY: It was very nerve-racking. There were so many people and so much talent. I was like, “Oh! Oh, wow! Wow! Okay… This is new! So many thespians in one place! That's very cool!” LINDSAY: District run is pretty huge, too. So, I can imagine it was overwhelming. KELSEY: I actually won critic's choice my first year, but that was for a large group musical. We didn't win best in show, but it was a big feat for me to win critic's choice with that musical number. LINDSAY: Did it change your perspective a little? You know, going into it and you see all the people and you see all the talent and you're like, “I could never do that,” and then to be awarded. Did you go, “Maybe I can do this?” KELSEY: My freshman year or this year when I won best in show? LINDSAY: That first time. KELSEY: Oh, the first time, it still is like, “Wow! This is something completely far away!” But I'm doing it with a group of people. I'm not alone.

Episode 205: Talking Tech Theatre Programs We're talking tech theatre in the classroom. What's the first thing you should buy to build your tech theatre program? How do you design a set when you don't have a theatre program? These questions and more! Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 205 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode205. Today – oh, I was going for it, and then I pulled back. I pulled back! Oh, I pulled back! Ugh. Well, that happens sometimes. Today, we are talking tech theatre. If you are struggling with the tech side of things or you don't have a tech background and you want this for your students, you want to provide this for your students, then this is the conversation for you. It is a great one! At the end, I'll give you a little more information on where you can get some great tech units. I will see you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello everyone! Thanks for tuning in! I am here today with Dan Mellitz. Hello, Dan! DAN: Hi! LINDSAY: I like to start by asking, where in the world are you right now? DAN: Currently, I am in Barrington, Rhode Island, which is one of the many places I have been in the past ten years. But that's where I am located right now. LINDSAY: Awesome! You gave two exams today. We're talking tech today and we're going to get into all about how you got to be where exactly you are right now in Rhode Island, but can you just share what you gave as their final exam? It was the advanced tech students who were making the thing, right? DAN: Their final exam was to build a tech table for our program since we currently don't have one, so they had to team up in two teams and design separate ones and then come together and combine their designs to a final design. And then, together, they built their final design and had to go and make sure all the measurements were correct because they sit over the seats and then they had to make sure it was portable. They did a really good job. I think they need some tweaking. It's gotten a little heavier than it probably should be. But right off the bat was a really good choice as a final project. LINDSAY: Well, not only is it an interesting choice as product, but it's a practical kind of test for them to do and a sort of real-world test, huh? DAN: Yeah, I've done sometimes where it's like you're doing all this – you know, build a platform and build some stairs that you don't really need because I have a million of them – and then you just take them apart and it seems like a waste. This is a very practical item. I've done ones where they've had to build backstage prop tables that are foldable. I like practical items because then I can use them, and they get to see them in action rather than just seeing them get thrown away. LINDSAY: I love that, and I know that people who are listening love that kind of thing, too. Another thing that I think you and I both know is that a lot of people listening are struggling with how on earth they teach tech. They don't have tech backgrounds. They don't have any access to tech. You know, we know lots of people who are putting on shows in their cafeteria. I know that you have got this great website of resource help called The Techie Green Room which everyone listening can find in the show notes. I kind of feel we're totally simpatico and on the same page with helping teachers in any which way we can, right? DAN: Yeah, I think so. LINDSAY: I think that's where you're coming from, right? DAN: Yeah, I think it's a really great place to be. I think there's a lot of other resources out there, and I think I'm definitely not the only one, but I think I'm close to the only one that is ...

Episode 204: When a Play Goes Wrong Have you been there? The cast is fighting, no one knows their lines, maybe the flu has swept through the entire school. There are times when opening night is approaching and you are sure you won't be ready. Drama Teacher Lea Marshall shares her experience with the play that went wrong, what she learned and what she'll change for next time. In educational theatre, EVERYTHING is a learning experience! Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Poster: It's Fun to Do the Impossible Poster: The Show Will Open Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. Hello! I'm Lindsay Price. Hello again! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 204 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode204. Today, our guest today, she is a treasure. She is a treat. She is an amazing resource, and I am always so happy, I am pleased as punch, I am over the moon when she finds time to talk to us, and this is a topic I know everyone has experience with, everyone will want to listen in on, and I know that you have been there. You've been there! The cast is fighting. No one knows their lines. Maybe the flu has swept through your entire school. There are times when opening night is approaching, and you are sure you won't be ready. Maybe you don't even want to be ready. Maybe you just want to walk away from this play altogether. Drama teacher Lea Marshall is going share her experience with the play that went wrong, and what she learned, and what she's going to change for next time because, in educational theatre, everything is a learning experience, right? Right! Okay. I'll see you on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello everyone! Welcome to the podcast! I am here talking to Lea Marshall. Hello, Lea! LEA: Hello! LINDSAY: Tell everybody where you are in the world right now. LEA: I am in North Carolina because I am on break – Thanksgiving break. We got a week this year. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to all of you that did not get a week. We probably won't next year, so I won't gloat too much. I'm in North Carolina, though. I'm usually in Tallahassee, Florida, where I live and teach, but I am in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It's really beautiful here. I'd show you more, but this is the outside of our little Airbnb. My three kids are inside – two of them are in college, and they're actually doing homework. So, I stepped outside in 23 layers. I swear, it's like 50 degrees, but I'm in 23 layers. LINDSAY: Yes, nobody has any sympathy because (a) you have an entire week off – although, when we post this, it'll be March or something, so Thanksgiving means nothing – and (b) you're usually in Florida where it's warm. LEA: Yes. LINDSAY: You have just completed a production of Steel Magnolias. LEA: Yes. LINDSAY: And what you would like to say, because we've had conversations before about other productions. Are you sitting in yoga pants? Are you done with the show? LEA: In my yoga pants. The funniest story is that we did the post-production for To Kill a Mockingbird last time and I was in my yoga pants on the couch. In the middle of production – like, the bad three weeks, the last couple of weeks of it – I re-listened to that only because I needed to remind myself that, one day, again, I would sit on my couch in yoga pants and sound that calm and happy. I want to be back in that space where I remembered how it felt to be done. And so, I listened to that. I was like, “Oh, I need to record another one so that, next time, I can listen to both of them, and remember how it felt to be done – how good it felt.” It will happen. You will, at some point, be done. LINDSAY: That gets us right to what we're talking about today which is what happens when your production becomes the play that goes wrong.

Episode 203: The Creative and Critical Process The creative and critical analysis processes are defined parts of the arts curriculum in Ontario. Students learn the steps to help them acquire knowledge and skill in the arts and then develop their ability to craft an informed response to a work of art. Teacher Luke Bramer talks about his experience using the Creative and Critical process in his classroom. Show Notes Creative Process Creative Process: Reflecting on Original Theatrical Works Creative Process: From Page to Stage Monologue Creative Process 1 Monologue Creative Process 2 Monologue Creative Process 3 Critical Analysis Process Critical Analysis Process Worksheet Critical Analysis Process: Reflecting on Original Theatrical Works Theatrefolk Resources Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 203 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode203. Okay, folks. Today, there are handouts. There are samples, documents, visuals, if you so choose. If you're in your car, please do not download said handouts, samples, documents, and visuals. But I wanted to let you know that they are available, and you can check out everything in the show notes which I just said but I don't mind repeating. That's Theatrefolk.com/episode203. We're talking about a specific curriculum-based process that teachers in my home turf of Ontario, Canada, use, but it's the kind of thing that we're sharing. We're talking about the creative process and the critical analysis process – each of which come with handy dandy graphs which, again, you can find in the show notes – unless you're driving a car. Please do not download the graphs when driving. What is it? Don't download? No download graphs. Do not download graphs while driving. No download while driving. Got it? Got it. We did this conversation first as a Facebook Live and now it's here for you. Sit back, relax, and I'll see you on the other side. LINDSAY: All right, everybody! Hello! Thank you for joining me! Today, I am talking to Luke Bramer. Hello, Luke! LUKE: Hello! How's it going? LINDSAY: Ah, it's going very well! We've recently moved, so we have nothing. It might be a little echo-y, but I think we'll survive. We'll survive. Luke, please tell everybody where in the world you are right now. LUKE: Sure. I am from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I work at Glendale Secondary School as part of the Hamilton-Wentworth District Schoolboard's Audition-Based Program of the Arts. LINDSAY: Oh, Hamilton! In my head, you were in Toronto, but you're actually even closer! LUKE: Yes. LINDSAY: That's pretty awesome! Okay. How long have you been a teacher? LUKE: I've been a teacher for eight years. LINDSAY: And why are you a drama teacher? What was it that drew you to this path? LUKE: For sure. I went to the University of Windsor and took Drama and Education and got really excited about that but loved the theatre portions of it. And so, I did a lot of stage managing while I was there, and I feel like my drama class is now like a show every single day – you know, lots of things to manage. But I got into a program at Glendale specifically and they have a specialized program there, so I got to do a lot more of the theatre and education which is what I really enjoyed doing. LINDSAY: Ah, tell me why! Let's get into why drama and education. I have friends to went to the performance side of Windsor. What was in specifically about teaching that really drew you? LUKE: I've always enjoyed the performance aspects, but actually getting students excited about stuff and actually getting to see them onstage taking over was really terrific. Being at Glendale,

Episode 202: Shakespeare on a Shoestring What does Shakespeare on a shoestring mean? It means no set, no elaborate costumes, all sound done onstage and life. Just like Shakespeare would have done in his day. If you're looking for a doorway to Shakespeare, if you're looking for a show to tour or take to a festival when you don't have any tech at your disposal, then the shoestring philosophy will be right up your alley. Tune in to learn more! Show Notes Shakespeare on a Shoestring: Cymbeline   Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 202 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode202. Woot! Woot! I am thrilled to have this conversation that I can present to you and we are going to share a great concept. Well, I'm not going to share it. Our guest is going to share it. It's all about Shakespeare on a Shoestring. Michael Calderone is who I'm talking to, and we have actually just published his play – Shakespeare on a Shoestring – Cymbeline! – here at Theatrefolk. So, we have the concept which turned into a play which turned into a published play, but we're focusing on the concept – the concept about how we can do Shakespeare on a Shoestring and how you can do Shakespeare on a Shoestring. I am always, always, always up for a way to make Shakespeare accessible to students and to open that door to his work. So, let's get to it! I'm going to see you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am here with Mike Calderone! Hello, Mike! MICHAEL: Hi there! LINDSAY: So, I like to start off by asking for you to share where you are in the world right now. MICHAEL: I am at the campus of Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut. LINDSAY: Awesome. And what do you do at Hopkins School? What do you do? MICHAEL: I am one of two drama teachers here. I direct. I teach acting classes, drama classes, and public speaking. LINDSAY: Very awesome. Let's talk about theatre experience first. When did you start really connecting to theatre? MICHAEL: I did not start connecting to theatre until freshman year of college. I was looking to go to a restaurant school for college, but didn't have the money to do it, so I went to the local community college, found theatre, and from there I went to Rutgers University and became a Theatre Bachelor of Arts student. LINDSAY: Aha! So, it was sort of happenstance that you fell into it. MICHAEL: It really was. LINDSAY: Why did you stay with it? MICHAEL: Well, it was the love of the theatre. I guess I was always performing. I didn't do anything in high school at all and I think that's one of the most ironic things about this – about my career. It's that I never did it in high school. It was in college that I found it and fell in love with it. Shortly thereafter, when I got into Rutgers, that's when I fell in with the class that was the Shoestring Players which was an undergraduate performance company that spent a semester developing a show based on international folktales. I went to the audition, I got called back, and then I was not cast. But I went back as the percussionist which is basically the onstage live Foley artist punctuating the performance. With that job, that's where I went from we were the first company to go to the Edinburgh Festival way back in 1989 and then performed with them professionally, started teaching with them, started directing with them. From there, when I was looking for a job to pay the bills, I started teaching. LINDSAY: Wow! You just segued right into our topic for today… brilliantly! MICHAEL: I listened to your last podcast! LINDSAY: I like a good segue, man! You know, it's all about the ebb and flow. It's all good. It's all good! Yes,

Episode 201: Production Case Study: Annie Where do you start with a play? How do you come up with a vision that spans across character development, light, sound, set, costuming? How do you execute on that vision? And then how do you put all that into an entertaining musical? Listen in to this production case study on the musical Annie. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy The Myths at the Edge of the World The Perils of Modern Education Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 201 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode200. Today, I am talking to a dear friend here at Theatrefolk Global Headquarters, a man who wears many hats, for us and for others – Matt Webster. Matt has been in the classroom. He's taught students to become drama teachers. He's a playwright. For this podcast, we're going to talk to him in his role as a director – specifically, what it's like to direct the musical, Annie. It's a production case study! So, let's find out if the old adage is right that you should never work with animals and children. Let's find out, shall we? See you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! Lindsay Price here, and I am talking to Matt Webster. MATT: Hello everyone! LINDSAY: Now, usually, I ask where people are in the world, but we happen to be sitting right beside each other. MATT: Side by side in Cedar City, Utah. LINDSAY: But where do you usually hail from? MATT: I hail from Charlotte, North Carolina. LINDSAY: Very nice. We are here today. We're doing a production case study. We've done a number of these and I really love being able to talk to folks about the process of putting on a production. We have so many people who listen. I have to put on many, many shows in a year. Some people don't know where to start, right? MATT: Absolutely. LINDSAY: What show are we talking about? MATT: We are talking about the show “Annie, the Musical.” LINDSAY: Awesome. You didn't do any Junior. You did the full-on Annie? MATT: We did the full-on Annie. LINDSAY: The first thing is this wasn't your choice. You were hired to direct Annie. MATT: Yes, I was hired as a director for a local community theatre company and one of the reasons that they chose me was because I have a background in theatre for youth and working with children. they wanted to have children in the cast as orphans, including small children. That's why I was offered the job. LINDSAY: So, what was the age range? MATT: I ended up casting a 5-year-old as the youngest who turned 6 during rehearsal which was one of my most brilliant things I have to say because she was adorable. But the range was from 6 to 60 is the cast range. LINDSAY: Awesome, awesome. Let's start with your first steps in working on a show. One of the reasons I know that a lot of schools do Annie, but I know too that sometimes the teachers are in a position where they're putting on shows that they might not necessarily like. I know a lot of teachers who are in the position where they know they have to do musicals, and musicals just aren't their bag. As a director, what was your first step in approaching the script and the score? MATT: With Annie, there's a really interesting challenge and that is we had to figure out which version we were using. The problem is that we were not allowed to get the script more than two months in advance or we'd have to pay extra. So, a script was found, but there are multiple versions of Annie. There's the original version. There's a rewrite in the 80's and then a newer version. In addition, online, the choreographer and the music director and some of the actors who were cast looked at some of the music online and some of the scenes online and the...

Episode 200: The 48 Hour Play Project In this episode we talk to a middle school teacher who takes her students from script to production in 48 hours. How does she do it? How can you do it? Listen in to find out! It's a mega mix of skills: creative thinking, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 200. Woot! Woot! And you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode200. 200 episodes! Celebrate! Fireworks! I'm trying to say, “Fireworks!” Okay, 200, that's a lot. I know it's not a lot for some podcasts. Some of the podcasts I listen to, I think The Nerdist is closing in on a thousand episodes, but we are just chugging along here, doing our little thing, making our little recordings. The podcast is one of the things that gets mentioned to me time and time again by folks when I go to conferences. So, I just want to take a second to, again, say thank you. Thank you for listening! Today, we are talking about putting on a play as part of a speed round. 48 hours from getting the script to performance. That's what our guest does with her middle schoolers. Let's find out the what, the how, and the why, shall we? It is a mega-mix of creative thinking, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. I'll see you on the other side! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I'm here with Angela Watkins. Hello, Angela! ANGELA: Hello, Lindsay! LINDSAY: Awesome! You sound like chipper, ready to go! Love it! ANGELA: Always. LINDSAY: Or you fake it really well, right? ANGELA: Yes! LINDSAY: Awesome. Okay, can you tell everybody where in the world you are right now? ANGELA: Where in the world I am right now is at the Telluride Middle/High School in Telluride, Colorado. It's in the southwest mountains. It's a beautiful little resort town that I'm lucky enough to get to teach at. LINDSAY: Awesome. Lovely. How long have you been a teacher? ANGELA: I've taught for about 25 years, but not formally in a school for that long. I'm going into my tenth-year teaching at a regular school and with a theatre curriculum. LINDSAY: Have you been teaching drama all this time? Or is it new? ANGELA: Yes, I've been teaching drama all this time. I initially founded a little theatre company here quite some time ago and my position was education and outreach. So, the school subcontracted me to do plays within the school. After – I don't know – 15 years or so, I decided not to be in a theatre company anymore and just teach. That's where this position came along. And so, I've taught, I've directed plays – you know, many, many hats. LINDSAY: Always, always, the drama teacher wears a gazillion hats. What is it about teaching drama that connects to you? ANGELA: Well, I guess, when I think about when I was young, what I enjoyed most about school was drama – the fact that so much can be learned in playing and pretending and role-playing and stuff. Every student, no matter who they are, can get something out of theatre, and some take it very seriously and go very far, but it can go in many directions and it's so nice to give kids that don't usually have those options some opportunity to try things or discover things. And I think that can happen in my classroom. LINDSAY: I think that, the more we get further into the 21st Century, I think drama is becoming – I know lots of people don't think this but – it's the most important class for all of those reasons that you just outlined. You know, they're so worried about their marks and sometimes, they're just so caught up in what's happening that that chance to play is really important. ANGELA: I couldn't agree more,

Episode 199: Shakespeare in the rough Have you ever thought about performing outside with your students? What's it like to rehearse and perform Shakespeare outside?  In this episode we talk to Hilo Community Players about their Kids Shakes production.  Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Show Notes Mmmbeth Theatrefolk Shakespeare category   Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 199 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode199. So, we are talking about a couple of things today. First, Shakespeare. Two, environment. Oh, you like how I messed that up? First, two? Ah, I know some of you were probably paying attention. “Why did you say ‘first, two'?” Okay, okay, okay. First, Shakespeare. Second, environment. You got it. I know you got it. We're all in this together, right? Right. When I'm talking about environment, I'm talking about, where is it that Shakespeare is performed? Have you ever thought of performing outside with your students? Your first reaction would be, could be, “No!” But hang on. What happens when you take away four walls and you have to deal with the elements and people who might just wander through? You might say, “Lindsay, you're not selling it!” However, we're going to talk today to some folks who love the experience. They love working with students and performing outside. We're talking to some folks from a community theatre in Hawaii who put a Kids' Shakespeare production every summer – outside. Just a note here before we continue on. There is a gaggle of us today – three in Hawaii and me. Things might get a little crowded. But, again, we're going to deal with it, right? Ah, I knew you would. I knew you would. So, see you all on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello everyone! I am here, and I've got a bunch of people we're talking to on this podcast today which is awesome. So, I want to say hello to Mimi and Cathy and Yvette. Hello, ladies! GUESTS: Aloha! LINDSAY: I always like for you guys to say where you're from and you guys are in a very special place. Where are you? GUEST: We're in Hilo, Hawaii. LINDSAY: Aloha! GUEST: On a big Hawaiian island in the beautiful coast of Hawaii. LINDSAY: Awesome. Are you guys locals? Or are you transplants? GUEST: I'm a transplant. GUEST: I'm a transplant. GUEST: I'm local. GUEST: I've been living in Hawaii for over twenty years. GUEST: And I've been here sixteen years, so I'm kind of local. LINDSAY: Kind of local. I think that anybody in a place over ten years, I know sometimes locals don't feel that way, but I think any time over ten years, you get to claim status, I think. You're residents. You guys sent some lovely pictures of a production of Mmmbeth – Allison Williams' Mmmbeth. I just wanted to get you on a podcast to talk about it – talk about your process. You guys performed outside which I think is a unique experience and I'd like to hear about your successes and your struggles with dealing with some Shakespeare but outside. I think that's pretty awesome. Let's start with the choosing of the script. You did this for your Kids' Shakespeare program, right? MIMI: Correct. Actually, a bit of background is the Hilo Community Players has been putting on Shakespeare in the park since 1978. So, this was our 40th year of putting on Shakespeare in the park. For the past four years, we've added to that Shakespeare in the park experience a Kids' Shakes program. It's a lighthearted sort of Shakespeare-themed show that gets put on using the same set as the main stage show and using the same space and everything but at a matinee time for a younger audience. LINDSAY: That leads me to my first question. We'll get back to the show in a sec,

Episode 198: Going Big with a production in China Kimberly Mack is an English Teacher in China at an International School. This past year she wanted to go “big” with her first year middle school speech class. And big they went! Listen in to her about her students experience putting on their musical, doing the set, sewing costumes, and singing in their non native language. Show Notes FAQ Link Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 198 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode198. Have you ever heard a teacher say, “My students could never do that”? It always shocks me a little. Now, granted, I am not a full-time teacher. I'm not a teacher. I'm not in the classroom. Perhaps, when a teacher says, “My students could never do that,” there is a good reason. But I have a very vivid memory from about ten years ago when I was at a school and they were working on one of my plays. I was talking to the students and I said, “You guys always seem really confident. You seem so confident onstage. That's amazing.” One of the students said to me, “Well, our teacher believed in us. She never thought that we couldn't do it. And so, we thought the same.” I just love that. When someone believes in you, that's a very powerful feeling, isn't it? Today, we're talking to a teacher who had that same feeling and she wanted to go big with her group. Big meant putting on a musical with her middle school students at the international school where she worked. Let's hear her story, shall we? See you on the other side. LINDSAY: Hello everyone! I am talking to Kimberly Mack today. Hello, Kimberly! KIMBERLY: Hi! LINDSAY: Now, I know, over the summer, that you are stateside, right? KIMBERLY: Yes, I am. LINDSAY: But tell everybody where you usually are during the year? KIMBERLY: I normally teach over in Lijiang which is in Yunnan province over in China. It's down southwest. LINDSAY: That was an awesome pronunciation. KIMBERLY: I've been working on that. LINDSAY: Well, I'm sure you must have to say it quite a bit. Are you teaching in an international school? Or do you teach Chinese students? KIMBERLY: Yes, it's an international school, but we have Chinese, Indian, Korean, and American students there. LINDSAY: What is it like? Let's start with that. What is it like to have such a multicultural student base? KIMBERLY: It's been really interesting. I went there right after college. It was my very first experience as a teacher. It was neat because, here we are getting to share the American culture with all of these students, teaching them English. Some of them would come into our school knowing absolutely nothing of English and we've got to start from the ground up and see them progress. It's just been a really amazing opportunity. LINDSAY: All right. Now, that leads very naturally to my next question. How long have you been teaching? KIMBERLY: Two years. LINDSAY: What about teaching has been a surprise for you? KIMBERLY: I guess the biggest thing is how much these students are able to pick up so quickly, yet they're reading these English words, but then they have no idea what the meanings are because they just don't translate. Here, you're having to tell not just the word but the meaning and explain these things that would be common words in America. LINDSAY: Cool. So, that's the student experience. Now, what about your experience just being a teacher? What was your expectation of being a teacher and how has that played out? KIMBERLY: I've actually always wanted to be a teacher since my parents were both teachers for twenty-plus years. It's been like a dream come true in a way.

Episode 197: Production Case Study: A Midsummer Night's Dream Tracy Garratt's students wanted to be challenged and show what they could do. In this Production Case Study we're talking Shakespeare. More specifically, student driven Shakespeare. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy   Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 197 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode197. Today, we are doing another production case study and we're talking about Shakespeare – more specifically too, student-driven Shakespeare. Where do you start with Shakespeare? How do you get your students to make the decisions? Well, you should listen in if these are your questions. I think we might have some answers! Let's find out together and let's get to it. LINDSAY: Hello everyone! I am here, talking to Teacher Tracy Garratt today. Hello, Tracy! TRACY: Hi! How are you? LINDSAY: I'm wonderful. Let's start. I like to let everybody know where in the world our guest is. So, where in the world are you? TRACY: I am in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. LINDSAY: Which is literally a hop, skip, and a jump away from me. We can't quite wave to each other but it's almost. TRACY: Almost, half an hour drive. LINDSAY: Half an hour away. We're going to talk today about you recently did a production of our adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream with some fabulous pictures which are going to be in the show notes. But, first of all, I want to just sort of talk to you. How long have you been a teacher? TRACY: This is my sixteenth-year teaching. LINDSAY: How is it for you sixteen years down the road? Are you still happy teaching? TRACY: I still love it. I still think that it's the best choice that I've made in my life – other than having my son. Most days, I get up and think, “I can't believe I get paid to do this,” and I have taken to saying to my kids, “You know, you have to find work where you get up and you wonder, ‘Are you stealing from your boss?' because I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this.” That's my attitude. Thus far, I still feel that way. I'm still lucky. Of course, we have days that are not great but, most of the time, I don't believe that I get paid for this. It's crazy. LINDSAY: I sit around sometimes and there are some days where I am in my pajamas at noon and I'm like, “How did this happen that I have a job where this is happening?” It's just wonderful, you know. What is it about teaching that that was the thing that you wanted to do? TRACY: I just love kids. I love being around kids. I love their energy. I love their positive aura, if you could say that. I love the fact that everything is new to them. They're not afraid of making mistakes. I just think that kids are the best and they keep me young. So, I'm really appreciative of that, especially as I enter my fifties. LINDSAY: I would never know that. You always struck me as very young – no more than 30. TRACY: It's the kids! LINDSAY: We are talking about A Midsummer Night's Dream and taking a production from beginning to end. What has been your relationship with Shakespeare? I know students and teachers have a myriad of relationships with Mr. Shakespeare. TRACY: Well, you know, when I was in high school, I found Shakespeare kind of difficult. I found the language really hard to understand. You know, understanding the story is a bit of a challenge. I feel like there's a rule, especially in North America, studying Shakespeare. Somebody's decided in their infinite wisdom that we should be doing that. And so, in my younger days, I found it hard. But then, when I went to university and I took a course. I thought, “Oh, this is a little bit better now that I know and now that I und...

Episode 196: Fundraising idea: Do your own coffee house Listen in for the details of an awesome fundraiser event. Low cost, easy to plan, all you need is a space and your students. You too can fundraise for your program without losing your time or your mind! Show Notes Google form for Auditions Winter Coffee House Poster Spring Coffee House Poster Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 196 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode196. Today, we are going to talk about fundraising, specifically fundraising for your program without losing time or your mind because that's the thing I think where fundraising can get into a real bumpy road. It's the thing that everybody wants to do. But, if it just eats up your time and makes you go a little crazy, that's not good for anybody. Our guest does a particular fundraiser twice a year and it's very successful for her. It's an awesome, low-cost, low-key event. I think, instead of me just talking about it, we should get to the conversation. Let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hello, everyone! I am here talking with Ellen Miller. Hello, Ellen! ELLEN: Hello! How are you? LINDSAY: I'm awesome! Thank you so much! And you? How are you? ELLEN: I'm great! I'm fantastic! LINDSAY: Well, you can't ask for more than that. That's the best. I'd like to start by just asking if you would tell everybody where in the world you are situated right now? ELLEN: I am in Dallas, Texas. I teach in Plano which is just north of Dallas and I teach at a ninth through tenth grade high school in Plano. LINDSAY: Oh. So, you only deal with grade nines and tens? ELLEN: I do, yeah. It's kind of a different situation in my city. LINDSAY: Yeah, what is that like? Do your students get drama in middle school? ELLEN: They do. We have theatre in sixth grade through, well, seventh grade and eighth grade at our middle schools and then the sixth graders can participate in the shows at the middle school level. In ninth and tenth grade, we have a full technical theatre course offering and theatre course offerings. I teach Technical Theatre I and II and Advanced Technical Theatre class. We have kind of a full range of offerings at our ninth and tenth grade level. LINDSAY: Yeah, that's pretty awesome. And then, they go off to eleventh and twelfth. Do you miss not getting them in eleven and twelve or do you like where you are? ELLEN: I like where I am. You kind of get the best of both worlds. The sophomores still get to kind of take on a leadership position and you get to really see them grow over two years and then it's cool because we do a lot with our eleventh and twelfth grade school. We call them senior highs here. It's cool to see them grow in an even bigger theatre situation in the eleventh and twelfth grade. LINDSAY: I would imagine in that situation that leadership really is much different than if you're in a nine through twelve school because, if you're in grade ten, you are the senior of your school and you have to sort of – I don't know if “mature” is the right word but you're it! ELLEN: Yeah, I have ten officers for my theatre department and they do everything from running warmups during our rehearsals, they plan events for other students, they do the announcements for our school, and they do a lot of building community within our theatre department and things like that. LINDSAY: Well, I think that's really awesome. How long have you been a drama teacher? ELLEN: This is my eighth-year teaching theatre. LINDSAY: What connects you to being a drama teacher? Did you like it in high school? ELLEN: Yeah, I actually started theatre in about fifth grade with a program we used to have called Odyssey of the M...

Episode 195: Drama Teachers! We're talking rubrics Drama teacher Lindsay Johnson loves rubrics. And she wants you to love them too! Listen in to learn her process for creating assessments and making them effective for your classroom. Show Notes Theatrefolk Facebook Page Shreds and Patches Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 195 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode195. I'm excited. This is exciting. I know you're excited because, today, we are talking about everyone's favorite topic. I can't even make it sound good. We're talking assessment! Oh, an even better topic – rubrics! We should have a great big fanfare right there. Assessment and rubrics! I know, and you know, assessment is so tricky in the drama classroom when there are activities that are project-based and process-based and group-based. How do we make it all happen? Well, we're here for you. we've got a guest today, a drama teacher who loves creating rubrics and she wants you to love them, too. So, let's get to it! My guest is Lindsay Johnson. Hello, Lindsay! JOHNSON: Hello! PRICE: All right. Tell everybody where in the world you are situated right now. JOHNSON: I am in Minneapolis, Minnesota. PRICE: Awesome. JOHNSON: Teaching at South Minneapolis at a charter school, teaching middle school drama for seventh and eighth grade. PRICE: Awesome. How long have you been a teacher? JOHNSON: I've been teaching since 2009. PRICE: Math, everybody! For a while, awesome. JOHNSON: But I've only been teaching theatre for… This is my fourth year teaching theatre. PRICE: Was the plan to start something else and you ended up in drama? What was your path? JOHNSON: I started with Teach for America and I was placed in an English reading and writing environment. And so, I did that for the first five years or so. And then, I taught a year of social studies randomly because that's what they needed at my school. And then, my principal asked what I wanted to teach, and I said drama. So, I've been doing that ever since and I'm the founding drama teacher and the only drama teacher in our entire network. PRICE: Oh, that could probably be a little bit lonely at times, I imagine. JOHNSON: Yeah, it is, that's why I love DTA. PRICE: Ah! That's awesome! DTA, of course, is the Drama Teacher Academy. So, what's your drama background? What was drama like for you in high school and after that? JOHNSON: I actually really didn't have a drama program at any school I attended. My drama background is completely in community theatre. I did a ton of community classes and then I was in a bunch of plays at our local community theatre all through school. In college, I didn't actually get a degree in theatre, but I took every acting class available at my university for fun. Yeah, I've just been really involved in theatre all my life and I did drama club at a school when I was still teaching reading and writing and loved that. PRICE: So, when the call came, when someone asked you what you wanted to teach, why teach theatre? Why was that the thing that you wanted? JOHNSON: Yeah, I think drama has always been a huge passion of mine. It's the first thing I really felt like I got and felt like I could do it really, really well from a young age. I mean, from my own perspective, of course. I really enjoyed it and I love acting and I love theatre. And so, the idea of getting to teach that and do that, I think all of my classes incorporated drama even though I wasn't teaching drama. Even when I was teaching social studies, we were acting out all the wars and everything. It was just fun to make that the focus of my class. PRICE: Awesome. I love that.

Episode 194: Production Case Study: The Laramie Project In 2014 drama teacher Zach Schneider produced The Laramie Project in Casper, Wyoming. Not only is Zach from Casper, he grew up with Matthew Shepard. When he asked his students how many of them had heard of Matthew Shepard, almost none of them raise their hands. Listen in to hear to hear Zach's experience with this unique and emotional production. Show Notes The Laramie Project Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 194 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode194. Now, this is one of these episodes that really speaks for itself and I want to get to it as quickly as possible. We're going to talk about The Laramie Project and our guest today has quite a unique perspective with the piece and with Matthew Shepard. We're also going to talk about some strategies to producing the play and avoiding some of the common pitfalls. All right, that's it. That's all I got. Let's get to it. LINDSAY: I am here with Zach Schneider. Hi Zach! ZACH: Hello! LINDSAY: We are at the International Thespian Festival so we have a little bit of excited din in the air. It's impossible to get away from. ZACH: I don't think you can go anywhere and get away from some of it. LINDSAY: But that's okay. It just gives us a nice background sound for our wonderful sound guy to deal with. ZACH: Sure. LINDSAY: How long have you been a teacher? ZACH: I will be starting my ninth-year teaching in Casper, Wyoming, next schoolyear. My eighth year at Natrona County High School. LINDSAY: Why did you become a drama teacher? ZACH: It's funny. I didn't set out to become a drama teacher. I wanted to be a performer in high school and in college. At that point, that was the only track that a lot of people hear about is performing. I had some life stuff happen and had a child very early and decided I would do the next thing that I loved in high school and that was journalism because it pays so much better. And so, I worked at the newspaper in Casper for about eight years before I decided to become a teacher. The drama position opened up at my old high school and the theatre teacher across town said, “You need to take this.” I'd been active in our community theatre and so I just kind of fell into it. LINDSAY: We're here to talk about a specific production but that leads me to another question which I know all of our listeners are drama teachers and many of them are walking into classrooms exactly the way that you did – not at the beginning of their career but coming from something else. ZACH: Sure. Yes. LINDSAY: What was it like your first year just walking into that classroom? It's such a different experience. ZACH: Well, you know, my school is really unique. It was built in 1924. It's this amazing architectural style called Collegiate Gothic. Our auditorium is beautiful. Well, when I walked in, it was 90 years old and it was showing its age. It has wonderful crown molding and carvings around the proscenium arch and it just has this wonderful feel. When I walked in, it was coming back home because I was a member of the Thespian Troupe there. We were Thespian Troupe Number 1. LINDSAY: No! Are you, really? ZACH: Yes, we are. LINDSAY: Oh, you said that, yes, that's how you know! ZACH: So, I was a member of that troupe. And then, to come back and become the director of that troupe was really special. LINDSAY: Well, yeah. I'm an English major and sometimes words just completely fail me – not the environment of that but I guess the weight of that, the ritual of that. ZACH: Yes, and there was a lot of tradition there. LINDSAY: There's a good word.

Episode 193: Drama Teachers: How do you run an effective Q and A session? In the 21st century, the world is at our fingertips. That means your students can interact with the playwright of their next play through Skype, do a Google Hangout with a professional actor, or talk to a set designer on Facebook Live. But how do you run a question and answer session that's valuable for your students and gets the most out of your guest?  Listen in for some insight and for a Q and A in action! Show Notes Hoodie Humbug High Deck the Stage Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 193 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode193. Today, we're talking about Q&A. Ah, I'm a rhymer! We all know what that means – questions and answers – Q&A. We are living in an age of communication, an age of technology, and age where your students can actually talk to the playwright of their next play – you know, so long as it's not Shakespeare or some other dead playwright, you know – although wouldn't that be awesome? Can you imagine, you can have your time machine and you could talk to Shakespeare? I digress. But you could talk to the playwright of your next play through Skype. You could do a Google Hangout with a professional actor. You could talk to a set designer on Facebook Live. It is all possible and it's something that I do quite a lot of. I do a lot of Skype Q&As – virtual Q&As with students who are putting up one of my plays. Sometimes, I talk to student directors; sometimes, I talk to after-school programs; sometimes, it's classes. I've talked to high schools, I've talked to middle schools. On paper, I think that these events are kind of fabulous. I would do them and will do them for anyone doing one of my plays. I love hearing what students think. I love hearing what they think about the characters, about what's happening. I have one play called “Look Me in the Eye” and students always want to know how to pronounce the names in the play. It takes place in the future so the names are a little bit off-kilter and they want to know if they've got the background right for the names and how they're pronounced and if they're on the right track. I can answer those questions. I can help their process. But, sometimes, what can happen is I talk to a teacher ahead of time and the teacher talks about how excited the students are to talk to me and how they want to talk to me and they have all kinds of questions and they can't wait and the day comes and the Skype is all set up and I'm there and they're there and there's maybe one or two questions and then silence. I get it. I know, I know, it's weird. It's weird to do this online. It's weird to do it over the computer instead of in person. Sometimes – and this happens to me all the time – you have this amazing question, a series of amazing questions, and then, in the moment, it just completely escapes your head. I get it. So, the question is – for these Q&A questions – how do you run a Q&A session that is valuable for your students and also gets the most out of your guest. I did a great Q&A with a group of middle school students in Ireland, no less. It was pretty awesome. I just happened to be there on a trip and I get notices of who's doing my plays and it was all serendipitous. I'm like, “Hey! This school in Ireland is doing my show! Hey! We're going to be near their area!” and the teacher was, you know, all onboard. So, I got to go to the school and see scenes from the show and then we did this massive Q&A. They grilled me on everything! I'm going to put a picture in the show notes of the question map they created before I got there. These guys, they were prepared! We recorded the Q&A and I'm going to play it af...

Episode 192: Marketing The Arts You are overwhelmed with production tasks and the last thing you want to do is add marketing to your overloaded plate. But marketing is important, even in a school setting. Marketing allows you to educate your community on the value of your program. Where do you start? Right here! Our guest gives you the four questions you need to answer when marketing your show. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 192. Woot woot! And that wasn't a very good one. That wasn't very full-bodied. This is Episode 192! Woop woop! And you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode192. All right, marketing – that's what we're talking about today. How much marketing do you do with your shows, with your productions? Do you do a press release? Maybe a poster that goes up around the school? How many of you don't do any marketing at all? Now, I know, there's got to be a lot of you who are thinking, “Marketing? You want me to add marketing to the list of things I have to do?” Well, I don't actually want you to add anything to your list. I want you to take away things from your list which this little conversation might give you some insight into just that very concept. We're talking marketing – specifically, for the education context – and that means you, dear friends, and you, dear friend, should grab some pen and paper – or your laptop or your phone, I'm not picky here – because there will be notes. There may be things you will want to write down. So, let's get to it. LINDSAY: All right. So, I am here with James Van Leishout. How are you doing, James? JAMES: I'm doing great. LINDSAY: Yes, and we are at the International Thespian Festival where you are packing the houses with your workshops. JAMES: I have had a few people come to them. My first session on Monday had 91 people so it's been good. LINDSAY: I think that's pretty awesome. Well, first of all, it says a lot about the stuff that you're teaching and that you have something to teach. Where are you from? Where are you located? JAMES: I'm in Olympia, Washington, which is the state capital just about an hour south of Seattle. LINDSAY: And what's your arts background? JAMES: I have a BA in Acting and an MFA in Directing. LINDSAY: Ah, okay. Let's start with that question. Acting or directing? JAMES: Well, you know, I started out, I loved acting – that's why I got into it in the first place. But I discovered that I loved the rehearsal process more than the actual performing process. So, I tend toward the directing side although I force myself to act every once in a while, just to remind myself what it's all about. LINDSAY: When I started out, I was an actor/writer and you hit it on the head. I love rehearsal and character analysis. I could do script analysis for days. And then, the performing didn't have the same feeling. And then, when I started writing, it was like, “Oh, this is really what I want to do.” JAMES: Yeah, I'm a nervous actor; I enjoy it but the nerves just drive me crazy. I often say, as a director, I actually get to see the best performances because, often, the actors are more open, feel safer in the rehearsal process than they do in front of the audience. They kind of pull back emotionally in front of the audience so I get to see the best performance. LINDSAY: That's really awesome. Today, we are going to talk about marketing but, also, very specifically, marketing in a high school theatre program context which seems like it might be a little weird because I'm sure there's not a teacher – well, there's not a lot of teachers out there – who think about marketing their program. JAMES: Well,

Episode 191: Production Case Study: Peter and the Starcatcher Where do you start with a play? How do you come up with a vision that spans across character development, light, sound, set, costuming? How do you execute on that vision? If you're one of the hundreds of schools putting on Peter and the Starcatcher this year, tune into this great production case study episode. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Peter and the Starcatcher Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 191 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode191. Okay. Where do you start with a play? How do you come up with a vision? How do you take that vision and turn it into character or light or sound or set or costuming? How do you execute on your vision? If you are one of the hundreds of schools putting on Peter and the Starcatcher this year, sit back and relax. This podcast is for you. I'm talking to the amazing Kerry Hishon – a Theatrefolk blogger extraordinaire. She's going to talk about her experience directing the show from soup to nuts which – if Wikipedia is to be believed – is derived from the description of a full dinner – from the beginning, soup, to after dessert, nuts. Not bad, eh? Learn something new today. Also, Wikipedia tells me that a similar Latin phrase is “from egg to apple” after a typical Roman meal. See, you didn't think you were going to listen in and learn something about words. Have I ever mentioned I love words? Uh, enough about me. Okay, let's get to it. LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am speaking with Kerry Hishon. Hello, Kerry! KERRY: Hello! LINDSAY: Now, if you are a regular Theatrefolk follower – which you are, of course – Kerry is our blogger with the moistest. Our blog queen here at Theatrefolk recently and our blog is – I'm going to say it – it's pretty awesome these days and it's all thanks to Kerry. So, there you go, Kerry. I'm publicly giving you props. KERRY: Amazing! Thank you so much! It's so much fun! I love doing it and now you can all hear what I sound like, too. LINDSAY: Oh, now there's a voice! Now there's a voice with the words which is really funny because I think that the way that you write is very much how you talk. I can totally hear your voice when I read your stuff. KERRY: It really is. I very much write in my own voice so it's a lot of stream of consciousness and I go back and read it and I'm like, “Wow! That's a lot of run-on sentences!” LINDSAY: I may cut out one or two exclamation points, too. KERRY: I do that a lot! I write and I talk in exclamation points. We all have our crosses to bear – that's mine. LINDSAY: That's right. If that's yours – too many exclamation points – I think that's a pretty good run. KERRY: Yeah, I'll take it. LINDSAY: So, we are talking, we're doing sort of a production case study again here today. I really enjoy these where we sort of get in depth with someone who has done a show and this one I know everyone's going to be interested in and that is Peter and the Starcatcher. KERRY: Woohoo! Oh, my gosh, it was crazy! Craziness – just craziness. LINDSAY: All right. Well, let's get into it! KERRY: Yes! LINDSAY: This is something that is the high school show – or going to be – for 2017. I'm really interested to sort of get into your approach and what you did with it. Was it part of your theatre season? Or did you have a hand in choosing it? Did you put your hand up and said, “I would like to direct this”? KERRY: Yeah, it was the choice of our season. Just to go back for a second, give a bit of context, I work for Original Kids Theatre Company in London, Ontario which is a youth theatre company with a membership of over 300 kids and we produce over 20 shows a year.

Episode 190: I thought I wanted to be a drama teacher Ashley and Anastasia both graduated with Drama in Education degrees. They both wanted to teach. And then… they didn't. Listen to their journey and learn how they found a way incorporate drama and education into their lives outside the classroom. Show Notes Down the Rabbit Hole Theatre Company Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 190 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode190 – otherwise known as 190. Oh, my goodness! What was that, eh? 190. Anyway, I know some of you out there knew you wanted to be a teacher from an early age. And then, you became a teacher and you loved being a teacher, right? And I know some of you didn't know you wanted to be a teacher but you found a passion for teaching and you can't think of doing anything else. But I know there were some of you who thought teaching was your dream job until it wasn't, right? That's what happened to our guests today – that's right, I said “guests” – plural, because we've got a two-for-one special. Our guests have had an interesting journey with drama and education and it's a good one to share. What do you do when the classroom just isn't for you but you still know you're an educator and you still want to find a way to combine drama and education? What a great question! Let's find out, shall we? LINDSAY: Hello everybody! We have speciality – specialty? We have specialness – that's not a word either – on the podcast today because we have two guests. We have two guests for the price of one. Let me just say hello to who we have. We have Ashley. Hello, Ashley! ASHLEY: Hey there! LINDSAY: And we have Anastasia. Hello, Anastasia! ANASTASIA: Hello! LINDSAY: And so, this one's really fascinating because this one could have been done in person because we're in the same area which is why this podcast came about. One of you is in Fort Erie. ANASTASIA: Yes, that's Anastasia. LINDSAY: Ah, I had a 50 percent chance! ANASTASIA: Yeah. LINDSAY: She's in Fort Erie which is the town – well, not the town, the biggish town – that is close to where I am in Crystal Beach. Can you see Buffalo from your window? ANASTASIA: I actually can from our bedroom window. LINDSAY: There we go. And Ashley is in Saint Catharines which is a biggish city just a little way down the ways. So, thank you very much for coming on the podcast today! ANASTASIA: Yeah! ASHLEY: Absolutely. We're very excited. ANASTASIA: Yeah, our pleasure. LINDSAY: What is really interesting to me – and I think that is going to be interesting to our listeners – is that both of you seem to have had a starting point with your careers in educational theatre which is not where you are now. You sort of have had an interesting journey. ASHLEY: Yeah, right! It is that way, yeah! LINDSAY: Both of you have degrees in drama and education. ANASTASIA: We both do, yes. LINDSAY: Cool. So, what I'd like to start off with is what made you want to take that path? Why did drama and education speak to both of you? ANASTASIA: Absolutely. Okay, I will start. I'm Anastasia and, since I was at a young age, I was always introduced to different elements of theatre by my family. My family's big theatre advocates. I fell in love with musicals early on and I performed in a lot of community theatre productions, local productions, as well as the school. So, I got involved very heavily at an early age. And then, I went through to university – focusing in the teaching world, actually, and not in drama and education specifically, but in child and new studies – and I did two years at Brock University. And then, I was in the middle of university and I thought,

Episode 189: Theatre is my life line At 15, Amy Oestreicher believed that she was going to be a performer and go to Broadway. Life threw a curveball at Amy to make Broadway the farthest possible goal imaginable. How did she use theatre as a life line?  How was she able to harness her creativity?  You don't need to think you're an artist to create. This is a story everyone should listen to. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Follow Your Detour Ted Talk Amy Oestreicher, Great Comebacks Recipient Theatre and Empathy Amy's website Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 189 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode189. Today, we're talking about lifelines. How many of you have ever thought of theatre as a lifeline? I have, for sure. I meet students every day who tell me that theatre saved their life in one way or another. I remember a particular student telling me, after being through two hurricanes, that being in a play was the only thing getting her through. Our guest today has a deep connection with theatre as a lifeline for very good reason. So, I don't think I've ever done this before so I don't know if I'm going to do it right or wrong. I'm just going to do it. This is really a warning because I don't think you should be warned away from intense topics but this podcast contains intense topics and mention of sexual assaults. But, at the end of it, we have theatre as a lifeline. So, let's get to it, shall we? LINDSAY: Hello everybody! Today, I am talking to Amy Oestreicher. Hello, Amy! AMY: Hello! LINDSAY: Hello! Tell everybody where in the world you are located. AMY: I'm in Connecticut. LINDSAY: All right, cool. Amy has a story. It's something that really… I think it's really a good story to share. But then, also, the aftermath, I think the aftermath of your story is what's really interesting. I think it's what's going to be really interesting to our listeners. We're going to get into the bulk of this and we're going to talk about empathy a little bit and you will see, you will see, dear listener, why empathy is going to be the hallmark of our conversation today. All right, Amy. What happened to you when you were 17? AMY: All right. Well, you know, I was born a Theatrefolk. LINDSAY: You're one of us, eh? AMY: Oh, my god, don't even start but I was definitely born a musical theatre ham and extremely, like, Type A driven. That was what I knew my life was going to be – I was going to go to college and study musical theatre at the University of Michigan and be on Broadway and that was it. When I was 15, I'd been studying with a really big voice coach in New York who I really, really looked up to. When I was 17, he molested me and that was obviously a complete shock to me and I completely just left my body and don't remember anything that happened. I really kept that inside for almost a year – until I finally told my mother in the April of my senior year. We were going to go for therapy and all that. And then, I just had a really bad stomach ache that wasn't going away. My dad took me… LINDSAY: Cool. Now, before we get to the stomach ache part which is the part that I knew, I think that you've just hit on something which I think is really important to mention about how many of those people who are listening have students who have mentors or teachers – you know, not necessarily in the classroom but just like you had someone that they looked up to who were not good people. AMY: Yeah. Whenever I talk on podcasts, I'm always like, “You have to say how old he is!” You know, he was 60 and I was 15. And so, you know, I really looked up to him. He actually wrote a letter to my parents,

Episode 188: Drama Teachers: An awesome festival op! Playwright Wendy-Marie Martin (Breathless) created an amazing 10 play festival that takes place around the world. It's all about creative thinking and collaboration! Not only will she share how she put together such an event but also how you too can get involved. Student acted, directed, designed, tech fest anyone? Show Notes Breathless Billy Houck - A Box of Puppies Red Eye 10s International Play Festival Music credit: ”Ave” by Alex (feat. Morusque) is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Episode 187: How to build a drama program When Sylvia Davenport-Veith started teaching drama she did everything by herself. Over the years she was able to build a program that supported three drama teachers. How did she do it? What was her vision for her classroom? What's her advice? Listen in to learn how one teacher built a drama program. Show Notes Prom Night Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 187 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode187. I've got a question for you. Actually, I've got a whole bunch of questions for you! Are you a one-man band in your drama program? Do you feel a little bit like an island where you're doing everything yourself? Do you dream about being surrounded by other drama teachers in a healthy, thriving, supported program? Well, that's what our guest today did and she got it. She went from being alone – a one-man band on an island – to building a program that supported three drama teachers. How did she do it? What was her vision for her classroom? Most importantly, what's her advice to all of you listening? Okay, okay, enough with the questions. Let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hello, everybody! I am here, talking to Sylvia Davenport-Veith. Hello, Sylvia! SYLVIA: Hello, hello! LINDSAY: Tell everybody where in the world you are. SYLVIA: I am Sylvia Davenport-Veith. That's what I write under. I live in Oxford, Georgia. I was born in Florida, raised in Florida, earned a BFA in Theatre at University of Florida and an Med in English Education at the University of Florida, moved to the Atlanta area and taught public high school – English and Theatre – for twenty-five years. The last thirteen years, it was exclusively theatre. LINDSAY: Awesome. That's what we're going to talk about. The meat of this is going to be all about building a theatre program. Sylvia, when you started, it was just you, right? SYLVIA: Yes, it was just me and I had to take over a situation that I think maybe a lot of drama teachers might be able to relate to and that was that the department had no money. In addition to having no money, the previous situation was that a lot of money had been spent in the theatre department without ticket revenues replenishing that money and there was a $6,000 debt. LINDSAY: Oh, my goodness! All right. Let's keep that. There's your teaser, everybody. We will come back to this and we're going to put a pin on this. So, there's your little teaser for listening for the rest of this podcast. Did Sylvia get out of $6,000 debt? Don't tell us yet! Don't tell us! I also want to make sure I mention that we know Sylvia from her playwriting side. We have her play Prom Night in our catalogue – a lovely little play. I love Prom Night! Let's start with you. What was your experience with theatre when you were in school? How did you connect to it? SYLVIA: I think that's really, really important to bring up because, when I was in high school, I started doing community theatre plays when I was ten years old, outside of the school setting. And then, of course, I was always the geek that was president of the Drama Club and all of that. When I hit high school, we had a drama teacher that really wasn't very interested in us. And so, as students, we had to take on a lot of responsibility without her support – I mean, really, no support. She would have me drive to wherever she was, pick up the keys to the school. I would open the school, I would be in-charge of the rehearsal, I would lock up, I would drive the keys back to her, and then she would not even come to see our little plays. LINDSAY: That's awful! SYLVIA: It was awful and that stuck with me when I decided to become a teacher. It was very,

Episode 186: Production Case Study: Look Me In the Eye Where do you start with a play? How do you come up with a vision that spans across character development, light, sound, set, costuming? How do you execute on that vision?  In this episode we have another production case study for our play Look Me In The Eye. If you're a director, want to be a director, or want your students to learn about directing, this is the podcast for you. Show Notes Look Me In the Eye Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 186 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode186. There we go! 186! Today, we have another production case study and I really – oh, I really – enjoy recording these and I hope that they're useful for you as well. That's kind of the point. I hope they accomplish that point. I think it's good to hear how directors choose a play, approach a play, make decisions, create a vision, and then execute on that vision. Creating a vision and executing a vision – that's such a big part of a director's job and I think our guest today is a great example of creation and execution. So, let's get to it! LINDSAY: So, I am here talking with Kelli Connors. Hello, Kelli! KELLI: Hello, Lindsay! LINDSAY: Hello! First off, can you tell everybody where in the world you are? KELLI: I am located in North Berwick, Maine, which is one of the several places that I teach and run a theatre program. LINDSAY: Yes, you wear many hats! I know you and we've been in contact because you did a production of one of my plays – Look Me in The Eye – and that's sort of what we're talking about today just to do a case study on vision and the visualization of vision. You don't work in a traditional – not traditional sense but you work in a lot of different areas in drama and education. KELLI: I do. I'm a freelance theatre artist and I work in a charter school that the model that they work on hires people from the working artist world to teach their visual arts programs, their performing arts programs, their music programs. I also work in a gifted and talented program in the Maine school system. Every school in the state of Maine is supposed to have a gifted and talented program. The function that I have in that particular school is called the Theatre Excel Arts Program and I teach theatre grades six through twelve for a certain amount of weeks out of the year. I'm also employed as an independent contractor at the high school as their theatre director – their artistic director of the theatre program. LINDSAY: That is a lot! Do you enjoy the multifaceted-ness of that? KELLI: You know, it's interesting you should ask me that. I called a friend yesterday – or two days ago – in a meltdown state saying I've got twelve jobs and my worlds are all colliding and I'm not sure how to keep all of this straight and sometimes it's overwhelming. The upside of doing a lot of different work – and I work in the professional world as well, I'm in the process of costuming a show – the upside of that is I don't have to go into an office and punch somebody's timeclock. That is refreshing and wonderful to me and it allows my brain to continually gyrate in the creative areas which is what feeds my soul. The downside of that is, as I said, sometimes, all of those schedules in my world collide and I just feel like I need to throw the whole thing up in the air and see where all the pieces land and hope to be able to put them in some semblance of order to continue with my schedule. LINDSAY: You must be in six places at once. Go! KELLI: Absolutely! My husband asks me things like, “Oh, do you still live here?” That's kind of my world.

Episode 185: A play from two perspectives: Student-director & Playwright At Theatrefolk we have a play by a playwright who for many years chose to be anonymous. When a student director (after winning his state festival!) asked to be put in touch with the playwright, it started the ball rolling to this podcast. We have the student director talking about the play Anonymous and what it's like to be a student director. And the playwright, a teacher, revealing her identity. Listen in for these two different perspectives. Show Notes Anonymous Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 185 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode185. All right. Are you ready for this one? I am so ready to share this one with you. A little back story – here at Theatrefolk at the Theatrefolk Global Headquarters in the official catalogue of plays – why would we have an unofficial one? I don't know. But, in our catalogue of plays, we have a play called Anonymous which we've had for a number of years. The play is about anonymity. To that end, the playwright decided that they wanted to be anonymous, too. So, it's the play Anonymous by Anonymous. That was what the playwright wanted – to kind of go with the theme and just keep it all about that whole concept of a teenager trying to get out of that box of being a face in the crowd and being an individual. There's a link to Anonymous in the show notes and I'm also going to talk about it a bit after the conversation. Of course, we respected that. There's no problem with that whatsoever. Well, this year, a student decided he really wanted to do this play. His teacher didn't want to do it, though. So, he chose this play and then he had to convince his teacher to let him direct the play. And then, he went on and did some pretty amazing things with it. I won't share them all. I can't tell everything upfront, right? Otherwise, why would you listen to the conversation? That experience, he contacted us and let us know, and then he said he wanted to speak to the playwright which this person had never done because… anonymous! But that conversation led the ball rolling to this podcast and this very moment and a couple of other things which you will hear about. Again, I can't tell you everything! We've got to get to the conversation, man! So, we're going to talk to the playwright first and then we're going to talk to Kyle, the student director, and you're going to get a play from two different perspectives – from the playwriting side and the playwright has also directed the piece so from that perspective and then from the student's side and the student experience approaching a play. So, let's get to it. LINDSAY: Hello, everybody! Usually, the first thing I do when I introduce a podcast is, first of all, I say their name and then I say, “Where are you in the world?” and this one's just going to be a little bit different. We are going to say who the person I'm talking to is but just in a little bit. First of all, I'm going to just say hi. ALLISON: Hi! Hi Theatrefolk! LINDSAY: Hello! Second of all, tell people where you are in the world. ALLISON: I am in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. LINDSAY: Yes, Canada rocks. Canada rocks. Do you guys still have a lot of snow? You must have some. ALLISON: We do have quite a bit of snow but it's also been a rainy kind of winter so it's a little bit of ice, a little bit of snow, it's truly Canadian this time of year. LINDSAY: Oh, there's nothing funner than riding on a road that has been rained and now is ice. ALLISON: Yeah, we've had – I think – in the last two weeks, something like three or four snow days. So, a lot of people will probably be jealous of our situation at the moment.

Episode 184: Drama Teachers: Performing at an Out of Country Theatre Festival Middle school drama teacher Alyson Brown thinks travel is a vital part of her program. She and her students recently represented the USA at the World Festival of Children's Theatre in Japan. Listen in to hear about her experience traveling to the other side of the world with 55 people AND a production! Show Notes Clarke Drama Website Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 184 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode184. Today, we're going on a little trip. You might want to pack a bag. It's going to be a big trip. We are going to the other side of the world. With us, we are taking Teacher Alyson Brown because she took her production of The Jungle Book to the World Festival of Children's Theatre in Japan. That's right – middle school students in Japan. Alyson travels regularly with her middle school students and I think that this is going to be an awesome conversation where we find out why and how. Well, we know the where – Japan – and we know who – Alyson and her middle school students – and what – a production. So, let's get into that. Why does she do it and how does she do it? Great questions! I know! It's like I wrote them! Let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am here with Alyson Brown. Hello, Alyson! ALYSON: Hi! LINDSAY: First off, can you tell everybody where in the world you are? ALYSON: Well, I teach in Lexington, Massachusetts. I'm currently in Chelmsford. I live about twenty minutes out of Lexington and I teach at Lexington, Mass. at Clarke Middle School. LINDSAY: Awesome. How long have you been a teacher? ALYSON: Ha! LINDSAY: She says it with a laugh! ALYSON: I've been teaching at Clarke for 23 years. LINDSAY: Oh, wow! Wow! ALYSON: And, at middle school, I'm a full-time Drama teacher. LINDSAY: Wow! We're just going to segue just a little bit. You've been a full-time middle school Drama teacher for 23 years? ALYSON: Correct. LINDSAY: First of all, I think that's pretty awesome that not only was it available 23 years ago but that it maintains to this day. How has it changed for you? Is it still going strong? Have you gone through administrations that don't quite see eye to eye? How has it been 23 years later? ALYSON: Well, it's interesting. I replaced somebody who had been there for many, many years. So, they've had a full-time Drama teacher in my school. We have two middle schools in Lexington and both have full-time Drama teachers. Yes, you're right, I have gone through administrations that we don't see eye to eye. But my current administration are incredibly supportive. We are currently in the middle of a big renovation and they are building a Drama room just for me and I've been working with the architects and helping to design the space so that it works for my program. They're very supportive. LINDSAY: That's so exciting! What kind of spaces have you been working in to date? ALYSON: Well, it's a band/orchestra/drama room. It's been hard because, you know, drama tends to be messy when we're building shows, for example. So, then I have to move things out of the way so that band can have their practice. You know, music stands are everywhere and chairs are everywhere so it does make it challenging – the space itself. But the new space, I will have all to myself with storage there, too. LINDSAY: You must be, like, it's Christmas! ALYSON: It's so exciting. I get to pick out the furniture and I keep thinking, “They've got to realize I teach Drama,” you know?

Episode 183: Production Case Study: To Kill A Mockingbird Drama Teacher Lea Marshall talks about producing To Kill A Mockingbird this year. We talk everything from vision to staging, from fundraising to marketing.  How do you visually represent a theme? It's a production case study and you're going to want to take notes. Show Notes How Do You Visually Represent a Theme Sponsorship Example Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 183 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode183. All righty now! Today, we have a production case study. I love these! I love hearing about how a director chooses a show, approaches a show, rehearses a show, and this is a great one! We have Drama teacher, Lea Marshall, who directed To Kill a Mockingbird this year. We're going to get into it – soup to nuts, vision to marketing. How do you visually represent a theme? She has some awesome ideas and you are going to want to take notes. So, let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! Today, I am so happy; I can't wait to have this conversation with Lea Marshall. Hello, Lea! LEA: Hello! LINDSAY: Lea, tell everybody where you are in the world. LEA: I am in my playroom at home. Oh, you meant more exact? I am on the couch in my yoga pants because my show is over. Oh, is it that happy? Do we really need to know more than that? The show is over and I'm on a Saturday. I took a nap. Is there anything else we need to know? I'm in Tallahassee, Florida. This is my first year as a high school theatre teacher. I was a middle school theatre teacher and then moved to the high school this year. Leon High School is the name of my high school in Tallahassee, Florida. LINDSAY: As soon as you said, “I closed the show so I'm in my yoga pants,” a chorus of agreement just rocked the internet, you know? LEA: It's the only time I would have time to do a podcast is because my show closed last weekend. LINDSAY: Exactly, and that's what we're here to talk about. We are here. You just finished the show, To Kill a Mockingbird. LEA: Yes, or as several students, “Oh, the killer mockingbird.” I was like, “No, that's not the name of it. No.” LINDSAY: That's a band. That's not a show. That's what we're here to talk about. We're doing like a case study, Lea. Well, all you have to do is pretty easy on your end. All you have to do is just talk about what you did – if your brain is still, you know, if you've still got it. LEA: Maybe. You can have whatever is left of my brain. LINDSAY: Aww, you're sweet. You're the best! My first question is why this show? Why To Kill a Mockingbird? LEA: During the summer, I was taking over this high school theatre job. During the summer, I was really thinking about kind of an overarching theme for our year. I'm very thematic. It comes from having taught preschool and having to teach in themes – once, years ago. So, I really thought about what I needed this year as a theme and what I thought the kids needed as a theme and what I thought the world needed as a theme. I'm so bold – “what the world needs from my high school theatre program.” This summer, when a lot of the news was very fearful, I felt like, last summer – I'm not sure it'll be different this summer but I felt like a lot of people were reacting in fear versus acting in love. I thought, “That's what I want to do. Taking over this program, I could react in fear of these kids not liking me or comparing me to their old theatre teacher or I could act in love,” and I wanted to act in love and I wanted that for them to. They could react in fear that the program was changing in a lot of ways and there was a new teacher or they could act in love towards me. That was our season.

Episode 182: Devising and Moment Work with Barbara Pitts McAdams Barbara Pitts McAdams is a company member of the Tectonic Theatre Project and was an original cast member/co-creator of The Laramie Project. The Laramie Project is a devised, interview-based play about the beating and death of Matthew Shepard. Since the play was published it's been in production somewhere in the world, every day for 17 years. Listen in as we talk devising and moment work in The Laramie Project as well as with high school students. Show Notes Barbara Pitts McAdams Tectonic Theatre Project Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 182 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode182. All right, guys. Today is a very cool conversation which I am excited, I got tingles, I got my goosebumps, I am thrilled to share this with you. It's a conversation which I could never imagine happening and the fact that it came together, well, that just made my day, my month, and my year. My guest, Barbara Pitts McAdams, was an original cast member and co-creator of The Laramie Project with Tectonic Theater Project. Yes, as I'm sure you all know, The Laramie Project is a devised interview-based play about the death of gay university of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard. Barbara is also one of Tectonics' master teachers of moment work – the devising technique they use to create original work. Barb devices with a lot of high schools and colleges – actually, that's kind of how she found us. So, of course, we're going to talk about devising with high school students. Enough of me! You don't want to listen to me! Let's get to the conversation! Let's do it! LINDSAY: Hello everyone! I am speaking to Barbara Pitts McAdams. Hello, Barb! BARBARA: Hello, Lindsay! LINDSAY: First of all, tell everybody in the world where you are. BARBARA: I am in New York City. That's where I make my home and where my theatre company, Tectonic Theater Project, is based. But I do a lot of teaching at high schools and colleges around the country. So, I get around. LINDSAY: Yeah, you're actually going very much around. You're going to Vietnam soon, too, aren't you? BARBARA: You know, as I was getting my computer ready for this and saw that it was less than two weeks away, I got a fat little lump in my stomach. “Oh, boy, I better open my guide book, figure out what I need to know!” I'll be working with a Pan-Asian high school theatre conference so that's my favorite way to travel – to be hosted by people who live and work in a place and get to be brought into their culture and see what I can do to add to their conversations. LINDSAY: Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned this right off the bat so we'll get into this, too. You are a member of Tectonic Theater Project which I know that many of our listeners will connect to The Laramie Project. BARBARA: Right. LINDSAY: How long have you been a member of Tectonic? BARBARA: I guess since about 1999. The company had made one trip to Laramie, Wyoming, a month after Matthew was attacked in 1998. Somebody else was scheduled to be in the first sort of workshop of the interview material. Then, she got on a Broadway play and I had been working with company member, Leigh Fondakowski, on her interview-based play which was called I Think I Like Girls. And so, Moisés and company had seen that. They're very supportive of each other's work. Leigh said, “Well, what about Barb? You liked her in my piece.” He said, “Yes, yes, bring her!” Just for the students who might be out there listening, I mean, I was very well-aware of Tectonic Theater Project and who they were because I had made a show everyone kept comparing to Gross Indecency: The Three...

Episode 181: Putting Together A Drama Class Adaptation Project Middle school teacher Shelby Steege takes us through step by step of the adaptation project she does with her students. Listen in to catch the details so that you can do it for your own drama classroom.  Hint! Casting happens before the script is written. Show Notes Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 181 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode181. Today, we are talking about a specific project for the classroom. That's right! We're doing a little case study here on an adaptation project. Our guest is going to take us step-by-step through this project which she does with her students. So, grab a pen, open up a note app on your phone, listen in to catch the details so that you can use it in your classroom. I'm going to give you a little hint about what's to come – for this project, casting happens before the script is even written. Isn't that nice? I like that! It's very exciting! Okay, let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hello, everybody! I am today speaking with Shelby Steege. Hello, Shelby! SHELBY: Hello! LINDSAY: Tell everybody where in the world you are. SHELBY: Well, I live in Louisville, Kentucky. But the school I teach at is in Taylorsville, Kentucky – about 45 minutes outside of Louisville. LINDSAY: Awesome. I'm really intrigued about today's conversation because we're going to talk about a specific project that you do with your students with adaptation. But, first of all, I want to start with you. How long have you been a teacher? SHELBY: This is my 16th year teaching here at the school I'm at. I did also a couple of years teaching with children's theatres in Kentucky. LINDSAY: What was it that made you want to teach theatre as opposed to perform or anything else? When did you start getting interested in theatre? SHELBY: I started really getting interested in theatre when I was in middle school. Loved it. Took classes in high school. I didn't go to a school that did a lot of theatre in school but I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They have a great children's theatre there. I was involved very heavily in their theatre academies and I decided to go into teaching theatre. I kind of think I always knew that's what I would end up doing with my love of theatre because I always loved working with kids – always loved little kids, older kids. So, that really was the way I could meld the two things I was passionate about into a career and it's worked out pretty well so far! LINDSAY: 16 years! What is it that you think makes drama important? Why do students need to take it? SHELBY: Well, most importantly – and it might sound cheesy – drama changes kids' lives. I have seen it numerous times. It truly changes who they are. They gain confidence. Whether it's onstage or backstage, the skills that they learn participating in theatre are skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. I just really think that it also is inclusive of everyone. I tell kids, if they want to get involved in something, I can find a place for them in theatre. They don't ever have to step foot onstage but we can get them a place where then they feel like they're part of something bigger than them – feel like they have a community and a family that they connect to. LINDSAY: I don't think that's cheesy at all. It's interesting that you used the word “community” because that's the first thing that popped into my head when you were talking about how important that is and I think, in the 21st Century, as we have all these conversations now about devices and our students pouring themselves into their devices and the whole idea about how students seem to be really wor...

Episode 180: Technology in the Theatre Classroom Have you wanted to find some new ways to enhance your classroom with technology?  Have you been told you need to integrate technology in your classroom but don't know where to start or what would even make sense to use in the drama classroom? Anna Porter was in the same boat. She started by getting an endorsement in educational technology and a whole world opened up. Listen in to find out how you too can incorporate technology into the theatre classroom. Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Google classroom Canvas Assessment Quiz Applications Quizalize Socrative Quizizz Formative Kahoot! Classkick Nearpod Google Forms - quiz Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 180 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode180. Today, we are talking technology in the theatre classroom. Oh, say that five times fast – “technology in the theatre classroom.” Hands up, how many of you have expectations put on you to integrate technology? Right? Right? Hands up. Hands up – lots of hands up, I'm sure. How many of you have no idea how to do that? Our guest today, Anna Porter, was in the same boat. Let's find out what she did and how technology in the theatre classroom is totally possible and totally doable. Let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hello, everybody! I am here with Anna Porter. Hello, Anna! ANNA: Hello, everyone! LINDSAY: Anna, tell everybody where in the world you are. ANNA: I am currently in Virginia. LINDSAY: Awesome. Very good. We're talking today about technology in the Drama classroom. For some Drama teachers, I think that technology can be – well, I'm not going to say it's a dirty word but it's a weird word, isn't it? Technology and Drama might not seem on first glance to go together. ANNA: Yeah, definitely. It's the tool that we want to use but sometimes feels like it gets in the way. LINDSAY: Oh, I like that! How does it get in the way? ANNA: Just in the sense that we're often told we need to be using it but we don't necessarily know how it works in our specific context. LINDSAY: Yeah, totally. And so, the reason I'm talking with Anna is she does a lot of work for Theatrefolk at the Drama Teacher Academy. She's done a lot of lesson plans for us. She's going to be doing something on technology in the Drama classroom with some Google tools. We'll talk about Google tools in a second. Now, Anna, when we were talking about something else, you let it be known that you have an endorsement in educational technology. What is that? ANNA: I'm currently finishing that endorsement right now but it's done through my state office of education where they are working to try and get teachers to use more technology in the classroom but I think they've recognized that the more teachers know about how to use it, the more they're going to do it. And so, a lot of these classes deal with theory and how to better use technology and how to select technology that works well for our students and for our content area as well as helping us know what tools are out there because I think – for me at least – that was the biggest obstacle – knowing how to use it but what can I use and what resources do I have to do that? That's a big part of what this endorsement has been. LINDSAY: Why did you decide to take it? ANNA: Because I have always wanted to know how to use technology. Whenever I had my review for my administrator, there was always that question. “How are you using technology in your classroom?” I would have to say I use my projector.” I knew there was more that I could do. Also, as I've gotten to know more about how technology works,

Episode 179: The Production Classroom Have you considered putting on a play with an advanced class, during class time? Have you ever tried an in-class production and struggled with the process? In this podcast Karen Loftus highlights the steps she went through to create and implement The Production Classroom. Show Notes The Perils of Modern Education Drama Teacher Academy - The Production Classroom Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 179 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode179. Today, we are talking about a great, great long-term project that you can do with an advanced class. This can take up a whole semester or even a whole year – depending on how long you have your students. The ultimate goal, I think, with a drama class is to have them move through the entire process of putting on a play – right from audition to performance. I know that this is something many teachers struggle with, right? How do you encourage accountability? What if students don't listen to their peers? What do the tech students do during rehearsals? We are talking about the production classroom and all of these questions – and more – are answered in today's conversation. So, let's get to it. LINDSAY: I am speaking with Karen Loftus. Hello, Karen! KAREN: Hello there! LINDSAY: Karen is a long-time friend to Theatrefolk. I was trying to remember when we first met. I know it was Florida and I know it was a conference and I think it was Jacksonville. Does that right a bell? KAREN: Yeah, I think it was, too. I do. LINDSAY: I think so, and I know that you had just done Circus in Olympus and I think that was, was that the first Theatrefolk play you did? KAREN: No, first Theatrefolk play for us is we did a really great night where we did Emotional Baggage and Tick Tock in the same night. We called it “A Night with Few Words” and it went on really, really well. LINDSAY: Oh, that's awesome. I'm not sure I knew that story. I knew that you had done those plays. Karen, you have had – I'm going to call it amazing – an amazing journey because, when we first met, you were a high school teacher in Florida and, now, you're in New York and you've had a variety of jobs but your job now – well, from the outside, it kind of sounds a little exciting, right? KAREN: It is! I'm an education production manager for Roundabout Theatre Company now in New York. I actually am managing a program where we're training technical – we're training students 18 to 24 in technical theatre. It's exciting because we're partnering with IATSE – International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union of theatre technicians – and they're working with us to help train these students. And so, it is, it's really exciting. LINDSAY: Yeah, I love that. I think, to be able to train them but also, like, actually in a theatre, they're able to – I'm assuming – actually apply the things that they're learning directly in production. KAREN: Yeah, they are. We normally will go to downtown spaces because there are union houses so there's situations there, but nothing beats hands-on. Nothing beats just getting right into it, you know? LINDSAY: Which is an amazing segue which was not planned but, as you were talking, I'm like, “Hey! Segue time!” to what we're going to talk about today. What we're going to talk about is the production classroom and the ability for you to actually – you, the listening you, I know who you are; I've met you, I know who you are – for you to be able to plan and implement and execute doing shows in your classroom – both onstage and off. Karen, how many of these did you put together in your time? KAREN: Wow! Well, we would do,

Episode 178: Putting Together A Tech Theatre Unit Drama Teacher Josh Hatt does not have a background in Tech Theatre. In fact he shied away from teaching it for years. But when it became part of his curriculum, he dove in with both feet. It was a great experience and now he'll never shy away from tech again! Listen in to learn how he developed his eight week unit exploring lights, sound, costume, make-up and staging. You too can teach tech! Show Notes Drama Teacher Academy Blank Scenes Example Mary Poppins as a Horror Movie The Shining as a comedy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 178 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode178. Today, we are talking tech and putting together a tech theatre unit. Hands up, how many of you fear tech? How many of you avoid including it in your program? Well, our podcast guest today was in the exact same boat as you. Now, he is a total tech convert. So, let's get to it! LINDSAY: All right, I am speaking with Josh Hatt. Hello, Josh! JOSHUA: Hello, Lindsay! LINDSAY: All right, tell everybody in the world where you are right now. JOSHUA: I am starting my second year at an international school in Shanghai, China. LINDSAY: I love the internet. Not always! We had a little difficulty connecting but we're here now and I think it's amazing. It's evening where I am and morning where you are. JOSHUA: Yes, it's Friday morning. It was funny because I was trying to coordinate what time we were doing this and, now, I'm back and I'm twelve hours ahead of you guys. So, we're like, “Okay, Thursday night at 8:00.” I'm like, “Wait, what does that actually mean for me? I don't remember.” LINDSAY: Twelve is pretty good, though. You know, it's when I get the most trouble when I'm even dealing with coordinating Mountain time and Pacific time. It's like, “Okay, you are this time, I am this time. We're all good.” So, this is your second year at this school. Just how is that going? What is it like to teach in an international school in China? JOSHUA: It's amazing. We work at an American school. And so, it's not much different, honestly, than any of the international schools as far as curriculum-wise. I've done the MYP curriculum before. This school, they do a lot of common core. It's incredible and, because it's a private school, we're really lucky. I luck out. I get to work in this beautiful two-story black box theatre and I get to take little sixth, seventh, and eighth graders through a little dramatic journey through there. It's magical. We kind of joke all the time. I was like, “I work at Disneyland! This is amazing!” LINDSAY: You know what, that's a pretty fun description of teaching theatre. I love that! JOSHUA: It's amazing. LINDSAY: I'm very excited, actually, about what we're going to talk about today because I know that this is something that teachers are asking us and pleading with us all the time – how do I do tech theatre? How do I teach tech theatre? The fact that you're doing it with middle school students, I think, is even more exciting and interesting in terms of getting some people some good information. Why are you doing tech theatre with your middle school students? JOSHUA: You know, I've never done much outside of plugging a sound system into a small performance because I've always had the experience of being a middle school teacher. You know, we get forgotten sometimes and it's like, “Great! We have a room, let's have a middle school drama program.” Of course, we're resilient and we persevere and we make it work and beautiful. I had the opportunity because they had just built this brand-new theatre space at the school. The high school got a brand-new black box theatre. And so,

Episode 177: Drama Teachers: How do you market your shows? If you want to build the audience that comes to see your shows, that means you have to do some marketing. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some are too busy trying to put the show together. Candice McMath talks about combining new marketing techniques with traditional in this week's podcast. What worked? What didn't How much was her budget? Tune in to find out. Show Notes Shuddersome Poster Shuddersome Trailer Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County Shuddersome: Tales of Poe Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 177 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode177. Today, we are talking marketing. Ah! Marketing! Is that something you use to promote your shows to the community? Do you like marketing? Is it a dirty word? “Ugh! I hate marketing!” Is it something you never think about because, well, you don't have time? You're busy trying to put a show together! If you want to build the reach of your program and build the audience that comes to your shows, marketing is a must. We're in a new age of marketing here in the good old 21st Century. Some of those old techniques, they don't work as well anymore. But we're so saturated online. How effective are new techniques? We're going to talk with Candice McMath and her marketing strategy when she directed my play, Shuddersome: Tales of Poe. Let's get to it. LINDSAY: All right, hello, everybody! I am sitting here with Candice McMath. Hello, Candice! CANDICE: Hey, Lindsay! How are you doing? LINDSAY: I am excellent! How are you today? CANDICE: I'm great! LINDSAY: Perfect. So, tell everybody where in the world you are. CANDICE: I am in New Philadelphia, Ohio, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere. But, if you draw a triangle between Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I'm right in the middle of it. LINDSAY: That is perfect! I love knowing where everybody is who we talk to, but I'm telling you, at least seven times out of ten, a name of a place is said and I'm like, “Well, I don't know where that is.” But I'm a plain old visual learner so I am picturing the triangle and it's given me exactly what I need. Candice, you wear a lot of hats. CANDICE: I do. LINDSAY: I know you as a director. You directed a production of my play Shuddersome – which is half of the reason that Candice is here – but you also do graphic design and posters. What is your true love? CANDICE: Well, my true love is art. I've always said that I am an artist, a teacher, and a maker of things. So, we didn't have a whole lot of money when I was growing up. And so, I spent a lot of time entertaining myself and just, if there was something laying around that I could duct tape to something else or hot glue feathers on it, then I did it. So, that love of just creating things and being artistic translated into me getting a bachelor of arts in college. I majored in art because I loved it and business so I could eat. LINDSAY: So, you're smart and creative. CANDICE: Well, I try to walk the line between the two. LINDSAY: Where does theatre fit into this puzzle for you? CANDICE: Well, theatre fits in for me the way I think it fits in for all of us who love to do theatre. There's a part of me that just loves to show off and being able to do what I love and sing and dance or perform onstage for 90 minutes to 2 hours and just get to play dress-up and escape and entertain people is one thing I've always really loved. It's just a really fun escapism to be able to partake in. You know, at the end of the day, you go back to your real life, but there's a camaraderie and just a really fun exploration of art tha...

Episode 176: Theatre and Autism: How do you present a sensory friendly performance? How do Theatre and Autism fit together? Do you have students on the spectrum in your classrooms? Have you ever put on a sensory friendly performance? All of these questions and more are answered in this week's podcast with James Lekatz, program director of the CAST program (Creative, Accepting, Sensory-Friendly, Theatre) at the Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins, MN. Show Notes Stages Theatre Company - C.A.S.T Program National Autism Resources Autism Resources Autism Resource Kit School Community Toolkit Jacques Lecoq Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript UPDATE FALL 2018: James Lekatz is now the Artistic Associate at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. The mission of Interact is to create art that challenges the perception of disability. Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I'm Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 176 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode176. Okay. Everyone, hands up. All of you, put your hands up – no, no, no. So, I have a question. How many of you have students on the autism spectrum in your classrooms? And, another, how do these students react to theatre? Do you believe it can impact them? Have you ever been to a sensory-friendly performance? Have you ever planned one? Okay, that was more than one question; that was a lot of questions and I'll bet that there is a lot more hands up to the answer to that first question than anybody thinks. And, yes, I can see you; I can see all of you. So, we're talking theatre and autism today. We are going to get some answers to those questions and more with today's guest. A very interesting conversation. I learned a lot. Let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am speaking with James Lekatz. Hello, James! JAMES: Hello! LINDSAY: Awesome. Tell everybody where in the world you are. JAMES: Yes, I am coming to you today from Hopkins, Minnesota, which is kind of like a first-ranked suburb of Minneapolis. LINDSAY: Ah, perfect! Sometimes, I ask where people are and then they say and I'm like, “Well, I don't know where that is,” but this is good. Excellent! This is going to be such an interesting conversation on so many levels, I think. Let's start off, please, tell us what your job is. JAMES: Sure. I work for a theatre company called the Stages Theatre Company located in Hopkins, Minnesota. My job is twofold; one, I'm an education association, so I'm a theatre teacher and I work at many different schools in the west metro of the twin cities, and I also am in-charge of our access programming. And so, that is working with ASL interpreters, getting audio transcribers to come to our performances to do an open captioning, but also a major portion of what I do in the access is working with our sensory-friendly and autism programming. I run a program called CAST which is an acting program for students on the autism spectrum. And then, we have a ten-performance sensory-friendly season that we do throughout the entire year. LINDSAY: Talk about making sure that theatre is getting to everybody, right? JAMES: Right. LINDSAY: Also, I have seen it, time and time in the classroom, how those with autism, theatre really helps them. JAMES: It does, and it's kind of counterintuitive. You don't think it would because it's standing in front of people so it's nervous and a lot of people on the spectrum have anxiety. It's being able to use your voice where a lot of our students on the spectrum don't have that vocal flexibility. But, yet, they can do it. Seeing theatre works that way and doing theatre works that way. It's incredible! LINDSAY: Yeah, and this is one of the reasons I definitely wanted to talk to you and h...

Episode 175: The Drama Classroom: There is a seat for everyone at the table Scott Giessler is a teacher and a playwright. He went into theatre teaching without any training and not only is he still doing it, he has a strong philosophy for how to do it. He's well aware that what you need as a teacher isn't necessarily what your students need. And for Scott, he's adamant that there is a seat for everyone at the table in the theatre classroom. Enjoy this conversation from the trenches of the drama classroom and the importance of what goes on there. Show Notes Theatrefolk.com Finishing Sentences Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I am Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 175 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode175. Okay. Today is a great conversation. It's about stepping into a Drama classroom, what the Drama classroom means, and what is the purpose of being a Drama teacher. Frankly, I think that's about as much introduction as this episode needs. It's lovely. I think it's just lovely. I'll give you something to listen for, though. Scott, our guest – who is also a teacher and a Theatrefolk playwright – does not believe in the phrase “the show must go on.” Why, you ask? Let's get started and find out. LINDSAY: All right, I am talking to Scott Giessler. Hello, Scott! SCOTT: Hi there! How are you? LINDSAY: Excellent! And how are you? SCOTT: I am doing terrific. Thank you for having me. LINDSAY: Yeah! So, tell everyone where in the world you are. SCOTT: Okay. Well, I am currently located in a lovely little hamlet here in New Hampshire called Tuftonboro which, most people, of course, will never have heard that but, if you know where Lake Winnipesaukee is in New Hampshire, that's where you'd fine me. LINDSAY: Well, of course, we all know where that is, Scott. We know where you are! SCOTT: Okay! LINDSAY: And so, Scott is not only a teacher – and, actually, it looks like you wear a ton of hats from teaching theatre tech to performance to filmmaking and playwriting. Scott has written a fantastic little piece – not a little piece – a piece, a great piece called “Finishing Sentences” which we have. We're going to talk about it but we're going to start with you, Scott. Tell everybody how long you have been a theatre teacher. SCOTT: Okay. I've been teaching for about sixteen years. Well, it's been exactly sixteen. I started my career and stayed in my career at Kingswood Regional High School and I teach a theatre class there as well as coach the afterschool theatre program there. It's been a great run. LINDSAY: What was it that connected you to teaching? Why teaching theatre? SCOTT: Well, oddly enough, if you kind of connect it up at the play, I worked as a camp counselor when I was younger and it was really – and this is even now strange to say – it was the only I had ever really connected with for the first – I don't know – 26 years of my life. But, you know, I was also an avid theatre student in high school, did a little bit more in college. I took a break from that because I was mostly paying attention to television and radio broadcast. But, when I got out of the working world, you know, I really felt like something was missing. And then, I sort of harkened back to the days of being a camp counselor. I went back, worked at that camp – that I actually still work at now – for a summer. And then, as fate would have it, the local high school in town was looking for a theatre teacher. You know, I let them know – I was an avid theatre person; I was an actor all through high school; I was a writer in college – that sort of thing. But I had not had the formal training, but they needed somebody and they brought me in. That first year – as I'm sure everybody will kn...

Episode 174: Teaching, Performing, Directing, Shakespeare Chris Veneris hated Shakespeare in high school. He had a teacher who made it absolutely boring. Now he's approaching Shakespeare from all angles - he teaches it in the classroom, he's directed it and he's performed it many times. In this conversation we look at how to look at Shakespeare from both a teaching and an acting perspective and why Shakespeare fails in the classroom. Show Notes Theatrefolk.com Drama Teacher Academy Shakespeare's Language:A Glossary of Unfamiliar Words in His Plays and Poems by Eugene F. Shewmaker Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I am Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 174 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode174. So, what are we talking about today? We are talking about Shakespeare. I know, we've done a lot on Shakespeare in the past few months, but it is something that comes up time and time again. Shakespeare can be a vital, exciting learning experience. It can also be the worst, most painful kind of experience that makes you never want to look at a Shakespeare play ever, ever again. Our guest today, Teacher Chris Veneris, had that kind of experience in high school. But, now, he's on quite a different footing with his approach when it comes to teaching, performing, and directing Shakespeare. Let's get into it, shall we? LINDSAY: All right, I am here speaking with Chris Veneris. Hello, Chris! CHRIS: Hello, Lindsay! How are you? LINDSAY: I'm excellent. How are you? CHRIS: I'm wonderful. LINDSAY: Hey! Good, good, good. All right. So, tell everybody where in the world you are. CHRIS: I am sitting in my home in Greensboro, North Carolina. LINDSAY: Hey! Very good, very good! And how long have you been a Drama teacher? CHRIS: I just completed my twelfth year with Guilford County Schools. I'm at my third school which has been my longest tenure and I just completed my eighth year at that school which is Southeast Gilford High School in Greensboro. I have also taught at Lincoln Academy which is a middle school and, my very first year, I taught at Western Guilford High School. LINDSAY: So, what keeps you coming back? What keeps you connected to being a Drama teacher? CHRIS: I really think it's kind of a calling. I've looked at leaving the profession with all the negativity that teachers are receiving. I have thought about going and getting an administrative license and becoming a principal. I have thought about going out and getting my MFA. Every time, right before I'm about to sign paperwork or to really start studying for the GRE and get down to it, I just look at myself in the mirror and go, “I can't give up teaching. I don't want to give up teaching.” It's really coming back to the students because, even in a really terrible year, there's always a bright spot. There's always at least one student – usually, it's ten or fifteen, even in the worst situation that you can find a bright spot in. it's just the ability to pass on the knowledge that I've received. I had a really awesome Theatre teacher – a man by the name of Allen Osbourne who went by “Oz” – and I can't think of doing anything else. Since my sophomore year in high school, it's been my dream. I want to be a teacher and it was always I wanted to be like Oz. He was kind of like a second father to me. He was my dad's best friend! From there, I just knew that's what I wanted to do. Even on the worst days, I look at myself and I just can't give it up. LINDSAY: I think that's wonderful and it's really great to hear that because I know that we have so many people listening who struggle and who sometimes are in the same boat. It's like, “This is the calling that I have.”

Episode 173: Drama Teachers: How do you give student writers feedback? Nick Pappas wears many hats. He is a playwright, a director, he teaches and he's a dramaturg. This conversation took place at the International Thespian Festival where for the past five years he's worked with student playwrights. How do you give student playwrights feedback? Listen in to find out. Show Notes Nick Pappas Theatrefolk.com Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk, the Drama teacher resource company. I am Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! So, we've got a new year – hello, 2017 – and a new shiny intro. Huh, what do you think? We here at Theatrefolk Global Headquarters are focusing our efforts all on you. Yes, you. I am, I'm talking to you. Yes; no, not them. You. This is Episode 173 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode173. Today, we're talking playwriting, specifically student playwriting. How many of you – raise your hands, I know – you want to include playwriting but there's something about it and it's something specifically that is very trepidatious and worrisome when it gets to feedback, right? How do we give good feedback to student writers that doesn't cause them to put their play in a drawer and never open that drawer for twenty-five years? Today, we're talking to Nick Pappas. He's a guy who wears many hats. He's a playwright and a director. He teaches. He's a dramaturg and he is Theatrefolk's play submission reader. So, he hits on all sides of the table when it comes to plays. But, as I said, we're talking specifically about student feedback and giving feedback and how do you give that good feedback. How do you get that good feedback? Well, let's get to it and find out. LINDSAY: All right. I am here with Nick Pappas. Hello, Nick! NICK: Hello! LINDSAY: Nick and I are at the International Thespian Festival right now which will be long over by the time this comes up, but we are going to talk about something which is – universal is not exactly the word I'm looking for – timeless is the word I'm looking for. NICK: There you go. LINDSAY: There you go. It doesn't quite matter but we're in a really unique situation right now, wouldn't you say? NICK: Yes. LINDSAY: Nick and I are both working as dramaturgs as part of a program called Playworks in which four student playwrights are chosen. Do you know how many plays are sent in to Playworks? NICK: I think it goes from a process of I heard they get about 70 plays and then the 70 are reduced down to, like, ten or twelve. LINDSAY: And then, they choose the four. NICK: Yeah. LINDSAY: And those four playwrights from – it's just the States – all of the states, they get brought to Lincoln, Nebraska for the International Thespian Festival and they get a director and a dramaturg and actors and we put up their plays. NICK: Yeah, in four days of rehearsal? LINDSAY: We had three this year. NICK: Oh, that's true. LINDSAY: Because auditions on Tuesday, Wednesday – oh, my gosh – we had Tuesday rehearsal, Wednesday rehearsal, Thursday rehearsal, and then… NICK: Up on Friday. LINDSAY: There's a little bit today and then you guys go up tomorrow. NICK: Correct. LINDSAY: And so, we're going to talk about what it's like to talk to a student playwright because a lot of you, I know, include playwriting units in your program. How to talk to students, how to give them feedback so that they continue writing and they don't curl up into a ball and never write again which is not what we want. I wanted to start with you, Nick. That's my preamble. NICK: All right. LINDSAY: You wear a lot of hats. NICK: Yes. LINDSAY: The three that I know are playwright and teacher and dramaturg. NICK: Yes. LINDSAY: What would you consider your biggest ha...

Episode 172: Critical Thinking: Theatre in Another Language Have you ever watched a piece of theatre in another language? Theatrefolk partners in Crime Lindsay Price and Craig Mason put on their critical thinking caps and reflect on seeing theatre in Norwegian, Icelandic, and scrap metal (you'll have to listen in for more on that one). How are stories told physically and visually? When are stories not told well, regardless of the language gap? A great theatrical experiment! Show Notes The Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! All right, this is Episode 172 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode172. Today, we are talking language – specifically foreign languages! Well, foreign to me, anyway. They're not foreign to the people who live in the countries that we visited but they are not in my home language and we're talking about seeing theatre. So, we've got language, foreign language, theatre. Okay, who's put it all together? Who's tying all the knots and a bow? Ah, you guys are so smart, yes! So, we are talking about seeing theatre in another language. Have you ever done that? Have you ever went to a show where you knew you wouldn't be able to understand the dialogue? It's a pretty fascinating experience, actually. It's something that you could replicate a little bit, show your students YouTube clips of bits of movie bits from another language and see what they comprehend. That's kind of what we're talking about here. And so, my Theatrefolk partner-in-crime, Craig Mason, we did just that. Whenever we travel, we make it a point to go see some theatre. And so, when we were in Iceland and Norway, we saw plays in Icelandic and Norwegian – some with some very clear communicative storytelling and, well, some not. You'll have to listen to figure those ones out. That's our purpose here in this podcast – to talk about what these experiences were like, not just as pieces of theatre or plays but pieces of communication. How do these plays communicate physically and visually? How much of a story did we understand when we didn't have the language? And how much does acting, relationships, and verbal technique come into the equation. It's a whole big critical thinking mosaic – that's a good word! Everybody's got to put their critical thinking cap on and I'm going to say “critical thinking” one more time because then we've really got some 21st Century skills going on, eh, eh? We've got some communication, we've got some critical thinking, oh, it's all good. Oh, and then, there's one bonus section about a piece we saw in Scotland that had no dialogue – just scrap metal and music and lights. So, how did this particular piece communicate? Well, that's something else you're going to have to listen to find out. I can't give it all away in the intro, can I? So, let's get to it! LINDSAY: Hi, Craig. CRAIG: Hi, Lindsay Price. Hey, you didn't call me by my last name. LINDSAY: I didn't. CRAIG: I called you Lindsay Price. You called me just Craig. LINDSAY: Okay, let's start again. CRAIG: Okay. LINDSAY: Hi, Craig Mason. CRAIG: Hi, Lindsay. LINDSAY: Oh, snap! Actually, what you've just done is an interesting play on the place of where we are right now/ Where are we sitting? CRAIG: We are sitting in Iceland. LINDSAY: Iceland! Reykjavik, Iceland. A fun fact is that, in Iceland, they don't really use last names. Everyone is on first name basis. Even the Prime Minister is on a first name basis because everybody is John's son or John's daughter. Fun fact! We're actually here to talk about a theatrical experience that we had last night and that was Mama Mia.

Episode 171: Divergent Learning in the classroom There is no class that is more divergent than the drama classroom. You have the vast number of different students who end up in your classroom, some who want to be there and some who don't. You also have the ability to look for many different solutions to a problem in the drama classroom. There is often more than one way to play a character, to interpret a scene, to apply creative thinking. Theatre is the perfect place for divergent learning to happen. Show Notes The Plays of Steven Stack The Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This would be Episode 171 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode171. Today, we're talking with one of our playwrights, one of Theatrefolk's playwrights, Steven Stack, who also has many other talents and many other hats that he wears – one of them is that he has a background, he actually went to school for this in divergent learning. So, mostly for my sake, let's define that word. To be divergent – and I'm going to mention this in the interview, I keep thinking of the book series and the movie but that's not what we're talking about – is to move or extend in different directions from a common point. Let's say, a script or an idea or a character or being different from the “typical student” – to differ in opinion, to deviate from a plan, practice, or path. I think both you and I know that there is no more class that is more divergent than the drama classroom. You have a vast number and a variety of different students who end up in your classroom – some who want to be there, some who really don't – and I know all of you have had students who deviated from “the path” – again, I'll use those air quotes – you know, “the path” and they're ending up in your classroom, too. You also have the ability to look for many different solutions to a problem in a drama classroom. There is always more than – well, let's not say “always” – there are a lot of times when there is more than one way to play a character, to interpret a scene, to apply creative thinking. Theatre is the perfect place for divergent learning to happen. That's my two cents. Let's hear what Steven has to say on the matter. LINDSAY: All right. I am talking to Steven Stack. Hello, Steven! STEVEN: Hello, Lindsay! LINDSAY: How are you doing? STEVEN: I am doing great. How about you? LINDSAY: I'm doing peachy. I'm doing absolutely peachy. STEVEN: Peachy? Very nice! LINDSAY: Why not? I'm trying to mix it up a little – not be awesome all the time. Sometimes, I have to be a fruit. STEVEN: Exactly! So, now I feel like I should have gone with, like, a pineapple. I had a chance there. LINDSAY: But that was, in a very subtle way, sort of a great example of the thing that we're going to talk about today which is Divergent Learning. Of course, I also wat to say – which I'll also talk you up greatly in the introduction as I always do – that Steven is one of our fabulous Theatrefolk playwrights. When we get to the Theatrefolk News at the end of this, I'm going to name them all – Bottom of the Lake; Ashland Falls; She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More; The Dread Playwright/Pirate Sadie. STEVEN: Oh, even at the beginning, too! LINDSAY: Oh, I'll tell ya, I'll tell ya. We'll do it all. We'll do it more than once. But the reason that Steven is here and he is talking to us today is I learned something about Steven. Now, Steven, you've been writing for us quite a number of years. STEVEN: I have, yes. LINDSAY: For the first time, we were talking about a course that you're going to do for us for the Drama Teacher Academy and you mentioned...

Episode 170: Musical Theatre in the Drama Classroom Have you ever considered including musical theatre in the drama classroom? Does the thought of singing in front of others scare your students to death? Does it scare you to death?  If you're going to offer a full range of theatre subjects in your curriculum, musical theatre is an important piece. Listen to teacher Colin Oliver talk about why he includes musical theatre in his program and why you should too, even if you have students who will never sing a note outside of class. Show Notes The Drama Teacher Academy Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 170 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode170. Today, we're… cool, see? I'm already in the spirit of things. I already got a little song in my heart, a song in my voice, because we are talking musical theatre. More specific to that, musical theatre in the Drama classroom. That's right; singing, I know, is something that terrifies many people, almost to death. You may be one of those people. It's one thing to sing in the car at full volume. How many of you are singing Hamilton on your way to and from work? It's another thing entirely to do it in front of your peers. But Teacher Colin Oliver, he includes musical theatre in his program and he thinks you should, too – even if you have students who will never sing a note outside of class. Let's hear what he has to say. LINDSAY: All right! I am here, talking with Colin Oliver. Hello, Colin! COLIN: Hi, Lindsay! Thanks for having me. LINDSAY: Ah, absolutely! How are you doing today? COLIN: Very well. Thank you. How are you? LINDSAY: Fantastic. So, usually, I ask our guests where in the world you are, but we are actually in the same room. We are in the same location. We're actually in a dining room which is not always usual but it's the dining room of my sister and my niece. For those of you who might get our newsletter, we're always talking about my niece and my two-year-old niece could be banging outside the door so we must get going. We must get going! So, Colin, how long have you been a Drama teacher? COLIN: I've just finished my seventh year teaching. I've been teaching Drama for five of those seven years. LINDSAY: What did you start out? COLIN: I was full English. Now, I'm part English, part Drama, part vocal music. LINDSAY: Did you always have an interest in Drama or did Drama kind of drop in your lap? COLIN: No, always, ever since I was a child, I was very, very interested in Drama. I did community theatre and plays at school. Then, continuing on through university where I studied theatre, I did shows and started teaching Drama. LINDSAY: Where did the switch come for you from being a performer to being an educator? COLIN: Ah, that's a good question. When I graduated university, a fellow student of mine and I started a small company called Theatre Recap where we started using these productions we were doing as fundraisers for different charities and not-for-profit organizations. LINDSAY: Neat! COLIN: We would produce original comedian work and partner with an organization whose cause kind of matched the thematic concerns of the play. And so, that kind of led into spreading awareness about theatre as a tool for social change and kind of giving talks and workshops about that stuff. And then, that kind of drove the educational impetus for me a little bit. LINDSAY: Yeah. It's always interesting to me when I made that switch from being a performer to being a playwright to actually being very involved in the education element of it. Was that something where you went, “Okay,

Episode 169: Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First time If you're a drama teacher, at some point Shakespeare should make it on to your stage. But what if you've hated him since high school yourself? Shakespeare is a challenge, it's a great challenge and one that is easier to embrace than sky diving. Maybe. Listen to a couple of teachers talk about their first time battling the bard. Show Notes Romeo and Juliet 1 hour cut with annotations Much Ado About Nothing 1 hour cut with annotations Shakespeare adaptations and parodies including Drop Dead Juliet & Much Ado High School Shakespeare in an Hour Solo-Speare a collection of Shakespeare Monologues Scene-Speare a collection of Shakespeare Scenes Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! All right, this is Episode 169. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode169. Ever since it's been made aware to me that I saw “drama” weird, that's all I think about every time I do these podcast intros “Is drama the right way to say it?” You guys will still like me, right? If I say drama the wrong way. Okay. Today, we are talking Shakespeare and Shakespeare in school – middle school and high school. I know that, just by saying that sentence, either there was a smile on your face – “Shakespeare! Yay!” – or you made a scrunchy face, right? Or your stomach went all squishy. You're thinking about that experience right now, right? Your experience with Shakespeare is one of those two things it's either “Shakespeare!” or it's “ugh, Shakespeare.” But, if you are a drama teacher, at some point, Shakespeare should make it onto your stage. What if you have hated him since high school? Shakespeare is a challenge – yup, it's a great challenge! It's one that is probably easier to embrace than skydiving but, you know, I could be wrong. In this podcast, we've got two teachers – Heidi Frederic and Hilary Martin – both of whom, in the past year, directed Shakespeare for the first time. It took Heidi fourteen years of teaching before she was able to tackle the bard. In Hilary's case, not only was she directing Shakespeare for the first time but many of her actors were acting Shakespeare for the first time. They had no previous exposure. That sounds like an adventure! Yeah, I think so. Let's find out. Let's get to it! LINDSAY: I am talking with Heidi Frederic. Hello, Heidi! HEIDI: Hi! LINDSAY: How are you doing today? HEIDI: I'm great! How are you? LINDSAY: I am swell. So, tell everybody, where in the world are you? HEIDI: I am in Louisiana. I'm in a small town called St. Amant which is probably about twenty minutes south of Baton Rouge and about forty minutes north of New Orleans. LINDSAY: Oh, cool. Perfect. I always like it when I can get a good image of where people are. HEIDI: Yes. LINDSAY: So, we're talking today about Shakespeare, but not just that – that the whole idea of tackling a Shakespeare show for the very first time. How long have you been a teacher? HEIDI: This is my 14th year. LINDSAY: This if your 14th year and you just did your Shakespeare show. HEIDI: I'm actually just about to open it. LINDSAY: That's it. So, are you nervous? HEIDI: I'm very nervous! My very first Shakespeare show and I'm very nervous. LINDSAY: Well, I bet you, you did fine. Let's go back to the very beginning. What made you decide that you had to tackle Shakespeare? HEIDI: Well, I've always wanted to do Shakespeare but I've always been very apprehensive about tackling Shakespeare. The language, of course, has always held me back. I had taught English for many years so I had taught Shakespeare before and I knew the struggles th...

Episode 168: Putting on a play your administration doesn't like Sometimes you want to do a show on a tough subject matter. Sometimes your administration doesn't want you to. In this episode, teacher Chris Evans talks about his experience producing a play on gun violence. How did he communicate with his administration? What was the response? What advice does he have for others? Show Notes Clowns with Guns Chicken. Road. Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! All right, this is Episode 168. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode168. Surprise, surprise! Today, we are talking communication – the communication of a play to an audience that's got some tough subject matter, all about communicating tough subject matter to both a receptive audience and a not receptive audience, and also the communication that has to happen between a teacher and their administration about doing a play with tough subject matter. The title of this podcast is: “Putting On a Play Your Administration Doesn't Like – How That Is Not an Impossible Situation.” We recently published a script by Teacher Chris Evans called Clowns with Guns. It is an unflinching look at gun violence in schools. It's one that many people were offended by when it was done, including Chris' administration. So, what was that experience like for Chris? How did he keep a positive communication going with his administration and with all those involved with the show? You don't need to hear that from me! Let's hear it directly from Chris! Let's get to it and find out. LINDSAY: I am talking to Chris Evans. Hello, Chris! CHRIS: Hello, hello, hello! LINDSAY: Hello, hello, hello! Tell everybody where in the world you are. CHRIS: I am smack dab in the middle of the state of Montana – Great Falls, Montana. We're about 90 miles north of the capital of Helena. We are on the plains. It's a beautiful 91 degrees and humid. LINDSAY: All the good things! CHRIS: Absolutely! LINDSAY: There are folks who are very attracted to 91 and humid. CHRIS: I was born and raised in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona in July. My mother never lets me forget that. LINDSAY: So, there's no excuses for you – no excuses for you. CHRIS: This is jacket weather right now, so… LINDSAY: All right then! All right, everyone, put on your jackets and we're going to start this. Actually, you know, put on your jackets, strap yourselves in. We're going to have a very – I think – interesting conversation – I think – a necessary conversation for a lot of folks out there who might be in the same shoes or they're afraid to get into the issues. What we're going to talk about today is doing a play that your administration might not like you to do – or, more strongly, does not want you to do. Chris, you were in this situation. CHRIS: Yes, I was. Basically, the backstory in this is I was looking for a play to do at our state thespian convention which happens every February here and I can't consistently do a theatre form play. Otherwise, the secret's going to be out. And so, I decided to write one and I started, this was around the time that mass shootings here in America were just happening almost daily. I was angry about it so I decided to start writing a play about what seemed to me was acceptance of these shootings happening in America. I wanted to tie it in with a class lesson on absurdity and satire. And so, the play – Clowns with Guns (A Vaudeville) – was born. Essentially, it takes place in a circus atmosphere, with iconic characters, and a group of audience that I call the Goobers decided to come see the show and they're happy to see the show.

Episode 167: Drama Teachers: Solving problems within play production Two drama teachers and co-directors talk about the process of putting on a play, the choices that have to be made and the problems that often have to be solved. Instead of saying “we can't do this play” because of the issues, these teachers went to the mat to figure out how keep the integrity of the play intact while using what was at their disposal. An excellent directing discussion. Show Notes The Gift Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 167. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode167. So, today, we are talking process – production process – the process of putting on a play and, more specifically, solving the problems that often come up during that process. How many times have you looked at a play, you read it, you loved it, and the first thing that comes to your mind is, “Oh, we can't do this play,” right? We're going to talk to two teacher and co-directors, Dee Sutter and Traci Duffin. They put on my play, The Gift, last year. Based on some really awesome pictures I saw from the production knew I wanted to have them on the podcast. They came up with so many unique solutions and, instead of saying, “We can't do this play,” these co-directors went to the mat. This is a great, great discussion on problem-solving, creative problem-solving, and directing. Let's get to it! LINDSAY: All right, I am speaking with Dee Sutter. Hello, Dee! DEE: Hello! LINDSAY: And Traci Duffin. Hello, Traci! TRACI: Hello! LINDSAY: All right. So, both of these folks are directors. What school are you at? DEE: We are at Custer County District High School in Miles City, Montana. LINDSAY: Awesome! Teachers and directors and they co-directed a play of mine called The Gift. They sent such amazing pictures and just talked about to me some of the different choices that they made that I thought this would be a really good conversation about, you know, what is this process that they went through and I know that so many of you go through. Guys, let's start from the very beginning. What are you thinking about? What are you looking at when it comes to choosing a play for your school and for your students? DEE: I suppose, like most high school theatre programs, we are always long on girls, short on men. We run our program as an extracurricular. We have a theatre class but we also do the play as an extracurricular so we run it as we take all comers. We announce an audition. From the amount of people, the numbers that we get auditioning, we try to pick a play that we can handle. LINDSAY: Oh, so you guys audition first and then figure out your pool and then pick a play? DEE: Yes. LINDSAY: Oh! DEE: It requires a lot of footwork in advance because you have to have read quite a few and have quite a catalogue of plays that you can go to. LINDSAY: Do you come to your season with like a short list? DEE: Usually, yes, and we try to mix it up with comedy and drama. And then, something someone's heard of so, if they wanted to go off and do something with acting, they can say, “I played a certain character. I was in Taming of the Shrew.” LINDSAY: Yeah, cool. That really says to me that you are student-centered; it's really about showcasing your students. DEE: Absolutely, yeah. LINDSAY: Do you guys always co-direct or is this something that just happened this time? TRACI: We've actually done twenty plays together. LINDSAY: Oh, my god! Awesome! TRACI: We have quite a collection of posters upstairs of all of the plays that we've done. But I'm retiring this year so Dee is a little confused as to what's going t...

Episode 166: Theatre Etiquette 101 When teaching students who are brand-new to theatre, it's important to discuss and apply the expectations of the drama classroom, and the theatrical world. Join drama educator Kerry Hishon as she shares her expertise on how to implement and instil theatre etiquette in your classroom, your rehearsal, backstage and during a strike. A cohesive theatrical community starts with the rules and codes of behaviour both onstage and off. Show Notes DTA Course: Theatre Etiquette   Episode Transcript   Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 166. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode166. Today, we are talking to a theatre person, Kerry Hishon, who is an absolute doll. I love Kerry. Kerry has been writing blog posts for Theatrefolk all this year and I love her point of view. She's also a Drama Teacher Academy instructor and, this month, we published her course on Theatre Etiquette which I'll get into after the interview. The course on Theatre Etiquette, I'll get into after the interview about Theatre Etiquette. Ah! See how I did that? Well, we've got course, we've got interview. It's all coming together. It's all melding together. What is that? It's not synergy. Oh, you know, a meld together kind of word that I can't think of right now. Anyway, theatre etiquette, what are the expectations of the drama classroom and the theatrical world? So much to talk about! Let's get to it. LINDSAY: I am here with Kerry Hishon. Hello, Kerry! KERRY: Hello! LINDSAY: We are in London, Ontario today. We are talking about theatre etiquette. That's the teaser. That's the topic. Kerry, how long have you been working? You've been working with youth theatre for a while now. KERRY: Yeah, I first started working in youth theatre in about 2008 – the London Community Players Palace Theatre – and then, in 2010, I started working at Original Kids Theatre Company and I've been there ever since! LINDSAY: When you talk about theatre etiquette, a lot of what you know just comes from the day to day of working with youth and what they do. KERRY: Exactly, yeah. One of my favorite parts of my job at Original Kids is I get to run the TAG program. It stands for The Actor Grows. It's an introductory program for young actors who are brand new to the program and it teaches them a little bit about everything in the theatre – just little workshops for three months and it culminates with a showcase. But one of the biggest things we talk about is theatre etiquette because these kids have never done it before. We want to tell them what they need to know, how they can succeed in the theatre, and really what they need to know just to get around and explain the terms and why we do the things we do. Basically, what I wanted to know when I was starting out in theatre, I want to share with my students and help make their lives a little easier. LINDSAY: Right. Of course, when we're talking theatre etiquette, we're being very specific here. We're talking about theatre etiquette that happens in the drama classroom. We're talking about theatre etiquette that happens whether it's a class show or whether it's a drama club show or a bigger production. The rules are pretty much similar across the board about how we should behave. Let's start off with that word. Okay, Kerry, what is your definition of “etiquette”? What does that mean to you? KERRY: Theatre etiquette – well, etiquette in general – go back, just start with etiquette. LINDSAY: Okay, we go back. KERRY: Basically, etiquette is how you behave in a certain setting. If you are at the dinner table and you want the salt,

Episode 165: Drama Teachers: Theatre is community. Michael Wehrli thought he was going to be an actor.  Then he thought he would be a director.  And finally found a love for teaching and educational theatre - Theatre is process. Theatre is collaboration. Theatre is community building. There is nothing better than the ability to give somebody a community and the ability to provide tools for a student to build their own community. As an example Michael talks about creating a show in which students are not along for the ride in putting on a play, they are active participants in the process. Show Notes Theater Company  - www.newmoonproductions.org Personal – www.michaelwehrli.com We Open Tomorrow Night Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 165. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode165. All right, my friends. Today, today, we're going to talk about… I was going to say favorite buzzword. But then, when I formed the word “buzzword” in my head, I'm like, “Well, that's not my buzzword,” because I think “buzzword” and I think negative marketing connotation and that's not what I mean at all because buzzwords are slick. I think we can share with one another that I am not a slick person unless there is an oil spill in which case I would be the one who would slick into it. Of course, right? My world is filled with all that kind of slick. I'm talking about a word that I like to hang my hat on, that I like to use, that when I think of this word, the images that come to my mind give me all the warm feels. I think it's just wonderful and I really think it's important to use in an educational realm – an educational theatre realm – and that word is “community.” I love the title of this particular podcast. “Theatre is Community.” I love thinking of a production, of a drama club, of a drama class as a community. Our guest today, Michael Wehrli, also loves the word community. When he creates work with students, that's his keyword or hat-hanging word or his word of the day. You know, the brain goes in weird places. Does Sesame Street still do a word of the day or was it a letter of the day? Oh, you know, maybe I'm just too old to remember the structure of Sesame Street. Let's go with that one. Too old! Anyway, podcast and community, let's get to it! LINDSAY: All right, I am talking to Michael Wehrli. Hello, Michael! MICHAEL: Hello, Lindsay! LINDSAY: How's it going? MICHAEL: All is well. All is well. LINDSAY: Excellent! Tell everybody where in the world you are. MICHAEL: Portland, Oregon! LINDSAY: I love Portland, Oregon. Organ and orligan. MICHAEL: Or again. LINDSAY: Or when the tongue just… Don't you love it when the tongue gets tripped up? My favorite is I'm a real pro at taking two words in my head and then smashing them together to make something. MICHAEL: Lovely! I do the same thing and they come out. LINDSAY: Awesome! So, now that we've established all the things that we do wrong with our pronunciations, let's start over again. So, Michael, you have a lot of hats. MICHAEL: I do, indeed. My theatre company is twenty years old. What we specialize in is bringing programs to organizations and schools and community centers and that's what we do. There are a couple of schools that I've been personally working at for a long time but I am very fortunate in my career now that I, as a teacher, get to pick and choose places that I want to work at and then just hire teachers for all the other things that New Moon Productions does. LINDSAY: Yeah, and we know you because you have written a lovely play – We Open Tomorrow Night?! MICHAEL: Oh, thank you.

Episode 164: Drama Teachers Directing A Midsummer Night's Dream Four drama teachers talk about their vision, their experience, their successes and their struggles directing A Midsummer Night's Dream. The same play with four completely different outcomes. A great peek into how a director interprets a script and how they illuminate the Bard for their students. Show Notes Postcards From Shakespeare Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and Theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 164. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode164. Some of my favorite episodes – they're all my favorite episodes; I love this podcast! I love hearing from you guys when you come up to us at the Theatrefolk table when we're at a conference and you tell us you listen to the podcast – you listen to it in your cars. Somebody was cleaning out his office or painting his office and listening to the podcast. That is, like, the best! I'm glad that it's something that appeals to you guys, that is informative for you guys. I hope that there is something that you guys get out of it. That's why we're doing it! We're doing it for you! This, I think, was a very interesting one to put together and I hope it's interesting for you, too. What we've got here is I really love it when we can get more than one voice involved on whatever topic so that we can hear more than one point of view. Today, we've got four. We've got four teachers talking about their vision, their experience, their success and struggles with directing not just any play but a Shakespeare play and what they all have experience with is directing A Midsummer Night's Dream. So, how do we take this play? How do you interpret it? Ad how do you illuminate the bard both for your audience and for your students? Here's a little hint of what's coming – John Hughes does a Shakespeare. I know, eh? Pretty good! Let's get to it! LINDSAY: Okay. I am talking to Marsha Walner. Hello, Marsha! MARSHA: Hello! LINDSAY: Awesome. We're talking Dream. Just before we got started, you identified that Midsummer Night's Dream, favorite production, favorite play – good place to start. MARSHA: This is true – very true. LINDSAY: What makes it your favorite play? MARSHA: I think because it's just so fun. I mean, that's kind of the easy answer but it's silly and fun and magical and exciting and it's just silly and I love that. And then, of course, there's the deeper meanings that you can extrapolate when you really dig deep into it and I love doing that in terms of working with older actors. This particular production was a group of K through 12 students so I had everything from little tinies that just wanted to be silly up through high school actors who really wanted to get serious. This play really provided that. LINDSAY: What a wide range of students to work with. MARSHA: Yes. LINDSAY: Your sanity was kept? MARSHA: It was! And that all came from a very meticulously created rehearsal schedule. LINDSAY: Ah, perfect, perfect. Let's step back and let's look at your vision. MARSHA: Sure. LINDSAY: When you're looking at this play, you love the play, you know you're working with students. What are some of your first thoughts when you were thinking about how you were going to present it? MARSHA: Well, my main thought was how to stay true to the material and really work with the language. Obviously, with Shakespeare, that can be a challenge for students, especially working with really young students. So, really thinking of ways that I could make it both deep and intellectual for older students as well as still fun for the younger ones. We incorporated a lot of movement.