Welcome to the Advocacy Update
March 14, 2018
The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education.
NEWS
Rise Star Josh Radnor Kicks Off 2018 Theatre in Our Schools Month
Theatre in Our Schools Month, the grassroots campaign that raises awareness of the positive impact theatre programs on schools and the communities they serve, returns in March. (Playbill)
Thespian Winner and Runners Up Chosen
This year’s winner of the Thespian Democracyworks essay contest is Carol Loja, a senior at Flushing High School in New York, Troupe 7892. As the winner, she earns $250 cash and a trip to Arts Advocacy Day, the annual Washington, D.C. gathering of arts advocates from throughout the country. The runners-up also receive cash awards and certificates of recognition. ()
Nominating Committee Accepting Board Applications
The Educational Theatre Association Nominating Committee is accepting applications from prospective candidates for positions on the Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee will select a slate of candidates for three board director positions for an election that will be conducted online beginning in August and concluding during the annual National Conference September 13-16 in Denver, Colorado. ()
NATIONAL NEWS
These 50 High Schools are Getting a ‘Rise” from NBC Theatre Grants
The network Monday announced the 50 recipients, chosen from 1,000 school applicants around the country, that will receive NBC’s $10,000 R.I.S.E. (Recognizing and Inspiring Student Expression) America Grants, designed to assist theater programs with production expenses, technical equipment, master classes and other needs. NBC is partnering with the non-profit Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) on the program. (USA Today)
For more on R.I.S.E. Grant winners, see @EdTFoundation.
Library of Congress Opens Applications for Teacher-in-Residence
The Library of Congress is seeking applications from current performing arts or visual arts teachers for a teacher-in-residence position within its Educational Outreach division during the 2018-2019 school year. (Library of Congress)
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Shea: shaney@schooltheatre.org
Alabama: Troy High School Theatre Department Wins $10,000 RISE Grant (WFSA)
Arizona: Education Notes: Walden Grove High School Teacher Lauded for Excellence (Tuscon.com)
Applications Due May 23 for Scottsdale’s Community Arts Grant Program (Broadway World Arizona)
California: 2nd Annual Conference on Creativity & the Arts in Healing (Americans for the Arts)
Seaside High School Dramatic Arts Program Receives $10,000 in Grant Money from NBC (Monterey Herald)
Family Arts Nights Arrive at Schools This Month (Register-Pajaronian)
American Canyon High School One of 50 to Win Nationwide NBC Theatre Grant (Times-Herald)
Dance, Drama and Mariachi- Schools Use the Arts as a ‘Turnaround’ Strategy (Education )
This High School Drama Club is a Real-Life ‘Rise’ (Today)
Colorado: Arapahoe Ridge Students Score Tickets to ‘Hamilton’ Performance (Daily Camera)
LJHS Play: Sketches to Stage (BC Democrat)
D.C.: Secret Probe Points to Widespread Enrollment Fraud at Acclaimed D.C. High School (Washington Post)
Delaware: Spotlight: BBT Dancers Attain Scholarships at the Delaware Dance Festival (Reading Eagle)
Hawaii: T-Shirt Theatre Announces Launch of KIPURKA Anti-Bullying Project with Live Performances (Broadway World)
Illinois: Unit 4 Using $9.6M Federal Grant to Introduce Magnet Themes at 3 Schools (The News-Gazette)
2 Dist. 207 Teachers Nominated for Tony Awards (Journal & Topics)
Arts Center Project to ‘Help Foster the Arts in Aurora’ (Daily Herald)
St. Louis School Wins a R.I.S.E. Grant for Expenses in Theatre Classes (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Iowa: Cedar Rapids’ Jefferson High School One of 50 RISE Grant Recipients (Little Village Mag)
Kentucky: Boyle Drama Program Awarded $10,000 Grant (The Advocate-Messenger)
Maine: Colby and Waterville Creates! Partner to Establish New Downtown Arts Center (Colby College)
Massachusetts: The Boston Foundation and Fund Award Next Steps for Boston Dance Grants to Seven Projects (SAMPAN)
Michigan: Hamtramck High School Wins $10K Theatre Grant (The Detroit News)
Theatre Education Program Students Create African Masks (Hometown Focus)
Minnesota: Pine Island High School Receives $10,000 for Theatre Department Thanks to NBC Show (KTTC)
Nebraska: Chosen for ‘Rise’ Grant (Seward County Independent)
New Jersey: Trenton Schools, McCarter Get Arts Education Support (Community News)
Northern Valley Beefs Up Theatre Program, and Kids Applaud (North Jersey)
Morristown High School Theatre Brings Back Sensory Friendly Show for a Second Year (Tap Into Morristown)
Bound Brook Drama Club Receives $10K NBC Grant (MyCentralJersey.com)
Nevada: Local Theatre Program Awarded $10,000 Grant from NBC (News 3 Las Vegas)
New Mexico: Local Students Contend for Prestigious National Award (RR Observer)
New York: Roundabout Trains the Next Generation of Backstage Workers (American Theatre)
Peekskill, Hastings Only Westchester Schools to Win $10K Grants for Theatre Programs (Lohud)
How Does it Feel to Win $10K from NBC? Hastings Knows (Lohud)
Shubert Foundation Announces 4th Annual Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival for NYC Public Schools (Broadway World)
Award-Winning Arts Education for Kids of All Abilities (School Library Journal)
North Carolina: Improving Arts Education in BCS (Buncombe County Schools)
Ohio: Stepping Out (The Marietta Times)
Gamble Montessori Scores Theatre Grant from New NBC Show (WLWT)
Oklahoma: Organization Makes Big Donation to Help Keep Arts in Oklahoma City School (Oklahoma’s News 4)
Rhode Island: Central Falls High School Theatre Program Gets $10,000 Grant (Providence Journal)
South Dakota: NBC Show ‘Rise’ Inspires Grant to Rural South Dakota High School Theatre Program ( Leader)
Texas: PSJA North Theatre Program Among 50 Recognized Nationwide by NBC (The Monitor)
Washington: Meet the Future Oscar Hopefuls at Seattle Children’s Theatre (Komo News)
Rainier Beach High in Seattle Awarded $10,000 Theatre Grant (King 5 News)
West Virginia: MHS Receives $10K Grant from NBC (The Journal)
Dept. of Ed and Arts Dismantlement Set for Final WV Senate Vote (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
Wisconsin: Boys & Girls Club Nets Matching Grant (Kenosha News)
Students Acting Out (In a Good Way) (Beloit Daily News)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
South Africa: Using the Arts to Teach Financial Literacy (Inside Education)
United Kingdom: Charles Warns School System at Risk of Forgetting Value of Creative Arts (BT)
WORTH READING
Not in Our Schools: Creating Self-Advocating Artists Starts in the Classroom
Theatre long ago earned a reputation for chewing up and spitting out young hopefuls; being overworked and underpaid, brutal and physically taxing performances are all considered par for the course for the novice actor hoping to earn his or her keep. But inhumane misconduct is finally getting the attention its deserve thanks to efforts such as the #MeToo movement and Not In Our House, Chicago’s grassroots organization spearheaded by Laura T. Fisher and Lori Myers to provide preventative measures against sexual and violent abuse in the theatre workspace as well as support for victims. (HowlRound)
Opening Eyes, Opening Hearts
When Karen Berman arrived at Georgia College to chair its department of theater and dance, it was something of a shock to her system. She had arrived from Washington, DC, where she said the arts “are everywhere... It’s in the air, it’s in the wind.” But in the small town of Milledgeville, Georgia, the college is one of the few providers of theater and dance throughout a area, a region largely made up of low-income, rural communities. (NEA)
Drama High Author Michael Sokolove on his Life Story Being Turned into Rise
Michael Sokolove didn’t know his acclaimed 2013 book Drama High, a recounting of his high school experience with legendary theater teacher Lou Volpe, would become a major TV series. But he wasn’t exactly shocked by it, either. (Entertainment Weekly)