Open Forum

There is a law in Kentucky that if you don't attend school the day of the extra-curricular activity, you don't play. Basically, resting up for the "bit game". My principal interprets that to mean that if you have a back-up, the rule stands. But if you don't have a back-up or understudy and there is only one person to fill that role, it's allowed. The football teams has lots of players, the play only the one actor cast in a role.

I think the overall problem is long rehearsal times, heavy homework loads, bad diet, lack of sleep, and general lack of taking care of themselves medically and physically. I try to restrict rehearsal time and not have long, extended late-night rehearsals, unless there are extenuating circumstances (snow-day, holidays, etc.). Do you really need to rehearse from the last bell of the school day until 11:00 pm?

------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 08:10
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

Hello all,
As we all know, putting off a play is a tremendous amount of work. An actor needs an immense amount of energy to perform and there is such an adrenaline high , and inevitable crash, that sleep is sometimes hard to attain after a late performance.

I told my kids that after each even performance they would feel very tired the next day. I told them ( as instructed by my admin) to suck it up and come in to school as they had a performance that night and I didn't want them to cast a shadow on all of the great work that we had done. My admin were upset that a few of my kids took the next morning off because they we so tired ( many of them fighting colds).
In athletics they have a rule, if you don't come for the full day of school, you don't play. They would like to create this rule for the play.
I argued that this is comparing apples to oranges and I do not have the time or resources to train understudies ( and our run isn't long enough to give them a change to be in the spotlight for all of their hard work) or have the available, tailor - made costumes available for them. ( unlike the hockey team who have multiple players and multiple jerseys) In reality,if something did happen to an actor, my student director is always trained to step in, but possibly with a script- the show would go on, but it would be a result of a tragic circumstance, not a school-sanctioned punishment. I also argued that the play is only three nights of the entire year and there is a paying public... I suggested that either they give the actors a sleep-in day to be proactive or give the consequence of detention instead of having to miss the play. They were starting to come around by the end of the discussion but we will soon have a follow up meeting.

So now to the question:
What does your school do about tired actors? I myself usually feel like I've been hit my a bus the day after each show. I usually give quiet work on those days. :)


------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------

We don't have the issue on our campus particularly. My kids know that they are expected to be in class during hell and show week. I've trained the faculty to give the students their class work before hell week starts. Our show week is the week after hell week. This gives the kids the weekend to recuperate.  During hell week the kids are expected to complete their homework when they are not being actively used. Many of them also bring blankets and pillows and grab naps whenever they can. 

I really like that the kids are expected to handle the evening requirements in addition to their regular responsibilities. It's a prep for "real life". How frequently are we expected to do more than the "usual"? And it's not limited to theatre folk. It's something that is a normal part of life. I think it's a really good learning experience... especially as these kids are frequently heading out on their own after they leave high school. 

------------------------------
Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 09:04
From: John Perry
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

There is a law in Kentucky that if you don't attend school the day of the extra-curricular activity, you don't play. Basically, resting up for the "bit game". My principal interprets that to mean that if you have a back-up, the rule stands. But if you don't have a back-up or understudy and there is only one person to fill that role, it's allowed. The football teams has lots of players, the play only the one actor cast in a role.

I think the overall problem is long rehearsal times, heavy homework loads, bad diet, lack of sleep, and general lack of taking care of themselves medically and physically. I try to restrict rehearsal time and not have long, extended late-night rehearsals, unless there are extenuating circumstances (snow-day, holidays, etc.). Do you really need to rehearse from the last bell of the school day until 11:00 pm?

------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 08:10
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

Hello all,
As we all know, putting off a play is a tremendous amount of work. An actor needs an immense amount of energy to perform and there is such an adrenaline high , and inevitable crash, that sleep is sometimes hard to attain after a late performance.

I told my kids that after each even performance they would feel very tired the next day. I told them ( as instructed by my admin) to suck it up and come in to school as they had a performance that night and I didn't want them to cast a shadow on all of the great work that we had done. My admin were upset that a few of my kids took the next morning off because they we so tired ( many of them fighting colds).
In athletics they have a rule, if you don't come for the full day of school, you don't play. They would like to create this rule for the play.
I argued that this is comparing apples to oranges and I do not have the time or resources to train understudies ( and our run isn't long enough to give them a change to be in the spotlight for all of their hard work) or have the available, tailor - made costumes available for them. ( unlike the hockey team who have multiple players and multiple jerseys) In reality,if something did happen to an actor, my student director is always trained to step in, but possibly with a script- the show would go on, but it would be a result of a tragic circumstance, not a school-sanctioned punishment. I also argued that the play is only three nights of the entire year and there is a paying public... I suggested that either they give the actors a sleep-in day to be proactive or give the consequence of detention instead of having to miss the play. They were starting to come around by the end of the discussion but we will soon have a follow up meeting.

So now to the question:
What does your school do about tired actors? I myself usually feel like I've been hit my a bus the day after each show. I usually give quiet work on those days. :)


------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------

There is a law in Kentucky that if you don't attend school the day of the extra-curricular activity, you don't play. Basically, resting up for the "bit game". My principal interprets that to mean that if you have a back-up, the rule stands. But if you don't have a back-up or understudy and there is only one person to fill that role, it's allowed. The football teams has lots of players, the play only the one actor cast in a role.

I think the overall problem is long rehearsal times, heavy homework loads, bad diet, lack of sleep, and general lack of taking care of themselves medically and physically. I try to restrict rehearsal time and not have long, extended late-night rehearsals, unless there are extenuating circumstances (snow-day, holidays, etc.). Do you really need to rehearse from the last bell of the school day until 11:00 pm?

------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 08:10
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

Hello all,
As we all know, putting off a play is a tremendous amount of work. An actor needs an immense amount of energy to perform and there is such an adrenaline high , and inevitable crash, that sleep is sometimes hard to attain after a late performance.

I told my kids that after each even performance they would feel very tired the next day. I told them ( as instructed by my admin) to suck it up and come in to school as they had a performance that night and I didn't want them to cast a shadow on all of the great work that we had done. My admin were upset that a few of my kids took the next morning off because they we so tired ( many of them fighting colds).
In athletics they have a rule, if you don't come for the full day of school, you don't play. They would like to create this rule for the play.
I argued that this is comparing apples to oranges and I do not have the time or resources to train understudies ( and our run isn't long enough to give them a change to be in the spotlight for all of their hard work) or have the available, tailor - made costumes available for them. ( unlike the hockey team who have multiple players and multiple jerseys) In reality,if something did happen to an actor, my student director is always trained to step in, but possibly with a script- the show would go on, but it would be a result of a tragic circumstance, not a school-sanctioned punishment. I also argued that the play is only three nights of the entire year and there is a paying public... I suggested that either they give the actors a sleep-in day to be proactive or give the consequence of detention instead of having to miss the play. They were starting to come around by the end of the discussion but we will soon have a follow up meeting.

So now to the question:
What does your school do about tired actors? I myself usually feel like I've been hit my a bus the day after each show. I usually give quiet work on those days. :)


------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------

This is an easy one, and is never open for discussion in our district... we are a school first.  Bottom line.  No other arguments about the lack of understudies, only 3 nights out of the year, etc. would even be considered.  This is administrative policy and I agree 100%.  What I tell my kids:  "Welcome to the real world, suck it up and move on.  Oh, and you think you're tired now?  Wait till you have kids of your own."  :-)

------------------------------
Mike Morris
Harrison OH
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 08:10
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

Hello all,
As we all know, putting off a play is a tremendous amount of work. An actor needs an immense amount of energy to perform and there is such an adrenaline high , and inevitable crash, that sleep is sometimes hard to attain after a late performance.

I told my kids that after each even performance they would feel very tired the next day. I told them ( as instructed by my admin) to suck it up and come in to school as they had a performance that night and I didn't want them to cast a shadow on all of the great work that we had done. My admin were upset that a few of my kids took the next morning off because they we so tired ( many of them fighting colds).
In athletics they have a rule, if you don't come for the full day of school, you don't play. They would like to create this rule for the play.
I argued that this is comparing apples to oranges and I do not have the time or resources to train understudies ( and our run isn't long enough to give them a change to be in the spotlight for all of their hard work) or have the available, tailor - made costumes available for them. ( unlike the hockey team who have multiple players and multiple jerseys) In reality,if something did happen to an actor, my student director is always trained to step in, but possibly with a script- the show would go on, but it would be a result of a tragic circumstance, not a school-sanctioned punishment. I also argued that the play is only three nights of the entire year and there is a paying public... I suggested that either they give the actors a sleep-in day to be proactive or give the consequence of detention instead of having to miss the play. They were starting to come around by the end of the discussion but we will soon have a follow up meeting.

So now to the question:
What does your school do about tired actors? I myself usually feel like I've been hit my a bus the day after each show. I usually give quiet work on those days. :)


------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------

Great Discussion-

For me it is a bigger issue of connecting extra-curricular theater to student achievement.  As I work to scale and advocate for extra-curricular activities in under-served schools in my community as a tool to drive school improvement, I'm continually tracking data of Attendance, Behavior, and Course Performance (Math & ELA) of students involved in the arts, compared to those not in extra-curricular art programming.  My students always know well in advance that they are in a school and that is their first responsibility.  I regularly warn them of the increased time during show week and remind and encourage them to be proactive with homework, meet with teachers for extra tutoring during the weeks prior to show week, etc.

 For the most part, I find that students who usually are truant/absent and have pretty consistent behavior referrals improve in both of these areas when participating in theater.   Therefore, I keep a high expectation for ALL of my students on this no matter what school I am working in and the demographic of the students.  Missing 6.5 hours of instruction because of theater is kind of a no go in my book.  This is also though because of all of the research around the dropoff in student achievement when attendance falls below 95% (which is only missing 1 day a month). 

I am currently in a district where ALL sports games and arts performances are being moved to 7pm (previously 7:30 or 8pm) start times so students are done a little early on these nights.  I've actually continued to have middle school theater performances at 7:30pm, but only for the reason that I limit my performances to 90 minutes.

Hope this helps or looks at it in a new way.  Our work is powerful.   

------------------------------
Tom Krueger
Minneapolis MN

If kids who drop out are 8 times more likely to end up in prison, do we open more prisons, or minds?  
------------------------------ 

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 08:10
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

Hello all,
As we all know, putting off a play is a tremendous amount of work. An actor needs an immense amount of energy to perform and there is such an adrenaline high , and inevitable crash, that sleep is sometimes hard to attain after a late performance.

I told my kids that after each even performance they would feel very tired the next day. I told them ( as instructed by my admin) to suck it up and come in to school as they had a performance that night and I didn't want them to cast a shadow on all of the great work that we had done. My admin were upset that a few of my kids took the next morning off because they we so tired ( many of them fighting colds).
In athletics they have a rule, if you don't come for the full day of school, you don't play. They would like to create this rule for the play.
I argued that this is comparing apples to oranges and I do not have the time or resources to train understudies ( and our run isn't long enough to give them a change to be in the spotlight for all of their hard work) or have the available, tailor - made costumes available for them. ( unlike the hockey team who have multiple players and multiple jerseys) In reality,if something did happen to an actor, my student director is always trained to step in, but possibly with a script- the show would go on, but it would be a result of a tragic circumstance, not a school-sanctioned punishment. I also argued that the play is only three nights of the entire year and there is a paying public... I suggested that either they give the actors a sleep-in day to be proactive or give the consequence of detention instead of having to miss the play. They were starting to come around by the end of the discussion but we will soon have a follow up meeting.

So now to the question:
What does your school do about tired actors? I myself usually feel like I've been hit my a bus the day after each show. I usually give quiet work on those days. :)


------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------

Great Discussion-

For me it is a bigger issue of connecting extra-curricular theater to student achievement.  As I work to scale and advocate for extra-curricular activities in under-served schools in my community as a tool to drive school improvement, I'm continually tracking data of Attendance, Behavior, and Course Performance (Math & ELA) of students involved in the arts, compared to those not in extra-curricular art programming.  My students always know well in advance that they are in a school and that is their first responsibility.  I regularly warn them of the increased time during show week and remind and encourage them to be proactive with homework, meet with teachers for extra tutoring during the weeks prior to show week, etc.

 For the most part, I find that students who usually are truant/absent and have pretty consistent behavior referrals improve in both of these areas when participating in theater.   Therefore, I keep a high expectation for ALL of my students on this no matter what school I am working in and the demographic of the students.  Missing 6.5 hours of instruction because of theater is kind of a no go in my book.  This is also though because of all of the research around the dropoff in student achievement when attendance falls below 95% (which is only missing 1 day a month). 

I am currently in a district where ALL sports games and arts performances are being moved to 7pm (previously 7:30 or 8pm) start times so students are done a little early on these nights.  I've actually continued to have middle school theater performances at 7:30pm, but only for the reason that I limit my performances to 90 minutes.

Hope this helps or looks at it in a new way.  Our work is powerful.   

------------------------------
Tom Krueger
Minneapolis MN

If kids who drop out are 8 times more likely to end up in prison, do we open more prisons, or minds?  
------------------------------ 

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 08:10
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

Hello all,
As we all know, putting off a play is a tremendous amount of work. An actor needs an immense amount of energy to perform and there is such an adrenaline high , and inevitable crash, that sleep is sometimes hard to attain after a late performance.

I told my kids that after each even performance they would feel very tired the next day. I told them ( as instructed by my admin) to suck it up and come in to school as they had a performance that night and I didn't want them to cast a shadow on all of the great work that we had done. My admin were upset that a few of my kids took the next morning off because they we so tired ( many of them fighting colds).
In athletics they have a rule, if you don't come for the full day of school, you don't play. They would like to create this rule for the play.
I argued that this is comparing apples to oranges and I do not have the time or resources to train understudies ( and our run isn't long enough to give them a change to be in the spotlight for all of their hard work) or have the available, tailor - made costumes available for them. ( unlike the hockey team who have multiple players and multiple jerseys) In reality,if something did happen to an actor, my student director is always trained to step in, but possibly with a script- the show would go on, but it would be a result of a tragic circumstance, not a school-sanctioned punishment. I also argued that the play is only three nights of the entire year and there is a paying public... I suggested that either they give the actors a sleep-in day to be proactive or give the consequence of detention instead of having to miss the play. They were starting to come around by the end of the discussion but we will soon have a follow up meeting.

So now to the question:
What does your school do about tired actors? I myself usually feel like I've been hit my a bus the day after each show. I usually give quiet work on those days. :)


------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------

Thank you all for your responses. I realize that I was a little misunderstood in my reason for posting (my fault) and I would like to clarify what my major issue was. My title should have been phrased differently- perhaps: what happens at your school if an actor is sick or doesn't come to school on show day ? 

Our show spans Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights and we are not allowed to perform on weekends. This is the week before report cards are due and students are extremely overloaded with tests( despite me trying to work with teachers to make arrangements that are healthy for everyone). I do not have rehearsals after 6:30pm ever. So it is not a case of me overworking them needlessly. Our school is demanding on students and athletics takes kids out of class for a week at a time to play in Europe and they are dismissed early from school on Thursdays and Fridays to play sport teams around the city. That is the context of my school. All models come from the athletic model as all of admin are coaches. 

I believe in hard work and I believe that we need to teach kids to be more resilient and have grit so they can be truly successful. 

I had the stomach flu during the last night of our show and I showed up and gave my speech at the beginning- fully prepared to run out if I had to.

I also have a 2 - year old at home and I am very overworked. I understand the concept of "real world" realities very well. But I love my job!!!

I am sympathetic to the kids who were fighting colds and really tired after the play but that doesn't mean that I believe that they have "earned" the right to not come to school. I believe that every student should have to come to school and complete the school day- everyday- irrespective of what is happening in a play or sport. That is not my issue. My issue is with the school saying that they cannot perform if they do not come to school that day even if they are sick. I had an actress in a lead role who was really sick and didn't come to school but came to perform because she didn't want to let the cast down. My question is- what should happen to her? I do not have a replacement for her. If someone got hit by a car, I would have to call in the student director and the show would go on.... but choosing to bench an actor who is legitimatly sick really hurts the production.

I would prefer that my student get suspended for not coming to school and face a huge consequence than to have them not perform at night. My issue is not with the requirement that a student must come but that they are not allowed to perform. I just do not think that a play is the same as a sports team in this respect.

I do appreciate your thoughts. I seemed to get a lot of passionate responses. I think we are mostly on the same page about hard work and real-life responsibilities. 

------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2015 08:10
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: How does your school deal with tired actors after a show?

Hello all,
As we all know, putting off a play is a tremendous amount of work. An actor needs an immense amount of energy to perform and there is such an adrenaline high , and inevitable crash, that sleep is sometimes hard to attain after a late performance.

I told my kids that after each even performance they would feel very tired the next day. I told them ( as instructed by my admin) to suck it up and come in to school as they had a performance that night and I didn't want them to cast a shadow on all of the great work that we had done. My admin were upset that a few of my kids took the next morning off because they we so tired ( many of them fighting colds).
In athletics they have a rule, if you don't come for the full day of school, you don't play. They would like to create this rule for the play.
I argued that this is comparing apples to oranges and I do not have the time or resources to train understudies ( and our run isn't long enough to give them a change to be in the spotlight for all of their hard work) or have the available, tailor - made costumes available for them. ( unlike the hockey team who have multiple players and multiple jerseys) In reality,if something did happen to an actor, my student director is always trained to step in, but possibly with a script- the show would go on, but it would be a result of a tragic circumstance, not a school-sanctioned punishment. I also argued that the play is only three nights of the entire year and there is a paying public... I suggested that either they give the actors a sleep-in day to be proactive or give the consequence of detention instead of having to miss the play. They were starting to come around by the end of the discussion but we will soon have a follow up meeting.

So now to the question:
What does your school do about tired actors? I myself usually feel like I've been hit my a bus the day after each show. I usually give quiet work on those days. :)


------------------------------
Natasha Hart
Montreal QC
------------------------------