Open Forum

I have a question for all of you.  My school has both a Drama Club and a Thespian Society.  How do you all differentiate the two?  Being a thespian vs. being a club member should have different perks, right?  How do you all deal with this?

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Melissa Carroll-Jackson

Director of Theatre

Pinnacle High School

Phoenix, AZ

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My drama club puts on the shows, the thespians are the troupe.  They compete, they do community service and the other things that show we act well our part, not just act well.

I've started to differentiate the students who make the choice to become a thespian by honoring them as a class at the end of their senior year.

This year they are also starting a separate improv club.

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Alan Strait
Teacher
CCSD
Henderson NV
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My class is really a "Thespian Class" we follow all thespian events as a class. I teach in a large charter Arts school, so the musicals are open call. We do a Thespian Induction/Awards night at year end to honor all Seniors/ Thank the additional dance/theater/music  teachers who have helped us and announce the next year's leadership team. 

I was wondering how you award community service hours… I don't usually give community service hours for our in house shows, but I know some schools do…and it is a good way to get "non"thespians to audition for shows…Anyone have a community service hours formula?

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Patricia Ross
Sarasota FL
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Part of your question asked about Community Service hours. 

Since community service hours are part of our high school graduation requirement, the decision was made that service "inside the school" was not counted. It must be an activity that reaches out to the surrounding community. Students must also complete a form signed by the group supervisor and the student must complete a personal reflection about the service work they provided. 

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Warren Kerr
Theatre Arts Teacher

Auburn High School 

Auburn WA
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Any student involved or interested in Drama at our school can be part of our Drama Club, which meets weekly.  Of those members, many achieve Thespian status (membership) trough an advanced or consistent level of involvement.  So Thespians are "honored" members of our Drama Club.

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Jeff Hall
Oregon
Portland OR
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Thespians are the "varsity" level of our Drama Club.  We put a very strong emphasis on Thespians being "the elite." And while some other folks (mostly adults) don't like that terminology, the kids get it and appreciate the distinction.  Here's how we distinguish the two on a daily basis:

1) All students may join Drama Club. You must be in Drama Club in order to build points for Thespians.

2) During our monthly Drama Club meetings, we have a Thespian Officer who gives reports about other theatre opportunities in our community so that members can build up points by participating in those projects. Also he/she keeps up with the point records of current and potential members.

3) We offer a letter in Drama (one criteria is that you must be in Drama Club for two years as an "active" participant). And Thespian members may earn special regalia which they may wear on their letter.

4) Thespian members are required to take on managerial duties when we do our large-scale productions (stage management, front of house staffing, advertising revenue, etc.). They earn additional points for doing so.

This system has proven very effective and our Drama Club is consistently one of the largest extra-curricular organizations in our school.

Hope this helps. 

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Josh Ruben
Fine Arts Head, Northwest Whitfield
Chattanooga TN
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Our Thespians have additional privileges and awards that the drama club members do not. For example, only Thespians can hold office and vote for incoming officers officers. Another example is that only active Thespians may letter in theatre.  

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Ann Hileman
Indiana Chapter Director
Peru IN
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We integrated the two groups at my school, but still recognize that not everyone has earned the privilege of induction.  To make it easier, the kids are identified as either "Inducted Thespians" or "Thespian Apprentices".  Holding office is restricted to Inducted Thespians, and we have the option to allow Thespian Apprentices to vote during business meetings.  The last bit is primarily because the program was just reinstated last year and we only have about a dozens students involved at this time.

If you want the verbiage we have from that part of the constitution, let me know.

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Jym Kinney
Troupe Director
Tacoma WA
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