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  • 1.  Thespian troupe - how to excite students!

    Posted 11-10-2021 04:52
    Hellooo!

    I am excited to be initiating a thespian troupe at our school. I work at an international school in Lisbon, and many of these kids have no idea what a thespian troupe is or why they should join. During covid times, I think it's even harder to get this started but admin wants me to take off with it now. So, I am going to talk to some students, but I would also like to include something in the morning announcements. By any chance, do any of you have something you wrote that you may share with me? I am having a hard time finding a way to summarize it all in a few seconds.
    Thanks!

    ------------------------------
    Marta Carvalho
    Drama Director
    Carlucci American International School of Lisbon, Portugal
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  • 2.  RE: Thespian troupe - how to excite students!

    Posted 11-11-2021 11:18
    You might try something like:

    To find out how you can apply to be a part of a prestigious international honor society for actors and technicians, please attend our first meeting at __________________.

    ------------------------------
    Jeana Whitaker
    Retired Theatre Teacher
    EdTA Alumni
    www.jeanawhitaker.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Thespian troupe - how to excite students!

    Posted 11-11-2021 11:37
    Thank you!
    From my understanding, it will be hard for my students to apply for scholarships because they probably won't ever be able to attend any thespian conferences or festivals. Our school already participates in ISTA, and I don't think admin would be too happy about flying kids all the way to the states from Portugal... I am hoping I can still excite the kids about this... they are a hard bunch...

    ------------------------------
    Marta Carvalho
    Drama Director
    Carlucci American International School of Lisbon, Portugal
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Thespian troupe - how to excite students!

    Posted 11-12-2021 13:09
    Marta,

    Please checkout the following link for scholarship opportunities for your students:

    https://www.schooltheatre.org/programs/ags/scholarships-grants-for-students

    There are several available without having to attend any festivals. Additionally, there will be virtual qualification opportunities in the spring for your students to be eligible for the Thespy scholarships.

    Hope this helps! Don't hesitate to reach out to MEMBERS@schooltheatre.org and keep posting here in the Community for great advice from your peers!

    Best,

    ------------------------------
    Hans Weichhart
    Chief Membership Officer
    Educational Theatre Association
    OH
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Thespian troupe - how to excite students!

    Posted 11-11-2021 17:17
    I always refer to the Thespian Society as an Honor Society for Theatre Arts. Being a Thespian gives our students a little advantage at our school. They get first dibs on field trips, have a star after their names in the program for our shows, and they get to wear the honor cord at graduation. 
    This is my quick summary to get kids curious.

    ------------------------------
    Summer Heartt
    Theatre Arts - Teacher/Director
    American Canyon High School
    American Canyon, California, USA
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Thespian troupe - how to excite students!

    Posted 11-12-2021 09:24
    My students seemed very motived by the point system to become a member of the Thespian Society.  We created a more challenging system of points to become a thespian and students involved would usually become a Thespian by the end of Freshman or Sophomore year.   Students that achieved this goal were honored at the end of the year at our Thespian Award Ceremony by the elected Thespian officers.  At the event, one of our four Officers would talk about a specific student and their contributions to the Theatre Department. We would then have other students tell a few stories about them that would point out memorable moments or their positive contributions to the theatre program.  As these students were motived by the point system and the honors they would receive by their peers, we created two more levels.  ThespAgain (double the points with an Oscar like trophy) and ThRespAgain (triple the points with a gift (bobblehead Shakespeare, bobblehead Yoda).  This kept students motivated to keep earning points and they also continued to be celebrated throughout high school. Thespians also wore honor cords during graduations and had a star after their name in the programs to further honor them.

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    Diane Landis
    MN
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Thespian troupe - how to excite students!

    Posted 11-15-2021 03:54
    Thank you to everyone for the feedback!  :)

    Happy Monday (It's 8:53am here in Portugal!)

    ------------------------------
    Marta Carvalho
    Drama Director
    Carlucci American International School of Lisbon, Portugal
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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