List of Contributions

RE: ITS Costs

Posted By Maralie Medlin 05-07-2020 15:58
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Our ITS leaders are told upfront that one of their responsibilities is raising money to cover next year's annual club dues and the current year's induction ceremony. Any extra money they raise past that goes toward those extras (pins, stickers, etc.). Some years we have barely enough to pay dues; other ...

RE: How to Use Google Meets in Gallery/Grid Mode

Posted By Maralie Medlin 04-09-2020 11:00
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Thank you sooooo much!! ------------------------------ Maralie Medlin Director of Fine Arts Gaston Christian School Gastonia, NC ------------------------------

RE: Improv games in Zoom

Posted By Maralie Medlin 04-09-2020 10:51
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We tried Experts the other day and it worked really well! One student is given a topic on which to be an "expert" while the rest of the class must choose a specific journalist persona from a specific magazine or newspaper. The journalists' questions must align with their magazine/newspaper and the expert ...

RE: Awarding TIPS during Corona

Posted By Maralie Medlin 03-26-2020 07:34
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We lucked out and finished our production the week before everything closed, but if I were in your shoes, I would at least give credit for hours of rehearsals up to this point, and if they're still short (or maybe even if they're not) then try to find ways to give points for virtual participation--maybe ...

Play Reading Club Suggestions

Posted By Maralie Medlin 03-17-2020 09:37
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Hello fellow newly designated online theatre teachers! While my theatre classes are virtual, my students and I want to form a play club (like a book club) through which we read a play once a week and then use video conferencing to discuss it as a group. We're trying to stay connected in lieu of rehearsals. ...

RE: More Than Two Shows: How Do You Make It Work?

Posted By Maralie Medlin 02-03-2020 15:12
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This year, we did a large cast fall show and will do a smaller cast early spring show and an in-house one-act play festival in late spring that students write and direct. I try to emphasize that the fall show is the "get your feet wet/join the ensemble/there's a place for everyone" kind of production ...

RE: Online Tickets

Posted By Maralie Medlin 01-30-2020 12:17
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I can't compare/contrast, but we started using ArtsPeople this year and love it. There's quite a bit of learning to do, but they walk you through it in phases and have quick, excellent customer service. It's very simple for patrons and box office volunteers to use, and they can access it right through ...

RE: High School Plays

Posted By Maralie Medlin 12-11-2019 07:55
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Looking for something similar. :\ In the past, we did Much Ado About Nothing by switching some of the roles to women (Leonata instead of Leonato, for example). We also did The Heiress which is more dramatic than comedic (but there are moments of lightness with one of the characters). We are considering ...

RE: Alternatives to Thespian Officers?

Posted By Maralie Medlin 11-10-2019 20:10
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We chose to have a Thespian Council to distribute the workload equally. I handle the points and finances, but they handle planning/events/induction ceremony. I tell them at the beginning of the year that the troupe can be as dynamic or as dull as they want--it's their responsibility to be the driving ...

RE: Cost for Guest Artists

Posted By Maralie Medlin 09-28-2019 12:10
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I've had a guest artist (local professional film and stage actor) come in recently from 3 hours away. He charged $500 for a half-day, catering to 44 students. ------------------------------ Maralie Medlin Director of Fine Arts Gaston Christian School Gastonia, NC ---------------------------- ...

MS/HS Combo Seasons

Posted By Maralie Medlin 08-28-2019 18:32
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Hi all! I teach theatre arts classes in grades 6-12 at a preK-12 school. We used to have only a high school program for about 10 years, but then we opened auditions up to middle school students two years ago when we produced a children's theatre show. That same school year, the spring show was for high ...

RE: acting classes in a small school - might need a re-boot

Posted By Maralie Medlin 07-30-2019 08:08
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I also teach at a small private school with similar circumstances. This year, I took a step sideways and reframed the "acting" class as a general theatre arts class in which students will learn all the aspects of theatre (just like public school curriculum) rather than just acting. Enrollment went from ...

RE: Costuming

Posted By Maralie Medlin 05-28-2019 14:47
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Has anyone had trouble with the email link in this thread? When I clicked on it, it kept opening a new window over and over again. ------------------------------ Maralie Medlin Director of Fine Arts Gaston Christian School Gastonia, NC ------------------------------

RE: Appropriate Plays

Posted By Maralie Medlin 05-16-2019 06:19
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Similar situation. We've produced the following: Little Women Pygmalion (play version of My Fair Lady) Romeo and Juliet Marvin's Room The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood Stuart Little Jack and the Bean Stalk The Jury Room Treasure Island Our Town The Crucible The Man Who Came to Dinner ...

RE: Stage Crafts Class?

Posted By Maralie Medlin 01-23-2019 09:37
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We have two different technical theatre courses at our school. One is primarily stagecraft and the other is costuming, both offered for 1 semester or full-year credit. We're looking toward a lighting/sound class in the future, but we just opened our first fine arts center and curriculum is still in development. ...

RE: Season Selection Process

Posted By Maralie Medlin 11-15-2018 09:09
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When selecting our season, I consider all of the following: 1. How many students do I anticipate at auditions and what is the M/F ratio? I can't do High School Musical if only one boy is planning to audition. 2. What shows will create a balance? A drama and comedy? A musical and straight play? ...

RE: fitting the arts into the master schedule

Posted By Maralie Medlin 11-02-2018 06:31
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I teach drama at a school very similar to yours (religious, college-prep, smaller, etc.). We fight the same battles. In the end, the high school fits drama classes in wherever the majority of the students who want to take it can actually attend (so, if 10 sign up for drama and 8 of them can fit it into ...

RE: Adaptation Q

Posted By Maralie Medlin 10-25-2018 13:07
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What about "scenes from..."? Can you ever do a presentation of student work (no admission/no profit) that's a compilation of scenes from various sources and/or excerpts from larger works? ------------------------------ Maralie Medlin Theatre Arts Educator Gastonia, NC ------------------------ ...

Adaptation Q

Posted By Maralie Medlin 10-23-2018 21:00
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Hi everyone--our school has a Christmas-themed arts night in December which will involve all of the fine and performing arts departments. The drama department has about 10 minutes to perform. If we reenacted a shortened version of a movie script, is that illegal? There are play versions already in existence, ...

RE: Good Plays for a Baptist school?

Posted By Maralie Medlin 09-20-2018 09:21
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I work for a Christian School with similar parameters. Our production history looks identical to yours, but in addition to your list, we've produced the following: Charlotte's Web Miss Nelson is Missing (it's a musical, but it's a simple one) The Heiress Much Ado About Nothing Marvin's Room Romeo ...

Maralie Medlin

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