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  • 1.  Advice for starting a performing arts program at a small private school

    Posted 05-04-2023 13:38

    Hello! I teach at a small private school in Mississippi. Currently there is very little in terms of performing arts available - sports is king here.  Students take elementary music through 5th grade and do a class play in kindergarten, 1st and 5th grades. After they move to the ¨big building¨ for 6-12th grades, the only artistic classes offered are band (which currently has about 8 kids in it for jr high and high school combined), and a drama class in 8th grade where the teacher has them make tie-dye pillow cases and play kickball outside on nice days. We have no choral music at all after elementary and no school plays except for the senior class play. We have a very nice performing arts facility that many community members donated to build 15 years ago and it sees 4 performances a year between the kindergarten and elementary class plays and the senior play.

    Our new headmaster wants to invest in the arts and has asked me to give him suggestions on where to start. I do not have a music or performing arts education background - my major was Spanish and I am a Spanish teacher - but I have been a singer and performer all of my life so that is why he has asked me to look into this. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions on where to even start? It would have to be a program that functions mainly through classes at school since we are so small and so many kids are involved in a million extracurricular activities after school.  It breaks my heart that the artistic kids do not have an outlet here but I am feeling very overwhelmed.  He has given me no ideas on what he is looking for. He says ¨Give me suggestions on what could work here to get something started. I want to have at least 1 school play every year and more would be great.¨  With being a private school we really do not follow public school guidelines and are free to create whatever will function best here. Please help me!



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    Shannon Melton
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  • 2.  RE: Advice for starting a performing arts program at a small private school

    Posted 05-05-2023 08:04

    Not being a teacher, but a theater professional, I can tell you my thoughts, please take them for that and they may or may not work for you and your base program. As you mentioned you want to do things during the day, I would recommend a drama class with the emphasis on small scenes, one act plays and learning the history and principles of all aspects of theater. once a base class is well received it is possible to expand into specifics like tech theater and performance classes. I wish you great luck.



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    Jerry Onik
    V.P. Theatrical Supplies and Equipment
    Heartland Scenic Studio
    NE
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  • 3.  RE: Advice for starting a performing arts program at a small private school

    Posted 05-06-2023 10:18
    Edited by Kirsti Lewis 05-06-2023 22:45

    Hi Shannon -

    Do you all have an exceptional education program at your school for students with intellectual disabilities? 



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    Kirsti Lewis
    People Like Us
    http://peoplelikeusdoc.com
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    We help theatre educators create more effective learning environments for students with developmental disabilities.
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Advice for starting a performing arts program at a small private school

    Posted 05-05-2023 17:20

    Good for you for being willing to establish a program at your school!  Start small by creating a drama club with students who are interested. Once you have that going, plan one performance.  In southern CA, many departments had "Coffee Shops" to give students a chance to showcase their talent.  Students prepared their own pieces, solo or group and auditioned over 1 or 2 days.  After you have all you acts, but them in order and then spend 2-3 days rehearsing it in order.  If possible, have a student, who will be your stage manager, help you with that,  Basically, anything was acceptable as long as it was in good taste.  (I did avoid having bands preform because it was too much a a hassle.)  Acts included original poetry, vocal and instrumental music, dances, rehearsed skits, magic acts, and one time, a yo-yo act!  At a school being built in phases, we held it in a patio between classroom, then in the lobby of the library and even the counseling center.  (We borrowed a couple of lights and a portable light board from another school.)  I don't remember what we charged, but it wasn't much.  However, that gave us the money to order our first scripts.  Because we were performing in found spaces, we did Reader's Theatre.  (There are scripts available or you can ask your English department for help.)  Since the school year is almost over, if you can, take a theater class or two over the summer.  To bring out the best in your students, take an improvisation class for starters, then perhaps an acting class followed by one on direction.  As a singer, you can probably leave voice classes for last.
    Since you posted on the EdTA forum, look up what having a Thespian Troup can do for your program and make that one of your goals from the start.
    Good luck!



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    Marilynn Zeljeznjak
    Retired
    Past CA State Thespian Director
    Blacksburg VA
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  • 5.  RE: Advice for starting a performing arts program at a small private school

    Posted 05-09-2023 19:57

    You may be a small school, but it sounds like you have quite a bit going on in your performing arts center already, and it sounds like your new headmaster wants to grow the program (yay!)!  As you say, you already have 4 performances each year.  You also mentioned that community members funded the building construction.  Do community events use the space for their performances or other events?  If not now, will they want to in the future?  Or, do you want them to, in order to bring in more funds for the theatre's operations?

    I know you are focusing on classes right now, but it sounds like to me the thing to suggest to your headmaster is to get a Theatre Manager, and pronto.  Because, your theatre is already acting as a 'roadhouse', and there are a lot of things to take into consideration, such as scheduling, risk management and safety, event support, equipment use, staffing, administration, and so on. 

    If you, as a teacher (you didn't mention if you were already full time?), start taking this on, you'll soon find – as many performing arts teachers can attest to – that you will become the main contact for groups (school or community) wanting to use the theatre, and soon you will be the person to go to to find equipment and teach them how it works, and before you know it you'll be needed to help run the events.  Suddenly you're the Theatre Manager as well as a full-time teacher. You're already saying you feel overwhelmed, and you've only got 4 or so events right now.

    If your new headmaster is as forward thinking as it seems (again, yay!) – it's great that he is looking for suggestions as to what will work! - I really recommend what will work best is to plan ahead and hire on a part time Theatre Manager now (which will grow into a full time position before you know it).  I have a free resource library for you that has 9 free resources designed to help you level-up support and funding of school theatres.  Here's the link: https://www.presett.org/resourcelibrary.html 

    All the best, 



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    Beth Rand, EBMS

    FREE RESOURCES to help you level up your admin's support and funding of your school theatre operations

    JOIN OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT THEATRE OPERATIONS https://www.facebook.com/groups/presett

    www.PRESETT.org
    beth@PRESETT.org
    Westminster, CO
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  • 6.  RE: Advice for starting a performing arts program at a small private school

    Posted 05-10-2023 13:32

    HI
      I would find out what the talents are of the present teachers. Are there any with a background in theatre?  There is a small private school In Vermont that did a school wide production at the beginning of each year. This brought the whole school together on a project. The show, usually a musical, was chosen because of its message and a cast which could accommodate all ages.  Ex. Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Everyone worked on the show- designing and building costumes, sets, etc.  Because everyone was involved and it was done on a yearly basis the arts were an integral part of the school. It brought the school and the community together in a way that nothing else could. During the year other productions could be done by combining classes and integrating the production with whatever the class was studying. 

    Cathy 



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    Cathy Archer
    EdTA Member or Troupe Director
    Rutland High School
    VT
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    Original Message


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