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  • 1.  Awards

    Posted 05-18-2022 11:11
    Hi All,

    We are holding our first Theatre Banquet in June.  I would like to hand out some awards for students (especially seniors) who have excelled on and off the stage and who have shown unwavering dedication.  I was wondering what awards you typically give out?  I already plan on doing:  Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Actor, Team Player.  Note--these are not Thespian Awards as our troupe has not been very active since the start of Covid.

    Thanks in advance for your input!!!

    ------------------------------
    Laura Russo
    Teacher/Director of Theatre Arts
    Chatham High School
    NJ
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-19-2022 07:59
    My favorite gift (and you can purchase them on Amazon) are tool kits.  I refer to them as  "Techie In A Box"  I have also given a make-up brush kit and paint brush kits .
    Awards are great, but these are practical and will bring a smile to their face for years to come.

    ------------------------------
    Kendra Knoblock
    Teacher - Director
    Romeo High School
    MI
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-19-2022 08:13
    We do awards for best performer in a play, musical, supporting performer, ensemble. Pretty much any category from the Tony's as well as some fun "People's Choice Awards" such as most likely to touch someone else's prop, most likely to pull an all-nighter learning their lines, fun stuff like that. We also do a Leadership Award and Most Reliable. I like your idea for Team Player!

    We give out little plastic llamas that I spray paint gold, since we call our award ceremony the Llama Awards. It's an awesome night and the kids always have so much fun.

    ------------------------------
    Stephanie Clussman
    Laville Jr. Sr. High School
    IN
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  • 4.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-19-2022 08:27
    I held my first banguet this year too. I entered my position right when Covid hit. This year I took nominations for Best Techie, Most Improved, Best Actor, Best supporting actor, and Best Newcomer. I also had students suggest superlatives for everyone in the class. They received "Certificates of Superiority" for traits such as "most likely to have multiple personalities", "best sense of smell", or "Best furry friend" (for roles that they played). They received a theatre pin and an award pin if they received one of the awards they were nominated for. They seemed to like it and enjoy coming up with superlatives for their classmates. I took their suggestions for superlatives and chose which one to give or modified them if needed.

    ------------------------------
    Megan Garland
    Jefferson High School
    WV
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-19-2022 08:28

    Congratulations on your upcoming banquet!


    We are doing our ceremony this weekend.  Students vote on the following awards

    • Oustanding New Technician
    • Outstanding Technical Collaborator
    • Outstanding New Performer (we give out 2)
    • Outstanding Performer in a Drama/Comedy (the top three vote-getters get recognized)
    • Outstanding Performer in a Musical (the top three vote-getters get recognized)
    • Outstanding Improv Performers (the top three vote-getters get recognized)
    • Outstanding Technical Achievement
    • Outstanding Production Achievement
    • Troupe Spirit Award (students nominate a person and have to write up why they have nominated them)

    My co-director and I then pick an Outstanding Technician Award, the Best Thespian Award, and the Pegausus Award (we are the Mustangs, so Pegasus-Horse-Stars...hope that makes sense!)

    The Best Thespian is someone who is typically a junior or senior who has best exemplified the Thespian motto throughout the year.  The Pegasus Award is like the lifetime achievement award, and generally goes to a senior (though it has been given to a junior who has done exceptionally well).

    Hope this helps.  I'd love to hear what others do!

    Ray


    __________________________________

    Ray Palasz

    Auditorium Director

    Director of Theatre

    Munster High School

    8808 Columbia Ave
    Munster, IN 46321

    Phone: 219.836.3200
    Fax: 219.836.3203 

    www.munaud.org 


    Co-Chapter Director

    Indiana Thespians

    www.indianathespians.org 






  • 6.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-19-2022 10:25
    We also recognize student directors at our banquet as it is a huge undertaking.  We recognize our outgoing officers and name our new ones for the following year.  I also give a Tech Award, one we call The Altruism Award (student who goes above and beyond to do for others), and we give our Troupe Hero Awards to any parents/volunteers who have significantly contributed their time for the year (chaperones, ticket window/house helpers, etc.).

    Hope that helps

    ------------------------------
    Amy MacCord
    Musical Theatre Teacher
    Westwood Middle School
    FL
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-20-2022 07:16
    We give out awards that are words pulled from our mission statement... Leon Theatre exists to intentionally, respectfully, & excellently TELL A MORE BEAUTIFUL STORY that informs, infuses, inspires, involves, & improves ourselves & our audience. So we have an INTENTIONALITY award, a RESPECT award, EXCELLENCE, someone who TOLD A MORE BEAUTIFUL STORY this year, INFORMED, INFUSED, INSPIRATIONAL, and most IMPROVED awards. We also do an award for the person who lived out our season theme the most that year (21/22's theme was COSMOS ARE CREATED FROM CHAOS). This tends to cover a wide gamut of students that have really taken the lessons of theatre and putting on a play into other areas of their lives on and off stage.

    ------------------------------
    Lea Marshall
    Theatre Teacher/Troupe #1429 Director
    Leon High School
    Tallahassee FL
    LeonTheatre.com
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-21-2022 10:34
    While I was in the classroom, each academic year, I had two sets of awards: those given in Theatre classes with creative titles for the students  to nominate their classmates for HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR awards. The students got to nominate classmates with kind titles of awards. 
    The other set of awards for the co-curricular productions and Thespian awards. We never used the word Best in any award, instead we titled them with positive superlatives, thus something like Most Believable Character Creation, A Memorable Lighting Effect.  The one thing I did was enlisted the Thespian officers to add a fun award, so each year we had a new award. An example of one of the created award was the "TRY, TRY AGAIN" This was awarded to the student who fit that title, could be a technician or actor. One year it was granted to a student who brought the worst concession donation (it was a much simpler time when students brought home-made treats for selling at intermission). Originally the award was given to the student whose donated burnt looking cookies were not taken by any audience member. The Thespian board shallacked the cookies and awarded it to a student who as a successful adult became a musical theatre composer and worked with Sondheim. I am sure this award inspired him. (hmmmm)


     
    Gai Laing Jones
    Past President of Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), National Board Member of Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF), CETA Executive Board-VP Membership, DTASC Advocacy Director, DTA Contributor, AATE Member, AACT Member, CSUEB Field Supervisor for Pre-Service Theatre Educators, Ojai Art Center Theatre Ex Board and Director, Camp Bravo Instructor. SAG/AFTRA Member
     



    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Awards

    Posted 05-20-2022 09:25
    I give out drama student of the year, best attitude and director's choice (could be anything - I use it to recognize a student who didn't win another award, but contributed a lot - in the past, it's been for performing, stage managing, and leadership). Some other suggestions: Funniest performance, most moving performance, most surprising performance, most helpful. The officers also give out funny awards to every thespian. You could talk to your students and ask them what awards they would like to see. It doesn't have to be the same every year.

    ------------------------------
    Ken Buswell
    Drama Teacher
    Peachtree City, GA
    http://mcintoshtheater.org/

    Theater kills ignorance
    ------------------------------



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