Open Forum

Hello Theatre Educators!

Some background: I work at a very small independent school. Prior to my arrival, the theatre program consisted of an after-school program run by one of the Humanities teachers. Since I have been here, I have been slowly adding theatre courses to the curriculum and trying to create a cohesive theatre program/department that encompasses academic and practical classes during the school day, and after-school productions twice a year. 

My question is: For those who are creating or running departments more or less by themselves: in short, how do you do it?

Here are 100 more questions: Do you always direct the shows? Do you hire designers? Do you mentor stage managers? How much of the producer role do you take on? Do you have a budget? Did you create that budget, or was it given to you by whoever is in charge? Do you have other roles at your school? Do you feel understood and/or supported? Do you feel as though you are trying to give students a collaborative theatrical experience despite the fact that you are basically making the whole thing happen on your own?

Hit me with any/everything.

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B.
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I work at a large school and have an academic/extra curricular program of about 250 students with around 100 that are very active. The others more academic based. We do 4 shows a year a play, a small musical, night of one acts and a large cast musical and our district competition. I am the only Theater Teacher. How do I do it? It starts with an average of 55 work hours a week sometimes more once the show goes up since for supervision sake I have to be at every show. When you love your work extra time doesn't bother you. Every show has a student Director who has shadowed another older student director and who has gone through stage Management  and Director training in class if no one is in that group then I direct. A trained student Director runs the show and I guide them never giving them more than they can handle. Lights and sound are usually designed by the student techs after they have gone through Design and Production Honors,the sets are sometimes designed by me and sometimes by the students. They learn set design in Design and Production 1. I act as Producer on all of the productions since the budget and schedules are my responsibility.We are supported by fundraisers and our box office since we don't get anything from the school board. My parent boosters are my lifeline since they help me handle fundraising, furnish adult box office and concessions crews, chaperone trips and in general support the program and the students. I spent several years as the performing arts Dept chair and I have to act as Technical director for school events until I train the teachers and a couple of their students the basics of running assemblies. 

In a nutshell since you are starting out

1. Encourage your parents to help and join boosters they are your greatest asset
2. Know that being a Theater teacher is never a 40 hour work week its always more but with good scheduling (the reason you do it not the student production team) it can be manageable. I chose to do a 4 show season because I have a lot of students but the most common season is a play a musical and competition with the occasional showcase.
3. Easy fundraising. One night showcases of your students performing is a good way to bring in money and they are easy to put on. A Night of one acts is a good teaching method for fledgling student directors and and production teams. 
4. Identify each active students strength and weaknesses  and allow them find a specialty acting,singing,lights and sound or design. Once you get that first group trained they can help you train new students coming in.
5. Find out if your schoolboard has any funds going into the arts that you can tap into.
6. Move 1st year students to honors or advanced drama by year two and plan to have them for 4 years.

This is a lot but I hope its helpful. I was in the same boat as you a couple of decades ago and had no one to help resurrect a program that was dying. 

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Ted Lewis
Buchholz Senior High School
FL
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Hi Betsy,

I'm in a public middle school (2 actually), grades 5-8.  I started just at one school, directing a play and a musical each year.  Then added some classroom teaching at both schools (but still just shows at one).  Still 0.8, not full time, which is 0.3 shows and 0.5 teaching.  That means I'm 0.95 (in theory) for 2/3 of the year, and 0.5 for the other 1/3.

My show budget is essentially set from the previous year's show profits.  Though thankfully we just went through a renovation project, and all the old theatre lights and board got replaced (not from my budget).  I manage the budget, and set it.  The admin office gives me a fair amount of leeway, because I worked to build trust by being very careful with the budget, organized, and timely submitting receipts.  I know that I am also very lucky in this respect!

For personnel, the district does pay a stipend to the music director and dance director for the musical.  I love this time of year, as I'm part of a team rather than solo.  Before the district paid, I did fund these positions (albeit at a lower rate) from my production budget.  In the past I also used high school students as choreographers.

For tech, I get some support from IT with sound.  We also have, in the past, received volunteer help from the local cable access company.  For lighting, that's all me.  I try to train students.  Some years I have students who can do the design (with edits by me), other years I do it all.

I do use student stage managers.  We try to have "apprentices" so that we are not left in the lurch when 8th graders head off to high school.  They do call the show with reasonable skill (and many go on to stage manage in high school and college).  I usually create the book for them.  They are less strong at all the other management/organizational tasks (list making), so I do most of that.  

Set, prop, and costume design is dependent on re-using stock pieces, and volunteers.  Sometimes there are teachers who like to sew or paint, sometimes parents/relations of cast members.  My husband has certainly done a lot of set construction.  But primarily it is parents of cast and crew members. Essentially, each year the level/complexity of our set and costume designs is dependent on the level of artistry (and time) that our volunteers bring.  Some years we have professional painters, and our scenery is amazing.  Some years we have parents who sew, and our costumes are amazing.  I had an incredible prop person for ages (he should have done it professionally).  Sometimes these volunteers are also skilled at teaching students to paint/sew/etc.   

Essentially, each year I take what I can get!  But having students for 4 years means that I do get to know the regular volunteers (longer than 4 years sometimes, if there are siblings who also do shows).  That helps in terms of planning.  Sometimes I line up key volunteers almost a year in advance.

It can be lonely being a one person department ... but this forum really helps!

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Kristin Hall
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Drama Director
Lincoln MA
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I was the sole Theatre Arts teacher and program director in each of the schools where I taught.  For 11 years, I taught Speech, English, and/or Journalism in addition.  Once I was able to teach full-time Theatre Arts, add courses I designed based on state standards, and control the groupings of classes taught per block period, I didn't feel so continually overwhelmed. 

About half of our shows each year were produced within the advanced classes.  But I considered any class above Theatre I to be advanced and included what was needed to give honors credit in each.  

Because I was the only teacher, I gave the students opportunities to help with the design and construction of costumes, sets, lights, sound, etc., starting in Theatre II.  Each production class did dramaturgical research and students chose the tech areas they wanted to work on, which gave them something to do when not actively in rehearsal.  Talk about collaborative experiences!  Knitting leg warmers for Back to the 80s.  Knitting chain mail shirts from twine for The Mouse That Roared.  Hot gluing various flowers, ribbons, and feathers to thrift store hats for Hello Dolly!  Cutting out circle skirts for Bye Bye Birdie!   Making flower wreaths for Midsummer and Medieval headdresses for Once Upon a Mattress.  Placing students into the role of collaborative creators of our productions was so empowering for many of them.  (Of course, there had to be rules about what could and could not be done without checking in with me.)

A couple of Saturday construction days per major show helped tremendously.  Sometimes parents came to help, especially when I sent out word that we could use help of a particular type.  Students who had learned painting techniques were able to teach them to others.  Those who knew how to use a cordless drill could train others.      

Occasionally, I was able to get a grant to bring in a guest artist to work with the students, which was always fabulous. 

I directed all of the shows except the ones included in an annual collection of student-directed short plays.  I mentored the student directors for that.  Eventually, all of those plays were student-written as well. 

Only in my last 19 years of teaching did the school give any money to support any of the productions.  Even then, it wasn't much.  We did public domain shows to balance out the more expensive ones.  

Sometimes I felt supported by the administration.  Sometimes not.  A group of fellow teachers never missed a show, which felt like the most important type of support, especially when we had a revolving door of principals and superintendents.  

      

 

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CJ Breland
Retired Theatre Arts Educator
NC
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I also work at a small independent school. Currently have 20 to 25 actors participating and somewhere between 5 and 12 tech kids. I have a separate tech director. We do three shows a year. Fall and spring open to all, grades 7 to 12. Winter is just for grades 7 to 9. When I started out I often designated assistant directors to help, and actors rotated from there to parts from show to show. We do mostly straight plays with an occasional musical thrown in. I found that was great for recruitment. I may be the only drama teacher in America who gets equal numbers of boys and girls. When kids are young they often get smaller parts. I work like a rep company, trying to give everyone a lead at some point, if they want it. I do a lot of ensemble shows, rather than those that have one or two stars only. At first there was a small group if kids, but I've built the program over the years. We have student stage managers, lighting, set, and sound designers. Sometimes they do more than the tech director. I'm happy to share my list of shows if you want! Our elective classes in acting and design run once a week. We get many but not all of the same kids in those classes. We do not charge admission fees. We simply collect canned goods for the local service center. This brings in a healthy audience!

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Elisabeth Ledwell
MA
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Hello! I am in my 30th year at a small independent school. I started out as a full-time Middle and Upper School English teacher who also directed two Upper School plays per year, with a set designer / tech director from the outside. I am now full-time theater teacher 7-12, still directing two shows per year with an outside Designer/TD, but with two assistant directors who are full time teachers at the school. Although enrollment has been up and down over the years, overall the Upper School has grown significantly, which has helped to boost my program. Productions are separate from the courses, with some students overlapping but mostly not. My department budget covers both productions and expenses related to the courses I teach. I only do plays; recently, the music department has started doing a musical once a year, which I have little to do with. Sometimes I have students who really take leadership roles behind the scenes, but at other times not so much -- it really depends on the students, and it's been tough to get some things going again post-lockdown. I also have been going through some significant health / family issues the past few years, which has definitely had an effect. I do feel supported by my administration, but it has definitely been something that I've had to work at -- I recently put a huge effort into getting our black box theater space renovated, which has been huge. Would be happy to talk more, perhaps on Zoom? Over the years I have certainly felt like it would be great to connect more with other independent school theater folk. 

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Cora Turlish
NJ
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Thanks so much to those who have replied!

I am a sponge ready to soak in all of your answers and experiences. I just want to know what it's like for y'all, really. If anyone is willing to share numbers (budgets, how much you pay folks, how many kids you have, how many kids in your school), that would also be lovely.

Again, I really appreciate your engagement.

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Betsy Goldman
Theatre/Research/Interdisciplinary Arts Teacher
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-11-2024 12:34
From: Cora Turlish
Subject: Solo Running a Dept. - Queries

Hello! I am in my 30th year at a small independent school. I started out as a full-time Middle and Upper School English teacher who also directed two Upper School plays per year, with a set designer / tech director from the outside. I am now full-time theater teacher 7-12, still directing two shows per year with an outside Designer/TD, but with two assistant directors who are full time teachers at the school. Although enrollment has been up and down over the years, overall the Upper School has grown significantly, which has helped to boost my program. Productions are separate from the courses, with some students overlapping but mostly not. My department budget covers both productions and expenses related to the courses I teach. I only do plays; recently, the music department has started doing a musical once a year, which I have little to do with. Sometimes I have students who really take leadership roles behind the scenes, but at other times not so much -- it really depends on the students, and it's been tough to get some things going again post-lockdown. I also have been going through some significant health / family issues the past few years, which has definitely had an effect. I do feel supported by my administration, but it has definitely been something that I've had to work at -- I recently put a huge effort into getting our black box theater space renovated, which has been huge. Would be happy to talk more, perhaps on Zoom? Over the years I have certainly felt like it would be great to connect more with other independent school theater folk. 

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Cora Turlish
NJ
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Good for you for taking this on--the more arts opportunities we offer our kids, the better place our world is.  To answer your question.

I am in my 4th school as a solo theatre teacher/department.  I have been very successful everywhere, thank goodness.  I am currently in a large public school (1700 students) with a very supportive administration (thank goodness).  I teach Drama 1 and Advanced Drama, which is a mix of students from Drama II-V.  I have an after school drama club and an International Thespian Society chapter.  We do three after school shows a year, and 2 in-class shows.  For after school, a play in the fall, a one-act in the winter, and a musical in the spring.  Our class shows are usually one-acts, sometimes, 1 or 2, depending on the class makeup

I direct all the shows, but I have a student director for the one-act and the class shows.  I also do all the set design.  All my other tech is handled by my students with input from me.  My current leaders train their replacements.  I am in my 4th year at this school, and I currently have a permanent stage manager and props chair.  My classes do all my builds - I incorporate that into my class.  I also will build my classes around the season's shows.  For example, we did Macbeth this fall, so I built a stage combat unit into my advanced class and pulled my fight captain from that group--much of the choreography was planned in that class.  My current class designed and built puppets for Into the Woods which we are working on right now.  

My drama club  and ITS are run entirely by the students--I am simply there as an adult

It is a lot of hours but it is very rewarding.  My biggest hurdle is scheduling our space, but I have a black box for a classroom, so I always have that for rehearsal and we do our small shows in there.  Other than that, the music department and I work together to share so that we get our onstage time when we need it.  

Our budget comes from ticket sales, and while I would love more, we have done well enough that we can be self-supporting.  I never spend more than about $3000 a show, but I reuse a lot, and I borrow when I can.  I balance big expense shows with less expensive shows, or I find ways to save money.  We did Jekyll and Hyde last year, but I wrote a new script, so now royalties, so we could spend more money on costumes.  My set for Macbeth was completely recycled, and only a stage extension, so I only spent money on a fight choreographer.  I have extra money for this show, Into the Woods, so I'm building some replacement stock, and I'm splurging on new stage mics.  Our lighting is taken care of by the district, so I don't have to do bulbs or that equipment, except spotlight bulbs.  

I would say the keys to be successful are these:

1)  Give the kids ownership of the program.  While it's tempting to step in and help them - teach them, and eventually, they will run it themselves.

2)  A supportive administration.  You need an admin that will back you up and will not constantly question why you do things.  Many of the things I do require trust - allowing my students to use power tools, allowing my students to work alone on project away from my direct supervision, allowing my students to be the teachers.  My admin only asks questions when it's something brand new--they trust me and the students I select.  

3)  It is a lot of hours - During show season my work weeks are about 50-60 hours, but once I go home, except the few weekend and holiday calls, I'm home.  I do very little work at home.  It gets less as you delve into the program more.  

Becoming a theatre teacher is one of the best decisions I've ever made.

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Marie Miguel
Chespeake, VA
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Beth Rand, EBMS

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8 FREE Action Steps: Level Up Support and Funding for your school theatre
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beth@PRESETT.org
Westminster, CO
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Do check out Real-World Theatre Education. It includes a ton of ideas, alternatives and issues you undoubtedly have to deal with re: classes, productions and being part of a school environment.
And if you'd like to talk about these things with others, TheatreEducators.network meets via Zoom twice a month.

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Douglas "Chip" Rome
Theatre Consultant
Educational Stages
Burke VA
http://EducationalStages.com
https://bit.ly/RWTEOview
https://bit.ly/eTeachTech
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I'm in a small school, as well (~500 students K-12).  We don't have a theatre department, so anything involving acting is an extracurricular activity.  The choir teacher has a "Calling all Actors" class that is new this year, but due to scheduling snafus, there are only two students in it.  The only regularly-scheduled acting we have is in Forensics (solo acting and play acting).

The last time the school did a production of any sort was ~15 years ago, when they did "Music Man."  The choir director (who has since retired) was the main director and vocal director, parents volunteered to do most of the costuming, a senior who wanted to be involved but didn't want to act took on the stage manager role, and the band director ran the pit.  I wasn't teaching here at the time, but led the barbershop quartet.  (The band and choir teachers who were here between that choir director and when I took over the band program weren't very interested in theatre.)

If we wanted to do a production now, we would have to use the band and/or choir activity account to fund the budget for the show.  The faculty would be very supportive, but it would probably be a tough sell to the students - mainly because we haven't done a show since before they have been in school.

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Kurt Hoesly
WI
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Hi Kurt,

I am in Wisconsin also (Madison) and our school is K-12 with about 400 students. I built the theatre program here and would be happy to connect with you about starting a program in a smaller school with fewer resources. Feel free to message me privately if you want to talk in depth or I am happy to answer questions here as well.

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Sarah Karlen
Fine Arts & Theatre Director
Abundant Life Christian School
WI
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-09-2024 10:55
From: Kurt Hoesly
Subject: Solo Running a Dept. - Queries

I'm in a small school, as well (~500 students K-12).  We don't have a theatre department, so anything involving acting is an extracurricular activity.  The choir teacher has a "Calling all Actors" class that is new this year, but due to scheduling snafus, there are only two students in it.  The only regularly-scheduled acting we have is in Forensics (solo acting and play acting).

The last time the school did a production of any sort was ~15 years ago, when they did "Music Man."  The choir director (who has since retired) was the main director and vocal director, parents volunteered to do most of the costuming, a senior who wanted to be involved but didn't want to act took on the stage manager role, and the band director ran the pit.  I wasn't teaching here at the time, but led the barbershop quartet.  (The band and choir teachers who were here between that choir director and when I took over the band program weren't very interested in theatre.)

If we wanted to do a production now, we would have to use the band and/or choir activity account to fund the budget for the show.  The faculty would be very supportive, but it would probably be a tough sell to the students - mainly because we haven't done a show since before they have been in school.

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Kurt Hoesly
WI
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Do you always direct the shows? Most of the time, yes. I now have an upperclassman independent study directing course every other year where the students direct and I mentor them. Make connections with local community theatres, where you can get advice, people, and resources.

Do you hire designers? - I only hire a lighting designer. The rest of our designers are volunteers. Some I have trained, and others are involved in local theatre groups to which I have connections.

Do you mentor stage managers? - Yes. Now I have former students come in and stage manage and they mentor current students.

How much of the producer role do you take on? - All of it.

Do you have a budget? Did you create that budget, or was it given to you by whoever is in charge? Yes. I create it and get it approved by admin.

Do you have other roles at your school? I am the overall Fine Arts Director, teach theatre classes, and am the MS/HS Chaplain (we are a Christian school).

Do you feel understood and/or supported? Yes, but that took work up front to help admin understand and also finding an admin to work with who can be your supporter.

Do you feel as though you are trying to give students a collaborative theatrical experience even though you are making the whole thing happen on your own? Yes. Because I empower them to collaborate and bring others in as much as possible.

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Sarah Karlen
Fine Arts & Theatre Director
Abundant Life Christian School
WI
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