Hi Noah,
As others have mentioned and demonstrated by their responses it can depend on the state, and even the district, you are in. But one thing that is nationwide, that you should be prepared for, is the propensity for school and district administrators to assign the management of all of the theatre events (whether there are outside rentals or just(?) a myriad of school events) to the theatre teacher (sometimes a music teacher, but more often the acting or tech theatre teacher).
Unfortunately, school theatre management isn't something that is taught as a part of a theatre and/or education degree (that I know of), even though many school theatre teachers in the country require just those skills. That's why I created the High School Theatre Management Training course, which you can check out on my website -address in my signature lines below. (The summer cohort is starting on May 31st if you're interested.)
Another thing to look for is a CTE (Career and Technical Education) certification in your state. Technically minors should not be doing the kind of things they do in a theatre unless they are in a "bona fide" training course. This doesn't always happen in reality, but you should be prepared to treat your students as if they are in a CTE course (for example, steal the woodshop teacher's power tool CTE tests, and use them with your scene shop students).
Here's the link for Tennessee CTE; https://www.tn.gov/education/educators/career-and-technical-education.html But unfortunately, I don't see Technical Theatre listed as a CTE subject. Although… Audio Visual, Fashion Design and STEM (tech theatre is 'STEM behind the scenes'!) are included - all of which are used in tech theatre (humph!).
However, if you were to move out-of-state for a job, it's something you might want to check into. A CTE endorsement is another validation to add to your teaching certificate, the certification training is usually much shorter than getting a degree, plus CTE courses are federally funded, so you get more funds for your classroom (aka: theatre).
Some schools/districts/states are ahead of the game, and do hire Educational Theatre Managers, whose job it is to manage the school theatre(s) and who don't have any formal teaching duties, so this might be another option for you when you start your job hunting.
Best of luck!
Beth
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Beth Rand, EBMS
THEATRE MANAGEMENT COURSE for theatre teachers; 8 actions to take to level up your admin's support and funding of your school theatre
JOIN US:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/presettwww.PRESETT.orgbeth@PRESETT.orgWestminster, CO
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-20-2023 20:17
From: Noah MacDonald
Subject: Technical Theatre Class
I'm currently in college getting my bat in theatre, and I want to teach a more technical-focused theatre class along with a more acting-focused class. Am I able to make that distinction as a teacher, or do all my classes have to be just about all of theatre without focusing on a specific area?
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Noah MacDonald
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