Open Forum

One of the main goals for our Theatre Education Community is to help theatre students and professionals from all over connect and identify with each other in order to build resources and support the theatre education field. We shine a spotlight on a different member every other week by conducting a simple interview.

Our next spotlight is Melissa Mintzer, a Spanish teacher and troupe director at Penn Manor High School in Millersville, Pennsylvania, home to Thespian Troupe 274. Melissa is always seeking ways to get involved and assist others. She is a regular attendee at Educational Theatre Association events and serves on the Pennsylvania Thespians state board. Her encouraging presence in the Community over the years has earned her a gold contributor ribbon.

Why do you believe theatre is important?

I love that theatre participation creates a family within each production and that every subject area can connect their curriculum/skills to a production. I just wish more people realized that connection and would encourage their students to get involved.

Mary Poppins, Penn Manor High School, March 2018

What is your greatest challenge?

As an elective teacher, there is a constant need to recruit, which often makes me feel like an underdog. The need to justify the value of your course can be exhausting. I will be teaching our Theatre Arts class this spring for the first time it’s been allowed to run since 2011. Our theatre program had become only an after-school extracurricular activity since that time, and I’m looking forward to being able to teach students about theatre methods and skills in a classroom setting, and not only what is needed for a show.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am a Spanish teacher by day, so I spend much of the school day working on those lesson plans, making copies and grading papers. We have a club period three days a week, so I spend that time with my troupe officers, holding troupe meetings. We just recently got permission to start a GSA club and I will serve as advisor. Rehearsals for our shows are four days a week (Mon-Thurs) from 6-9 pm.

Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Penn Manor High School, November 2017. Also performed as a mainstage at the PA Thespians state conference.

Do you have any tips for new theatre teachers?

It really is true that secretaries and custodians are some of the most important allies in your school, particularly for new teachers - and especially for anyone involved in the theatre program!

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I can always remember wanting to be a teacher since elementary school. I used to walk home from school every day at 2:30, and I’d have to pass the high school, where my grandfather taught chemistry. At that time, anyone could walk into a school building - and I’d often pop in to his classroom at the end of the day just to say hello. He never told me that it was a problem - but it was probably a welcome diversion for the students in his last period class!

Tell us about the moment that made you decide to get involved in theatre.

As a new teacher, we were encouraged to get involved in our school - to make connections and contributions to the community at large. I volunteered to help sell tickets for the fall play and spring musical - easy enough, not too time-consuming, I thought. The next year, they needed a costumer. Then, they needed a House Manager, Assistant Director, etc. I am proud to say that I have been involved in every single show in some capacity since that fall show in 1994 (except one musical, in 1997, when I needed to take time off for the birth of my eldest son). Even then, while I was at home on medical leave, the director called me and asked if I could manage to do the costumes - uh, no! I was about to give birth! ;-)

The Little Mermaid, Penn Manor High School, March 2017

Everyone has at least one good theatre story. Tell us yours!

During my senior year of high school, we did Annie Get Your Gun. I was given the responsibility to manage the starter pistol backstage for the shooting contests. At the beginning of the process, I’d just yell “BANG!” as we synchronized the timing with the onstage action. During tech week, we started using the real thing, but it was one that didn’t always reliably fire. I often needed to click through several rounds before an actual shot would fire. During the school preview assembly, it never fired at all - so I had to resort to just yelling “BANG!” Ah, the joys of live theatre!

OR as a teacher,

While attending my first Pennsylvania Thespians board meeting with a student who had just been selected as a State Thespian Officer, I didn’t hesitate to speak up when they asked about how to improve the conference. We had just performed a mainstage that year, and it was the first time that there was a morning time slot. The show that was on stage the night before took a VERY long time to tear down, resulting in a very late night and early morning for our group to be ready for a 9:00 am curtain. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the show I was critiquing was Epic Proportions directed by Lou Volpe! I am grateful now that I’ve been able to work closely with Lou since then and consider him, as well as many PA Thespians board members, some of my theatre mentors and friends.

Name something on your bucket list.

I studied abroad to Valencia, Spain during my junior year of college. We visited Barcelona one weekend, but should have taken one extra day to visit the Salvador Dalí museum in the nearby town of Figueras. We were worried about missing our Monday classes… I have since seen an exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art - but I do hope to make it to the museum in Barcelona or St. Petersburg, Florida sometime.

If you could have a different career, what would you choose? 

Most of what I do for our theatre program aligns with the role of Producer and front of house business. I’m excited that many colleges now offer programs in Arts Management. That would be right up my alley!

 

Noises Off, Penn Manor High School, November 2018

How do you relax after a busy day?

I need some peace and quiet to recharge my batteries. During summer vacation, I am a night owl - it is usually the only time that my house is calm and quiet. My husband and I have three boys and two dogs. During the school year, I try to spend some time knitting and catching up with the shows on my DVR.

If you enjoyed Melissa’s interview as much as we did, add her as a contact in the Community.

Do you know someone who deserves a moment in the Spotlight? Tell me their name and why at gbutsch@schooltheatre.org. Want to read more Community Spotlights? You can find them here.