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Oyler School in Cincinnati is currently in its second year of JumpStart Theatre and the teachers were curious to learn more about sound equipment. They were considering purchasing equipment but weren’t sure what they would need in their space. Mentor Dee Anne Bryll connected the teachers with Denny Reed, the Lighting and Sound Designer from Cincinnati Landmark Productions (CLP), to seek advice and counsel. Denny was thrilled to be able to help and continue to build the CLP relationship with the school (last year CLP invited Oyler to a dress rehearsal of Annie). Denny helped the Oyler teachers come up with a plan to help address their sound questions.
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Leading by Example
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Over the holiday break, Liz Davis (l) from Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre traveled to San Diego and arranged to meet with Lydia Real (r) from La Jolla Playhouse (LJP). The two JumpStart Theatre regional partners shared best practices and lessons learned from La Jolla’s first year of implementation. One specific piece of advice Lydia shared with Liz was to maintain clear communication with school partners. Julia Cuppy from LJP will be returning the favor by visiting with Alliance Theatre during a visit to Atlanta in May. It’s exciting to see JST regional partners leading by example and following best practices by creating a community of support with fellow program members.
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The third and final bootcamp of the school year for Cincinnati schools was held earlier this month. Teachers learned new warm-ups and wrap-ups, ways to liven up their choreography by adding props, and how to organize their tech week, among other useful lessons. For Aiken New Tech High School, Felicity-Franklin Middle School, and Dater High School, this was their last bootcamp before graduation from the JumpStart Theatre program and they shared their appreciation for the education, encouragement, and support provided during the last three years.
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ETF, in collaboration with New York City-based companies iTheatrics and Music Theatre International (MTI) has created JumpStart Theatre, a three-year scalable program designed to build sustainable musical theatre programs in underserved schools that previously had none.
JumpStart Theatre aims to:
- be sustainable and implemented in underserved middle schools nationwide, engaging as many students as possible in all aspects of theatre,
- prepare students for high school, college, and the workforce by instilling the 21st-century skills of collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and creativity.
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