Open Forum

I work with Middle School and my kids have really enjoyed the times we have participated. It is important to encourage them to do their best work and see it as a learning experience because only 1 or 2 shows go on so there can be lots of disappointment if they aren't prepared to see it as more than a competition.   We are in the Atlanta area and I believe the High Schools are required to compete.  I love attending adjudication and seeing shorts of all the high school shows.  We did have a group of schools who created DramaRama and did a morning of One Acts for those who wanted to do so in their county and had afternoon workshops with the entire casts in workshops with professionals.  It is a super event but its also created by a middle school group.  

I work with Middle School and my kids have really enjoyed the times we have participated. It is important to encourage them to do their best work and see it as a learning experience because only 1 or 2 shows go on so there can be lots of disappointment if they aren't prepared to see it as more than a competition.   We are in the Atlanta area and I believe the High Schools are required to compete.  I love attending adjudication and seeing shorts of all the high school shows.  We did have a group of schools who created DramaRama and did a morning of One Acts for those who wanted to do so in their county and had afternoon workshops with the entire casts in workshops with professionals.  It is a super event but its also created by a middle school group.  

One of the good things about being a playwright, not affiliated with one specific school or system, has been getting to observe a wide variety of festival formats in which my plays have been produced.

To me, it's always strange to see theatre and art reduced to competition. I understand that in many cases, it's needed to justify funding because it's the only thing some administrators can understand. And maybe it's useful to some students because, like athletes, they "get up" for competing--and so they take it more seriously. But there seem to be many pitfalls, most particularly people selecting certain types of pieces or styles because that's what the judges are known to prefer. Is it more important to win, or to stretch and challenge the students?

For me, the ideal festival would offer constructive feedback and recognize excellence, but not necessarily reduce things to a single "best production." For example, one New England state has medals, but multiple groups can win a gold medal. At this level of development, that seems appropriate.

Cheers,
Jonathan

Overall, it is a positive experience. Our students learn a lot from watching other high school productions, of varying quality, and from performing in front of a fairly appreciative audience.

Like Jonathan, I am equally perplexed by the reducing of art to competitive status. I've tried to continue this sentence several times, but can't quite find the right wording, at the risk of sounding shrill and hard-done by. So...I shall leave it at, one day, I hope that our school does get rated as a 'Superior' and has the chance to go to the State festival to perform. We attend the State festival in Florida anyway, and to be honest, bringing a show there looks like an ever bigger headache than just attending, but what a privilege and exciting opportunity for our students to learn!

A lot of the same, it's not about the ratings, it's not about 'winning', speeches have to happen for my students too. The two times we have been, the audience response has been amazing, but our scores were middling/high middling, and I think I have learned a lot, and this ties back into what Jonathan was saying about whether as a troupe director we start selecting particular types of plays as we learn their tastes. It's tempting, but I'm sticking to my principle of sticking something challenging and interesting to me to do, and hope it sails.

Overall, I enjoy the one act festival far more than some of the troubling aspects.

One of the good things about being a playwright, not affiliated with one specific school or system, has been getting to observe a wide variety of festival formats in which my plays have been produced.

To me, it's always strange to see theatre and art reduced to competition. I understand that in many cases, it's needed to justify funding because it's the only thing some administrators can understand. And maybe it's useful to some students because, like athletes, they "get up" for competing--and so they take it more seriously. But there seem to be many pitfalls, most particularly people selecting certain types of pieces or styles because that's what the judges are known to prefer. Is it more important to win, or to stretch and challenge the students?

For me, the ideal festival would offer constructive feedback and recognize excellence, but not necessarily reduce things to a single "best production." For example, one New England state has medals, but multiple groups can win a gold medal. At this level of development, that seems appropriate.

Cheers,
Jonathan

Overall, it is a positive experience. Our students learn a lot from watching other high school productions, of varying quality, and from performing in front of a fairly appreciative audience.

Like Jonathan, I am equally perplexed by the reducing of art to competitive status. I've tried to continue this sentence several times, but can't quite find the right wording, at the risk of sounding shrill and hard-done by. So...I shall leave it at, one day, I hope that our school does get rated as a 'Superior' and has the chance to go to the State festival to perform. We attend the State festival in Florida anyway, and to be honest, bringing a show there looks like an ever bigger headache than just attending, but what a privilege and exciting opportunity for our students to learn!

A lot of the same, it's not about the ratings, it's not about 'winning', speeches have to happen for my students too. The two times we have been, the audience response has been amazing, but our scores were middling/high middling, and I think I have learned a lot, and this ties back into what Jonathan was saying about whether as a troupe director we start selecting particular types of plays as we learn their tastes. It's tempting, but I'm sticking to my principle of sticking something challenging and interesting to me to do, and hope it sails.

Overall, I enjoy the one act festival far more than some of the troubling aspects.

One of the good things about being a playwright, not affiliated with one specific school or system, has been getting to observe a wide variety of festival formats in which my plays have been produced.

To me, it's always strange to see theatre and art reduced to competition. I understand that in many cases, it's needed to justify funding because it's the only thing some administrators can understand. And maybe it's useful to some students because, like athletes, they "get up" for competing--and so they take it more seriously. But there seem to be many pitfalls, most particularly people selecting certain types of pieces or styles because that's what the judges are known to prefer. Is it more important to win, or to stretch and challenge the students?

For me, the ideal festival would offer constructive feedback and recognize excellence, but not necessarily reduce things to a single "best production." For example, one New England state has medals, but multiple groups can win a gold medal. At this level of development, that seems appropriate.

Cheers,
Jonathan