Open Forum

Initially, so sorry to hear about your struggles. Not only are you new to theatre teaching, but new to teaching full stop, with all the stress that the extra paperwork of getting that accreditation for your license...been there, done that. It is pretty overwhelming.

Normally, schools tie the theatre teaching position to the Troupe Director/Club Sponsor role. When I initially took the job, I wanted someone else to do the troupe directing, not understanding that the two are mutually linked and can't really be separated like that without detriment to the other. Your club builds your classes, your classes build your club.

For me, I would advise trying to stick with it. Teaching theatre is a thousand times 'easier' (in certain regards) to teach than English. Theatre happens to be one of the best subjects in school to teach, since we get to do so much more than English, which in many districts is tied up to a specific curriculum or textbook and pacing calendar and district expectations that you follow the prescribed teaching mandated from above. Not so with theatre.

The first year is very hard. You have to juggle all these different things. Were you rehearsing every day after school? Cut it down to two or three a week. Can you get an assistant? Someone you can delegate some of the admin/paperwork/other duties you don't totally dig, but they will enjoy? I'm very fortunate to have a wife who is super organized, whilst I concentrate on big picture and other details, whilst she takes care of organizing my schedule and space. It works well for us.

What's good to know is that it does get easier as you get used to managing/juggling all the different things on your plate. In terms of what you tell your principal, you may be able to separate the two roles, but it might be tricky. Different schools/districts may have different rules on this sort of thing. Best to be frank, and see if you can work out an amenable solution that satisfies all parties.

Best of luck. I hope it works out.  

Phillip is right, Rebecca, and I, too, hope that you'll be able to hang on.

My first year was an absolute mess, to the point where I used all of my available sick days for that year - most of them not because I was sick, but because I simply needed full days off from school in order to catch up with the things on which I was falling behind!  While there have been ups and downs through the years, including one principal who nearly caused me to file for a transfer to another school, the general trend has always been for things to get better.

During your first year, you have to prepare everything brand-new, but then you'll have some ready-made things that you can re-use the next year without having to do all of that prep.  Even in cases where you have to review and tweak materials for a different group of students, that's not as tough or as time-consuming as creating everything from scratch.  Soon you'll have an arsenal of re-usable materials whose presence and convenience makes it easier for you to create new things when you do have to do that.

Then, too, you'll eventually have new-teacher training/certification programs out of the way, and that will leave you more time for yourself.  In addition to teaching full time, this year on an extracurricular level I directed a full-length show and a one-act, and supervised an evening of student-directed one-acts.  Outside of school, I've performed in two community theatre productions, and there's even been a dating life!

Your situation sounds similar to mine.  I'm at an academic magnet school, activities are pretty much forbidden after the end of April because of AP and IB exams, and while we do have an auditorium, it's a badly designed relic of the 1950s, when this campus was a black school in a segregated district.  Yet we have built a program that thrives, that draws audiences, and that doesn't leave me completely spent.  It is possible, so keep at it, and holler for help from us colleagues when you need it.

Break a leg!

Consider electing Drama Club Officers.  I have a President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer/Events Chair.  I have list of duties for them.  This has removed a lot of the burden when I have really great officers. Some years my officers just want to be able to pad their college applications. I attached the list of duties for each office and the constitution we use, based on one from ITS. 

Attachment(s)

constitution draft.txt   11 KB 1 version

Officer application.docx   22 KB 1 version

President Checklist.docx   16 KB 1 version

Publicity Checklist.docx   14 KB 1 version

Secretary Checklist.docx   17 KB 1 version

Treasurer Checklist.docx   14 KB 1 version

Vice-President Checklist.docx   16 KB 1 version

Thankfully I'm not brand new to teaching, but as I wrap up my second year as the drama teacher for a large comprehensive high school I'm finding myself still struggling to keep up. As Phillip said, certain things are so much easier, but juggling paperwork and managing the after school rehearsal hours is still a challenge.

Amy, would you be willing to share the job duties which you've devised for your officers? I have troupe officers, but they provide very little help.  I've been trying to devise job duties but never seem to find the time.  Your list might be just the starting off point I need.

Thank you to all of you who share your wisdom and experience with those of us who are new to the field.

Don't lose heart! I PROMISE it gets easier. :)

I've been at my current school for 8 or 9 years (they go by so fast I can't really remember right now) and when I arrived the kids told me straight out that they didn't think I"d last. My position was literally called the Defense of the Dark Arts because they rolled through teachers every year. :/ I came in ready to work, told the kids there would be culture shock, proceeded to produce the first dramatic piece on our stage and kept running. It was REALLY hard and very tiring. It's something we all have to struggle with and it's WAY harder when you add in everything else.

Some suggestions:

Remember, and remind, the kids that they are the ones on stage each night. You can prep them but ultimately it is up to each one to make the performances great. It's really hard but you have to be prepared to have a flop if it ultimately gets you where you need to go. I'd also look into having an April show if you are not allowed to perform in May. My 2 main stage shows are in October and April.

Start training up student production team members. I always have a student Assistant Director, Student Stage Manager, and at least 1 Student Assistant Stage Manager. I also have a shifting crew, hair/make-up crew, costume crew, kids working house, lights, sounds, and mics. It took about 4 years to get where I am but it's completely worth it. You might try using minimalist set designs and bulk out your sound and lighting design. If you can arrange some fun effects (remote controlled candles, silks for flames, follow spots, etc) you'll be able to "utilize" the kids in a more active role. The kids take the responsibility on (which is good for them AND me) and create amazing shows. I even have kids fully design productions and work in design teams to do so (another good way to keep them actively involved). It's not always possible but it's great when it happens.

Except for tech week I only hold rehearsals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for these shows and no later than 5pm. I hold auditions the semester before so that the kids have time over their vacations to learn lines, the story line, begin character work, etc. It's really helped. If you can, have your student designers sit in on rehearsals so that they can take notes, then have production team meetings to discuss ways of using the ideas they have based off of notes to ensure the staging is cohesive within the set design.

I'd also recommend giving the responsibility of the club to the student officers. I guide my kids but it is their club. I go over what budgeting concerns are, possible repercussions of requests, how to make requests to the administration, etc. I do not run the club for them. Choices are provided but the officers make decisions and carry those decisions to the club for discussion and voting. 

Something that's really helped create buy-in is the ITS Honors and Awards night. My Pres and VP make the choices for the majority of the awards given out (Techie, Most Improved male and female, Most Dedicated male and female, MVP, and a brand new one this year called the Up-and-Coming Award that can only go to an underclassman. They thought the underclassman should be recognized as the majority of the other awards go to juniors and seniors. They also have "Bear Paw" Awards (our mascot) that is given out to one student per grade level). I give out 2 special awards (Veteran and the Grandma Schwartz Award (which is an original teddy bear that is created and represented the most important shows in that child's theatre career at the school), graduation honors for seniors are presented and most importantly (to the non-seniors) I announce the next season. I make a big deal of NOT telling the kids so that they spend time trying to worm the answers out of me. This usually starts about the beginning of February and I'm announcing on Tuesday. They've already become invested in the shows at this point and they don't even know what they are. I do have to let my Pres and VP know early so that I can secure rights, but that helps as well. Those kids hold their knowledge over the heads of their peers further creating buy-in.

Hang in there. It all become easier. *good thoughts coming at you*

Rebecca, I'm sorry you've had a difficult first year.  Teaching any subject along with Theatre is tough, and there is so much writing to grade for English classes!

Are you trying to do all of your rehearsals outside of class?  If so, I suggest you try class shows for at least a year.  

I have a class in the fall that writes, designs, and performs a show that we take to our feeder elementary schools. It is so much fun, and literally no time is spent on the production outside of class hours.  I take suggestions from elementary school teachers about what they would like to see, then we gear the show to a three-year spread: K-2 or 3-5.  We've done Aesop's Fables, Cherokee Tales, a North Carolina folk tale, Grimms Fairy Tales, etc.  The students start with a source or research on a topic, then improv, write the script in pieces, then we revise as a group in rehearsal.  They own the show.  It's very empowering for them.  

In the spring, my upper level theatre classes meet in one class period, and we do a show together. Shakespeare is a really inexpensive option for that, if money is an issue.  If money isn't an issue, look for a show fits the class, but allows for people in smaller roles to serve as understudies for the leads.  That way you don't waste class rehearsal time.  

I do not take responsibility for the designs of any show we produce.  I lead the students through dramaturgical research, including pictures of previous productions to give them ideas of how the show has been done before. Of course, I have ultimate responsibility for the design, because we have to have the money and skills necessary to create it, but I talk all that through with the students, so we are making decisions as a group. 

We also have a playwriting unit in every Theatre class.  In my school, the best ones of those shows end up in our collection of Thespian-directed short plays in the spring.  But you could have the students select the best scenes or short play written in class, then put them together as a production.  

We never do less than three performances of anything.  I've had to fight with administrators about that, particularly when I was new in a school and the audiences weren't big.  I've told them, the first night is about adrenaline and fighting through the fear of messing up.  The second night is about correcting mistakes from the night before and maintaining energy through second-night doldrums.  On the third night, the young actor really gets a chance to experience his or her mastery of the role.     

Mentoring students and guiding students to discover and utilize their own creativity and talent is energizing for me, not exhausting.  That is not to say that I don't spend some long hours at school and that I don't become exhausted from the many demands that are put on me from all sides.  But the more I allow students to take on important decisions and roles in production, the happier I am.

Summer is coming!