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Points awarded for regional theater

  • 1.  Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-27-2018 19:03

    Need input as to how to handle points with respect to regional theater. We have an inducted member who has performed a major role with an equity theater in town. By the end of the show run he had been in 30+ performances of the show (and this does not include rehearsal time -- and yes he did miss some school time to do performances during the week). I feel like bonus points should be awarded, but how many? any ideas?



    ------------------------------
    Nancy Wiecki
    Fine Arts Department Chair
    Milwaukee WI
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-28-2018 06:56
    In my troupe, this would not worthy of the assignments of Thespian points as they are awarded to students making contributions to our own school productions. This is dictated by our constitution.

    --
    Mark A. Zimmerman
    Theatre Director,

    Akron School for the Arts
    Firestone High School
    470 Castle Blvd
    Akron, Ohio 44313

    330-761-3275

    FirestoneTheatre.com






  • 3.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-28-2018 07:52
    I believe students can receive points for outside productions as long as they are not paid for they work. Payment is their reward. Thespian points are earned for unpaid work.

    ------------------------------
    Valerie Gargus
    NJ Thespians Festival Director
    Play & Thespian Troupe Director
    Northern Burlington County Reg HS
    Columbus, NJ
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-28-2018 13:59
    To clarify the member was not paid ... he was considered an intern.

    ------------------------------
    Nancy Wiecki
    Fine Arts Department Chair
    Milwaukee WI
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-28-2018 12:53

    One ITS point is based on about 10 hours of time, so you can guesstimate the points.  


     
     
    Amy Sando,
    Douglas High School Drama
    782-5136
     
    "You've got to paint the picture and then walk into it. And if you ever find you can't paint the picture, just don't walk."





  • 6.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-28-2018 20:53
    Our rule is you can earn as many points from outside of school as you earned in school that year.

    ------------------------------
    Laura Steenson
    Theatre Director
    Reynolds High School
    Troutdale OR
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-29-2018 06:38
    I would figure out the points via the ITS guideline of 1pt per 10 hours. That said, EdTA would gladly provide advise if you call them.

    ---------------------------------
    Crit Fisher
    Lighting/Sound Designer
    New Albany High School
    ---------------------------------





  • 8.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-29-2018 16:26
    I come up with the points I award for theatre work in the community using the number of hours of rehearsal and the ITS point schedule.  One of our theatre companies does performances for 4 weekends, but a dancer is still no more than 3 points, a minor role no more than 5, etc.

    Our troupe bylaws state that every troupe member must participate in every Asheville High Theatre production in some way.  Students who are involved in a community theatre production are still expected to come to a Saturday work day, hang posters, usher for our current show, etc. 

    Those who don't participate in a show are placed on probation.  If they don't participate in a second consecutive show, they go on inactive status and I ask them to not list ITS on their college or scholarship applications.

    Again, the rules about participation are in our bylaws, drafted and approved by our troupe members years ago.

    ------------------------------
    C. J. Breland
    Asheville High School
    Asheville NC
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-30-2018 10:07
    I don't award points for outside productions for two reasons. 1) These productions are not led by anyone in our organization. I do not have confidence that the students are getting an educational experience in all cases (I know for sure in some cases they are, but I know for sure in some cases they are not). 2) 99% of the outside productions that our students participate in are "pay for play" situations. They are in "we cast all who audition (as long as you fork over the 200 dollar fee)" companies. Those two combined do not give me confidence enough to really count the experience as educational in nature, so our blanket policy is that the points must come from shows at our school. I will be starting our own summer company here once our fabulous new theatre is opened, and those points won't count either, as I want to be consistent with the ruling.



    "There's only us, there's only this: 
    Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. 
    No other path, no other way. No day 
    but today."
    -Jonathan Larson
    "Rent"

    Disario, Jodi
    Drama Teacher and Director
    Willow Glen High School
    jdisario@sjusd.org






  • 10.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-31-2018 09:01

    I don't award points either.  If anything, community theater is starting to become a major obstacle and I'm going to have to implement a policy for next year.  

    When we have auditions, like I'm sure everyone else does, we have a space on the form regarding conflicts and if the students are in any other shows.  A trend started in the fall and now effecting our spring production is students having no conflict and once the show is cast, they are quietly auditioning for regional theater parts.  

    I explained before auditions "if you are currently in a regional theater production, you will not be cast as a lead."  So I had one parent upset because I'm "punishing" her daughter.  Now we have two of our leads with great parts (but not the parts they wanted) auditioned last week for an outside show.  Our show is less than a month away.  So I'm kind of stuck with how I deal with them.  

    In a nutshell, I also feel regional theater is "pay to play."  We are a public school.  We get no funding.  We have a budget of $0 for every production.  Hoping to pay for everything after ticket sales.  We offer drama so every student can have the experience.  Not just the ones who have $350 to be in a show.  

    As for my angry parent who felt I was punishing her daughter, I suggested in the future her money may be more wisely spent sending her daughter to one of the local conservatories for dance and/or voice since she plans to pursue theater out of high school.  One investment is for their talent, the other is for their ego as far as I'm concerned.  

    Sorry, but this is a touchy subject with me.  LOL

    So.........no to thespian points if it's not something done involving our troupe.  



    ------------------------------
    Chuck Yarmey
    Advisor/Technical Director
    Wyoming Area Drama Club
    Thespian Troupe 4795
    Exeter PA
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 04-01-2018 09:31
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  • 12.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 04-01-2018 09:36
    For true “regional” theatre, I would award points based on the role, not # of shows. But for the Pay to Play in our community, that is a haven for those with an ego, who think they should have gotten a bigger role in their HS Musical, it is giving some of our young people a false sense of their skill level. These kids then want to go ahead and Pursue acting as a career and are surprised when they aren’t cast in their college shows. It’s a problem!

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  • 13.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 04-01-2018 15:59
    There seems to be a lot of negative energy around community/regional theatre. In our school it is another avenue. When their are not enough leads for everyone and you have very talented students, why not encourage them to audition? It allows them to refine their craft and gain experience.

    ---------------------------------
    Crit Fisher
    Lighting/Sound Designer
    New Albany High School
    ---------------------------------





  • 14.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 04-12-2018 00:31
    We award Thespian points ONLY if a student brings in a program that lists exactly how and to what extent they participated in the production.  Our rationale is that hours are hours, and points are points.  What difference does it make in terms of the experiences that a student acquires be it high school, or community/regional theatre? 





  • 15.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-30-2018 12:52

    All of the choices posted previously are valid and acceptable according to the ITS troupe handbooks and point systems. You can award no points, award comparable points to your own productions, or award bonus points for the extra effort of 30 performances.

    Every school/community is different. As resident professionals, troupe directors are in the best position to set guidelines for outside point awards based their unique circumstances. As Crit noted, the National Office team is always happy to provide suggestions or feedback if troupe directors contact us.

    The only other things that I'd add to the discussion are a few questions to help troupe directors form their own opinions and make those judgement calls.

    We know points are awarded on the quality and quantity of student work, and we know that "quality" may include the caliber of the work as well as the educational value of the experience. If that's so and you decide to allow outside work:

    1. What if any difference is there in the educational value of a student's experience if they participate in a school vs. equity production? What about private academies? Community theatre?

    2. What if any difference is there in the educational value of a student's experience if they participate in a production with three vs. six vs. 30 performances? At what point, if any, does the educational value of multiple performances diminish?

    3. As earned points result in induction and higher honors, to what extent should ITS points be considered a reward or payment for work done vs. a symbol of experience and mastery? How should that affect point awards for work that has also received a grade or payment? How does it color answers to question two above?

    There are no right answers, just valuable insights. :)



    ------------------------------
    Brian Benz
    Membership Manager
    Educational Theatre Association
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 03-31-2018 11:09
    Being able to successfully interact with parents and students when enforcing policies is essential, and honestly, one of the most scary parts of my job! Over the past few years, we've developed some strategies to protect and support ourselves when we have to navigate these difficult situations. I had a lot to say, so I turned in into a blog. On the blog, I've got our production contract, links to our audition forms, role acceptance forms, etc.  So check out the blog for the ways you can create a paper trail of strong communication to navigate the enforcement of policies and procedures:

    https://www.schooltheatre.org/blogs/jessica-harms/2018/03/31/protect-yourself-with-a-paperwork-trail-enforcing


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    Jessica Harms
    Theatre Director
    Acton MA
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  • 17.  RE: Points awarded for regional theater

    Posted 04-01-2018 17:28
    There does seem to be a lot of negativity around other than school theater. We are very lucky as the educational value and professional atmosphere is excellent. The kids do not get paid however they act with equity adult actors. They cannot pay to be cast...hundreds of kids audition each year. http://www.firststage.org

    ---------------------------------
    Gail Neustifter
    Fine Arts Department Chair

    Milwaukee WI
    ---------------------------------