Open Forum

Someone at EdTA can correct me if they think I'm completely wrong, but I see the points as both a minimum and a guideline. As listed, each role should receive at least the points listed. Every 10 hours should also count for a point, so if the understudy has spent 50 hours in rehearsal and performance, they should receive 5 points. Almost always the ensemble for my musicals get 5 points because they are at rehearsals for over 50 hours.

I gave the understudy for our one act competition play five points because she was at every rehearsal (much more than 50 hours of work) and was at every performance and the competition. To just give her two points would have been an insult to all of her work.

------------------------------
Ken Buswell
Drama Teacher
Peachtree City, GA
http://mcintoshtheater.org/

Theater kills ignorance
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-20-2018 16:31
From: Jodi Disario
Subject: Points for understudies

I'm updating my troupe's Thespian points for our latest show, and looking back at last year's points. According to the list, understudies get 2 points, which is the same number of points as a cameo/walk-on. This seems strange to me, as my understudies had to rehearse just as much as our principal cast. The only difference is the principal cast had 5 performances and they had 1 (except for the 2 understudies who had to go on for the leads on opening night). I feel like they deserve more. 

I know we have the 2 "discretionary" points, but I chose to use those for my gypsy robe winners.

Any thoughts on this?

"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

www.msd.school

If I follow the 1 to 10 ratio, our points would be outrageous. My kids ended up earning 90+ hours in some cases for ensemble and understudy roles. I do have exact hours tracked. Can I go back retroactively and award in that manner?


Original Message------

Someone at EdTA can correct me if they think I'm completely wrong, but I see the points as both a minimum and a guideline. As listed, each role should receive at least the points listed. Every 10 hours should also count for a point, so if the understudy has spent 50 hours in rehearsal and performance, they should receive 5 points. Almost always the ensemble for my musicals get 5 points because they are at rehearsals for over 50 hours.

I gave the understudy for our one act competition play five points because she was at every rehearsal (much more than 50 hours of work) and was at every performance and the competition. To just give her two points would have been an insult to all of her work.

------------------------------
Ken Buswell
Drama Teacher
Peachtree City, GA
http://mcintoshtheater.org/

Theater kills ignorance
------------------------------

Hi, Jodi

 

Ken is correct. The recommended point awards provided by the point system are a place to start. The same goes for the hourly point rate. Troupe directors may tailor the point system a bit to best fit their unique circumstances.

 

If you're concerned about "point inflation," keep in mind that whether tracking points by hour or production category, the number of hours is only part of the measure. The quality of the work done is the other.

 

Quality is a measure of the caliber of the job or performance, of course, but it includes much more. Attendance, conduct, teamwork, growth and other factors contribute to quality. One key factor is the educational value of the time spent. For example, if a student spends 5 hours at a Saturday set construction session but is only on task and learning or practicing skills for 2.5 hours, he/she would only get 1/4 point rather than 1/2 point.

 

To some extent the educational value of time spent is already built into the recommended point awards. For example, the point award for a major role in a full length show is 8, the equivalent of 80 hours of quality work. That student will likely put in many more hours than that when it comes to memorizing/running lines, waiting at rehearsals for their next scene, warming up, etc.

 

Most troupe directors use some version of the recommended point chart for the majority of their point awards, but they may use the hourly rate for unusual circumstances that don't fit neatly into the other categories.

 

While you're welcome to reevaluate and assign points based on the points per hour model, my guess is that you've already built that quantity/quality consideration into your system. Your concern about the understudies shows that. I think the idea of two point for understudies assumes that that person is also a member of the chorus/ensemble, and the understudy points would be in addition to that point award. In that case it would be 3 + 2 = 5 pts, the equivalent of a minor role in the same production.

 

To your point about discretionary points, the point system doesn't put a limit on the number of students or circumstances where those might be awarded.  You might want to put your own guidelines in place to help you use them sparingly, but that's up to you.

 

I hope this helps. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me by email or by phone at 513.977.5561.

 

Best,

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

Original Message:
Sent: 01-20-2018 16:31
From: Jodi Disario
Subject: Points for understudies

I'm updating my troupe's Thespian points for our latest show, and looking back at last year's points. According to the list, understudies get 2 points, which is the same number of points as a cameo/walk-on. This seems strange to me, as my understudies had to rehearse just as much as our principal cast. The only difference is the principal cast had 5 performances and they had 1 (except for the 2 understudies who had to go on for the leads on opening night). I feel like they deserve more. 

I know we have the 2 "discretionary" points, but I chose to use those for my gypsy robe winners.

Any thoughts on this?

"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

www.msd.school

We track the specific hours and award based on that.  It fixes the problem of people not showing up and still getting points, etc.  So if a kid rehearsed 150 hours, they get 15 points.

We started doing that when we did Pirates of Penzance and the idea of the police officers getting fewer points irritated everyone.  They only appear in act 2, but they had the hardest dances and rehearsed 2-3 hours every day, and even called some of their own rehearsals independent of me/our choreographer because they weren't happy with their own progress.

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

Original Message:
Sent: 01-22-2018 12:02
From: Brian Benz
Subject: Points for understudies

Hi, Jodi

 

Ken is correct. The recommended point awards provided by the point system are a place to start. The same goes for the hourly point rate. Troupe directors may tailor the point system a bit to best fit their unique circumstances.

 

If you're concerned about "point inflation," keep in mind that whether tracking points by hour or production category, the number of hours is only part of the measure. The quality of the work done is the other.

 

Quality is a measure of the caliber of the job or performance, of course, but it includes much more. Attendance, conduct, teamwork, growth and other factors contribute to quality. One key factor is the educational value of the time spent. For example, if a student spends 5 hours at a Saturday set construction session but is only on task and learning or practicing skills for 2.5 hours, he/she would only get 1/4 point rather than 1/2 point.

 

To some extent the educational value of time spent is already built into the recommended point awards. For example, the point award for a major role in a full length show is 8, the equivalent of 80 hours of quality work. That student will likely put in many more hours than that when it comes to memorizing/running lines, waiting at rehearsals for their next scene, warming up, etc.

 

Most troupe directors use some version of the recommended point chart for the majority of their point awards, but they may use the hourly rate for unusual circumstances that don't fit neatly into the other categories.

 

While you're welcome to reevaluate and assign points based on the points per hour model, my guess is that you've already built that quantity/quality consideration into your system. Your concern about the understudies shows that. I think the idea of two point for understudies assumes that that person is also a member of the chorus/ensemble, and the understudy points would be in addition to that point award. In that case it would be 3 + 2 = 5 pts, the equivalent of a minor role in the same production.

 

To your point about discretionary points, the point system doesn't put a limit on the number of students or circumstances where those might be awarded.  You might want to put your own guidelines in place to help you use them sparingly, but that's up to you.

 

I hope this helps. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me by email or by phone at 513.977.5561.

 

Best,

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

Original Message:
Sent: 01-20-2018 16:31
From: Jodi Disario
Subject: Points for understudies

I'm updating my troupe's Thespian points for our latest show, and looking back at last year's points. According to the list, understudies get 2 points, which is the same number of points as a cameo/walk-on. This seems strange to me, as my understudies had to rehearse just as much as our principal cast. The only difference is the principal cast had 5 performances and they had 1 (except for the 2 understudies who had to go on for the leads on opening night). I feel like they deserve more. 

I know we have the 2 "discretionary" points, but I chose to use those for my gypsy robe winners.

Any thoughts on this?

"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

www.msd.school