Elizabeth,
Here is what I did with my middle school productions.
Families received an audition packet before rehearsals began that had 2 calendars listing all rehearsal dates and which ensemble members were expected to be present on each date. To audition, students had to turn in one [parent and student signed] calendar that highlighted dates they would not be at rehearsals (doctor appointments, family vacation, etc.). They kept the second calendar at home as a reminder. As director, I took these dates into account before casting and could make minor changes in scheduling to make sure these absences had as little negative impact as possible. Any dates highlighted in advance became excused absences and would not effect a student's status in the production.
If, during rehearsals, someone had multiple additional absences that began to negatively affect the entire cast, I would give the student a [private] warning that, if this continued, their role or tech position could be changed. Families were also notified. If the absences continued, I would have a conference with the student explaining the change in their role/position; it was his/her choice to accept the new role or leave the production. I tried not to separate anyone from the cast/crew completely, if possible. This process was explained in the original audition packet and was well-known as a possible occurrence. Over two decades, I had relatively few problems with absences- and when I did, little kick-back in enacting this procedure (and complete administrative support.)
As for high school helpers, I tried not to have more than one or two at a time (one for cast assistance and one for crew assistance). The high school student had to contact me before a production if they wanted to assist, and we would map out, in advance, days they were expected to be at rehearsals and the scope of their help. Most of the time, high school students would only help out one or two days per week, so it was pretty simple to come up with specific tasks that would be beneficial to their development as well as help the production. Once they committed to a production, they were really good at meeting their obligations. The biggest issue was to solidify with the middle school kids the scope of the high school student's 'authority' (e.g.- if the high school student said the cast member had to sit down and run lines, did the cast member have to do it?) We covered this at the first cast meeting after rehearsal.
I hope this helps.
-Suzanne
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Suzanne Katz
Washington DC
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-11-2018 02:42
From: Elizabeth Berg
Subject: Middle School Policies: Rehearsal Attendance & High School Assistants
Hello all,
I'm getting ready for the upcoming school year and making tweaks to our production policies, and I'd love to hear from other teachers about your policies at your own schools. I'm happy to hear everyone's thoughts, though I'm specifically interested in hearing from other middle school teachers.
1) Do you have a concrete policy for rehearsal attendance? If so, what is it, and are there any associated consequences? (I'm mindful of the fact that middle school students often have less control over their own schedules than high school students do.)
2) Do you ever have high school students come back to assist with your productions? If so, do you have any policies or procedures to help make that experience successful for everyone involved?
Thank you, and enjoy the last few weeks of summer!
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Elizabeth Berg
Drama Teacher
Ashland Middle School
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