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  • 1.  Wednesday Wisdom

    Posted 02-15-2023 01:51
    Most high school students are not good at accepting compliments.  

    This seems to be especially true when the compliments are on the performance of a play or musical.  They leap to tell the audience member trying to congratulate them, whether friend or stranger, exactly what went wrong.  Lines were skipped, someone was late entering, and that one song nearly fell apart.  It was much better yesterday because tonight's audience was really dead.*  

    None of these comments contribute to good memories of the performance for that audience member.  In fact, they can make one feel a bit foolish for having enjoyed what was evidently a flawed performance witnessed by a terrible audience.  

    I told my students to say "Thank you."  Maybe add "I'm glad you enjoyed the show."  Perhaps throw in "Thanks so much for coming out."  Then shut up.    

    I had them practice this.  "Thank you.  I'm glad you enjoyed it."  Shut up. 

    A few years ago, a former student wrote that the most important life lesson she learned from me was to simply say "Thank you" and then shut up.

    I'll take that.

    * Another thing I preached to my students is that no audience is terrible.  The fact that those people got off their couches and came to a theatre to see a play makes them a good audience.  A quiet audience or a small audience, sure.  Bad or dead, never!  "Check your energy level and deepen those character objectives, dear ones."      



           

        


  • 2.  RE: Wednesday Wisdom

    Posted 02-16-2023 09:15

    Love this. Great advice!



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    Kirsti Lewis
    People Like Us
    http://peoplelikeusdoc.com
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    We help theatre educators create more effective learning environments for students with developmental disabilities.
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  • 3.  RE: Wednesday Wisdom

    Posted 02-16-2023 11:17

    Loved this.  All great teachers, including (maybe especially?) theatre teachers, teach a lot more than their subject-specific curricula.  It's called "life."  Thanks for the reminder!



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    Jeff Grove
    Theatre Teacher, Aesthetics Department Chair
    Stanton College Prep
    FL
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