I think most theatre programs suffer or struggle for school wide recognition and are often overlooked by administrators, other teachers and a majority of the student body. Soooo, how can we combat that?
There are many great was to do that, and I am sure that most of you have employed a variety of options and strategies. Keeping it fresh and in the minds of the whole school community.
One very low key, visual reminder that our school had a thriving theatre program was that we had "Show Shirt Tuesdays" or "T-Shirt Tuesdays". Most programs create t-shirts for our musicals and some create t-shirts for all productions.
My school had a modified block schedule with Monday, Tuesday, and Friday having all 6 classes on those days, with Wednesdays and Thursdays longer blocks of three classes each.
The students in my program would wear a show shirt of their choice on Tuesdays so that they would be seen wearing it in all of their classes. It never failed to create conversations with curious students which generated buzz for the program.
Whatever route one takes to promote your program, engaging your community is a good one. This is just one of the ones I employed and my students loved to show their pride about what they were doing.
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Stewart Hawk
Washington State Thespians
206-465-4568
stewart.hawk@gmail.comhttp://wathespians.org------------------------------