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Episode 214: Theatre as a teaching tool
The drama classroom is not just a place for games and play time. You can use theatre as a teaching tool - perhaps the most important one students will ever receive. That’s the philosophy of long time drama teacher Michelle Huerta and she has grown and changed over the years as her students have grown and changed.
Show Notes
Drama Teacher Academy
School Daze
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well.
Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 214. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode214.
Today is a lovely conversation. It’s one of those ones that, you know, it starts in one place and ends up in another. You know, I say that and then, well, I suppose all conversations do that, don’t they?
We don’t just stay in one place. Otherwise, all the words would just dump all on top of each other and you wouldn’t be able to understand anything.
Now, I’m thinking about conversations that tumble on top of each other. This tangent is brought to you by Theatrefolk.com.
Our guest today is a 30-year teacher veteran and, frankly, I love what she has to say about being a long-term teacher. I love what she has to say about 21st century students. I love her advice for new teachers and I know that you are going to love it, too.
Let’s get to it. I’ll see you on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello everybody!
I am so excited today to be talking to Michelle Huerta.
Hello, Michelle!
MICHELLE: Hi Lindsay!
How are you?
LINDSAY: Fantastic!
First of all, please let everybody know where you are in the world today.
MICHELLE: I am in Austin, Texas – very far southwest part of Austin, Texas.
LINDSAY: Very nice.
How long have you been a teacher?
MICHELLE: I have been teaching for over 30 years.
LINDSAY: I like the laugh before you thought. It was like, “Oh, my goodness, 30 years.”
MICHELLE: Yeah, yeah.
LINDSAY: Let’s talk about that for a second. That’s fantastic.
How do you feel about teaching for 30 years?
MICHELLE: I can’t believe that it’s been that long. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. But, whenever I say it, I realize that means I must be old if I’ve been teaching that long. But I love teaching middle school and I’ve been teaching middle school now for about 25 years.
LINDSAY: Let’s talk about that for a second.
What keeps you teaching?
MICHELLE: The kids. I just love working with the kids.
I think, middle school, a lot of people go, “Oh, you teach middle school? Oh, my gosh!” but I actually love middle school compared to high school because, in high school, they’re getting to that age a lot of times where they’re a little jaded. They think they’re a little bit too cool.
In middle school, there’s still that excitement about learning new things and figuring things out. I really enjoy their enthusiasm and it makes me energized, if that makes any sense.
I know a lot of people would think that’s crazy – that it usually makes you tired – but, their energy, I feed off of it. It’s just great.
LINDSAY: I think that just means that you’ve actually found and lived the thing you were meant to do, right? – when it energizes you instead of exhausts you.
MICHELLE: Exactly.
LINDSAY: Here’s a great question. It’s really interesting. I talk to a lot of new teachers in a lot of situations where there’s a lot of turnover of teachers. Since I have a 30-year veteran on the line here, do you think that students have changed in your time of teaching?
MICHELLE: They have. They’ve changed and so has education a little bit.
I know we teachers that have been in the field for a long time say, “Oh, this is the same thing, it’s just a different name.” But, I think, especially in the last few years with the use of technology, -
Episode 213: Happy Birthday Frankenstein!
It’s Frankenstein’s Birthday this month! Or more accurately, it’s the birthday of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of the classic gothic romance Frankenstein. Drama teacher and playwright Laramie Dean talks about writing his adaptation of the novel (Frankenstein Among the Dead), what it’s like to take on this iconic work and writing for his students. How do you adapt it to the high school stage and high school budgets? How do you adapt it so there is more variety in the gender roles? (PS: there are great parts for girls in his play!)
Show Notes
Frankenstein Among the Dead
Laramie Dean Podcast: This Place Scares Us on Frankenstein Among the Dead
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well.
Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 213, and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode213.
Did you know it’s Frankenstein’s birthday this month? Happy birthday, Frankenstein!
Well, more accurately, it is the birthday of Mary – oh, I’m going to say this so wrong – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley – Mary Shelley – the author of the classic gothic romance, Frankenstein.
Our guest today tackled this iconic story and adapted it into a play – a play for high schools. Not an easy feat, right? There are many movie adaptations, many parodies. “It’s Frankens-teen, not Frankenstein.” That was the worst ever, don’t you think? I think!
Many versions of the monster. How do you make it theatrical? How do you adapt it to the high school stage and high school budget? How do you make it current to the student climate? We can’t publish a play that’s all guys and all the great parts.
So many questions! Let’s get to the answers. I’ll see you on the other side!
LINDSAY: Hello! Thank you everybody for listening!
I’m here today with Laramie Dean.
LARAMIE: Hello, Lindsay!
LINDSAY: Tell everybody where in the world you are.
LARAMIE: I am in Missoula, Montana.
LINDSAY: Missoula, Montana. Very nice.
We’re going to talk about a lot of things. We’re going to talk about you. We’re going to talk about Frankenstein Among the Dead which is this lovely – let’s see – this lovely thing. It’s a brand-new play here at Theatrefolk.
We’re going to start with you and teaching. How long have you been a drama teacher?
LARAMIE: I started teaching theatre in 2003 as an assistant to one of the professors of the University of Montana where I had just recently finished my bachelor’s degree in acting and I was sort of at odds. I didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore.
Dr Jillian Campana – who is a huge influence on me and my career – asked me to come and assistant direct the university’s production of The Laramie Project. I had never directed before. She said, “Oh, you’ll be great, you’ll be great!”
We had a freshman in the program. He was very hard to reach, and she was having trouble directing him. She said, “You work with this guy after rehearsal.” I was like, “Ah, umm…”
I sat down with him and we talked. I gave him some suggestion and some direction. He changed for the better and, all of a sudden, I went, “Oh, my god, I can do this. I’m actually good at this.” I went back to grad school and Jillian gave me lots of opportunities with TA and then I got my own classes and I had a playwriting class.
Finally, several years down the road, I decided to become a high school theatre teacher and ended up with my job at Hellgate High School which is the most fantastic name a theatre teacher like me could possibly work at.
LINDSAY: Well, we’re going to talk a little bit about horror and that, I think, is just an even better school title when you like horror and you write horror. You work at Hellgate High. I just think that’s fantastic.
LARAMIE: I agree! -
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Episode 212: Drama Teachers: Take back the classics
Julie Hartley wants you to take back the classics. Lose the idea that Shakespeare is high brow and just for people who only have a grasp of the language. Listen in to learn a practical and classroom driven approach to a classical text.
Show Notes
Julie Hartley website
Centauri Arts Camp
Drama Teacher Academy
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well.
Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 212. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode212.
Today, we are talking the classics – the “classics” with quotation marks and fancy fonts.
For example, classics, Shakespeare!’
Now, we’re not just talking Shakespeare, we’re not just talking the classics. We are specifically talking about taking back the classics.
The word “classic” has such a connotation to it, right? It makes some people think of a piece that is beyond them. “Oh, it’s so uber important! Oh, it’s a classic!” Or the opposite. “It’s dusty and boring and completely irrelevant to the current times.”
Our guest today wants you to trash both those notions. Shakespeare is current and relevant. Shakespeare should not be put on a pedestal. I love it! I love her approach, and I know you will, too!
Let’s get to it. I’ll see you on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello everyone!
I am here today, talking with Julie Hartley.
Hello, Julie!
JULIE: Hi!
LINDSAY: First of all, could you tell everybody where in the world you are?
JULIE: Physically, right now, I am in Toronto. I work generally all across Southern Ontario.
LINDSAY: Very cool. Very cool.
When this goes to air, it will be hopefully nice spring weather and maybe even summer weather. Right now, though, I think we’re both dealing with a little bit of winter fatigue. How was the ice storm where you are?
JULIE: Hopefully, it’s clearing up today. It was pretty bad over the weekend, though. We’re definitely ready for spring here.
LINDSAY: I know it, I know it.
I know too that spring for you means something kind of exciting. We’re going to be talking about Shakespeare, and particularly how you can take classical text and really make them come alive in the classroom.
Julie, you were many hats, and one of your great hats is an arts summer camp. Talk about that for just a second.
JULIE: Yeah, sure!
We’ve been doing this for the past 24 years. What we do is, every summer, we bring together up to 500 children and teenagers from all over the world. They come and join us at a big center down in the Niagara region, and we bring together arts professionals – mostly from all over Canada – who offer specialized courses for the teenagers.
In theatre, we have everything from stage combat, clown, improvisation, comedy. We have programs that focus on scene study and other programs that focus on devised theatre. Pretty much, I guess, a child or a teenager could come to us every summer for about five to six years and never cover the same material twice. They have so many different focuses they can choose from, all of them to do with theatre.
It’s a summer camp, but it’s also an arts training ground for kids in the summer.
LINDSAY: I think it’s wonderful. And the name of your camp?
JULIE: It’s Centauri Summer Arts Camp.
LINDSAY: Very nice. Very nice.
You’ve had quite a journey because you didn’t start in Canada. You started in the north of England. I think everybody knows that you are from England, but I’ll just say it.
How long have you been in Canada?
JULIE: I’ve been in Canada now for 25 years. We emigrated in order to set up the camp and it was successful, so we stayed here, and we built an arts career for ourselves here. I was a teacher in the UK before we emigrated.
LINDSAY: I know that you do a lot. -
Episode 211: Putting together a touring high school show
How do you put together a touring show with your students? Drama Teacher Mike Yoson and his advanced production class completed their first tour this past year. Listen in to hear the successes and struggles of this fabulous project.
Show Notes
The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well.
Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 211. Woot, woot! And you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode211.
All right. I love starting with questions. I have so many questions for you! And then, it becomes interactive. You can answer. I can’t hear you but… well, actually, yes. Yes, I can. Of course, I can. I always hear you.
Do you have an advanced theatre class? Are you looking for a new challenge? What about a touring show? Can you imagine putting that together with your students? Eh? Yes? No? Never? Maybe?
Well, our guest today did just that, and you – lucky you – get to find out all the successes and struggles of this fabulous project.
So, let’s get to it. I’ll see you on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello everyone!
Lindsay Price here from Theatrefolk. Thanks for joining me!
I am talking with drama teacher – Mike Yoson.
Hello, Mike!
MIKE: Hello! How are you?
LINDSAY: I’m fabulous! I’m fabulous!
So, tell everybody where in the world you are.
MIKE: I am in Piscataway, New Jersey. That’s the central area of New Jersey, about an hour outside of New York.
LINDSAY: Very cool, very cool.
How long have you been a drama teacher?
MIKE: This is my third year – fairly new.
LINDSAY: That’s okay. That’s all right. We know lots of people who are new.
What was it about teaching? What drew you to teaching drama?
MIKE: Sure.
I grew up being the biggest drama kid ever. I actually went to school for acting. I went to school in New York for that. And then, after I lived there for four years, I came back to New Jersey and I ended up working at a school for students with multiple disabilities as an aide. It was a school that I’d worked at in the past and I ended up having a full-year job there.
Through my time at that school, I realized, “Hey! I think teaching is a really cool thing to do and I really enjoy it.” So, I decided to combine my two passions.
I went back to school, got my theatre ed certifications, and started teaching high school.
LINDSAY: Have you been at the same school since you started?
MIKE: Yes, Piscataway High School.
LINDSAY: But it’s a very specific shift, eh?
MIKE: Oh, yeah.
LINDSAY: To go from “I want to be a performer” to “I want to be in the classroom.”
What do you think it is about being in the classroom that that’s the thing that you wanted to pursue?
MIKE: Well, I loved my high school theatre days. I look back on it so passionately. I just think it was so much fun.
Once I started delving into the teaching, I realized how cool it was to expose kids to theatre for the first time or even develop their skills if they were “theatre kids” from birth like I was. Just to see them grow and develop and find a new passion or just find a place where they can grow more confidence. That’s what I love about teaching theatre.
LINDSAY: You’ve been doing it for three years now. What’s one thing that was pretty unexpected about teaching that they didn’t really prepare you for when you went to school?
MIKE: Hmm…
LINDSAY: Unless you had an amazing teacher, unless you had an amazing school.
MIKE: I had great professors and everything.
I guess the biggest – how do I say it? – obstacle starting teaching was that not every kid is super passionate about what I’m teaching or what we’re doing in class. My first year specifically because, when I came into my position, -
Episode 210: A Facilitating a student led production
Have you ever sat back and let your students take control of a play? How do you let students learn from the struggles throughout the process, rather than making the decisions for them? Drama teacher Saran Hankins shares her experience facilitating a student driven production.
Show Notes
Shuddersome
The Myths at the Edge of the World
Drama Teacher Academy
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well.
Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 210, and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode210.
Today, we’re talking about student-driven work.
Have you ever sat back and let your students take control of a play? Now, how does that make you feel? Does that make you feel excited, nervous, nauseous? How do you let students learn from the struggles that they’ll find throughout the production process rather than making the decisions for them?
That’s exactly what our guest did with a recent production of Shuddersome, and it is a great conversation, so let’s get to it! I’ll see you on the other side!
LINDSAY: Hello everyone! Thank you for joining us!
I am here with Sarah Hankins.
Hello, Sarah!
SARAH: Hello!
LINDSAY: So, first of all, please tell everybody where in the world you are right now.
SARAH: I am at Clinton High School in Clinton, Mississippi.
LINDSAY: Nice, very nice, and how long have you been at your school?
SARAH: This is my third year teaching at Clinton High School.
LINDSAY: Oh, and how long have you been a drama teacher?
SARAH: This is my seventh year. I’m about to finish up my seventh year.
LINDSAY: Very good. Okay. So, seven years in, what is the thing that keeps you teaching?
SARAH: Honestly, the students because they change so much, and you just get to build these relationships with them that, you know, your normal classroom teachers don’t have. So, they honestly keep me coming back, day after day.
LINDSAY: Awesome. Well, that’s good. It’s good to have something that keeps you coming back. I know that’s not the case for everybody.
What was it that made you want to go into teaching and being a drama teacher?
SARAH: Well, funny thing is – and I just shared this story with students earlier – I actually swore I would never become a school teacher. And then, it just kind of hit me that I would be missing something, and my life wouldn’t be as fulfilled if I weren’t a school teacher.
But my mom is a 36-year veteran of public schools in Mississippi. She retired a couple of years ago. And then, my grandmother was also a teacher, and my sister is also a teacher. So, I guess you could say it runs in our blood.
LINDSAY: Oh, man! I can totally see it, though! Surrounded by teachers and go, “This is not for me.”
SARAH: Yeah. But, as far as theatre goes, when I was in ninth grade, I did a little bit of theatre here and there – at my church or in my school – but we had a community theatre called Brickstreet Players, and they needed a backstage hand and they asked me – this pipsqueak of a ninth grader to do that – and I got in and I met some wonderful people. And then, I met my mentor, and it just worked out where I found my passion.
And so, I’m able to utilize that passion. I was given the opportunity to teach theatre and it’s been a journey ever since.
LINDSAY: Awesome!
What’s the most memorable thing that your mentor has ever said to you?
SARAH: Oh, gosh! Probably that theatre can be summed up in one word, and that is “reaction” and that’s really what life is. It’s reacting to everything that’s around you because you’re not just one person. And so, that really helped open my eyes and helped me to start discovering who I was as a person. And then, in turns, -
Episode 209: Page to Stage: What can you learn in 48 hours?
What can you learn when you put up a show from page to stage in 48 hours? Teacher and playwright Scott Giessler shares his experience. If you want your students to have an immediate lesson in problem solving this is the conversation for you!
Show Notes
Life, Off Book
Finishing Sentences
Oddball
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well.
Thanks for listening!
Here is the question of the episode:
“What can you learn when you put up a play in 48 hours?”
I’m just going to let that resonate with you. Play to stage in just two days – not two months, not a year – two days!
So, this 48-hour play project, that’s what our guest did today with his students, and he’s going to share his experience with this great project, this great problem-solving project. Aha! Everything is a learning experience.
Now, I have to warn you, the sound may be a little wonky. When we recorded it, there was bad weather on my end, bad weather on his end, so that’s what I’m blaming it on – weather! But what Scott has to say is so lovely. Oh, I really love this conversation, so hang in there. I’m going to hang in there. You do it, too. All right? Let’s do it.
LINDSAY: Hello everybody!
I am here, talking to Scott Giessler.
Hello, Scott!
SCOTT: Hello!
LINDSAY: So, tell everybody where in the world you are.
SCOTT: I am calling from very cold, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
LINDSAY: I hear you. I feel you. I’m hoping that, when this goes up, maybe it won’t be so cold, but you never know!
SCOTT: Yeah.
LINDSAY: Scott, you are a teacher and playwright, so let’s just start with the teacher first. How long have you been a drama teacher?
SCOTT: I’ve been doing it for 17 years, and it’s been a pretty steady job at that. I started in 2001 and I’ve been just working at it ever since.
LINDSAY: What made you want to get into the teaching aspect?
SCOTT: Okay. Well, I had another life before this where I was working in the commercial sector because I went to college and I wanted to be a screenwriter. After I left college, I went through several different jobs in the commercial sector, just in the entertainment biz – both in Boston. Then, I moved to LA and did a little work there.
There was just a point where I started to realize that there was kind of that big, empty hole in my life of, you know, these jobs are interesting on some level, but I couldn’t care any less about them. And then, it all came to a head when I’d gotten laid off at a job and I just couldn’t imagine applying for any other jobs that were available.
My wife and I sat down and sort of talked about it. We developed a plan to move back east to New Hampshire where I’d spent a lot of my summers. When I got here, as it turned out, the local high school was looking for a theatre teacher.
So, things really kind of magically came together for me, all in the summer of 2001, and they hired me on a wing and a prayer because I had no credentials at the time. Eventually, you know, it started off as just sort of a stipend job when I was a study hall monitor, and I think I taught a theatre class in middle school while I was getting my certification. Eventually, they hired me on full-time at the high school.
LINDSAY: And now, it’s 17 years later.
SCOTT: It is!
LINDSAY: Okay.
SCOTT: Unbelievably, yeah!
LINDSAY: It’s very frightening how time just sort of magically melts, isn’t it?
SCOTT: Lindsay, you ain’t kidding.
LINDSAY: And, the older I get, the faster it melts.
SCOTT: Yes.
LINDSAY: So, that’s how you got into it. 17 years later, why is this the job that stuck? Why are you still in it all this time later?
SCOTT: Man, well, you know, I’ll tell you, I’m not really certain. I will tell you that, -
Episode 208: Production Case Study: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
Bekah Schneider is a teacher in South Korea and there was a lot to overcome with this production: students not knowing the source material, fear of failure, and doing choreography by Skype. After all that this was her best production experience in 20 years. Listen in to learn why!
Show Notes
Drama Teacher Academy
Click the photo below to see more from the show!
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well.
Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 208, and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode208.
Today, we’ve got a production case study. Oh, production case studies are some of my favorite, favorite episodes. I hope you like them, too! I hope you like them, but I like them because I love learning the how and the why behind a production, and this particular conversation is a real treat.
We’re talking musicals today – one particular musical – You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Our guest today had quite the experience with the show. Little teaser for you! Let’s find out why!
I’ll see you on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello everybody! Welcome to the podcast!
I am talking with Bekah Schneider.
Hello, Bekah!
BEKAH: Hey there!
LINDSAY: First of all, tell everyone where in the world you are. You’re in an extra special place.
BEKAH: I am in Suwon, South Korea.
LINDSAY: This is pretty awesome because I’m doing this recording which will mean nothing to you much later in the time when this gets posted, but it’s a Thursday night, and where you are, it’s a Friday morning.
BEKAH: Yes, it’s true. It’s very fun.
LINDSAY: Yes, I’m sure it is. It must be hilarious when you’re trying to communicate home, you know?
BEKAH: Yes. Yes, exactly.
LINDSAY: How long have you been a drama teacher?
BEKAH: I have been a drama teacher officially in school systems, this is year seven.
LINDSAY: Were you an unofficial drama teacher?
BEKAH: Yeah. Actually, you know, I was a professional actress growing up and I did work in our state and traveled with our state. And then, I was a creative director at the church and did acting classes for students outside of that. I didn’t step into formal classroom education until much later in life, but it’s been very fun.
LINDSAY: What made you want to step into the classroom?
BEKAH: I loved what I did working with children, but I knew the influence of working with children would be greater if I had kind of a steady stream of students and classes. I am a single parent. And so, from a work perspective, teaching was something that I was passionate about already with the schedule and then working with children, and it just kind of all fit together. I get to do what I want to do which is drama. And so, I love it. I absolutely love it.
LINDSAY: How did you end up in Korea?
BEKAH: Ah! Now, that is a story!
My brother actually moved to Korea twenty years ago and has been in the international school scene. There’s quite a large community. In fact, even with our DTA community, there’s many of us from all over the world.
And so, he had been over here for twenty years and called me and said, “There’s a job and you should apply.” I said, “No, I’m super happy.” He’s my older brother, so he kind of bullied me and harassed me into at least looking at it.
And then, I applied confident that I would never get the job and confident that we would never move and, you know, we did. So, we’ve been overseas for three years now. It’s been really fun. We really felt like just the series of events that orchestrated us over here were pretty phenomenal and really unexpected. It wasn’t something we were looking for, but I’m so glad we’re here.
LINDSAY: What’s the makeup of the students that y... -
Episode 207: A Fabulous Theatre Fundraiser
Don’t you want to learn more about a fabulous theatre fundraiser idea? Of course you do. Listen to drama teacher Alyssa Pitner talk about creating a haunted house with her students. Take notes now, implement in the fall!
Show Notes
Horror Movie 101
Shuddersome: Tales of Poe
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Bottom of the Lake
Frankenstein Among the Dead
Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo
Ashland Falls
Close Encounters of the Undead Kind
The Haunting of Chip Lake Lodge
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Oh, I hope you’re well. I hope you’re well!
Are you okay? Maybe I’m not so okay.
Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 207. And you can find any links – there are a lot of links – any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode207.
Today, we’re having a little chat about fundraising, specifically a fabulous theatre fundraising idea. Don’t you want to learn about a fabulous theatre fundraising idea that you could do? Of course!
Our guest today has that fabulous theatre fundraising idea and it’s not just an idea. She implemented it. She implements it every year and she’s going to share it with all of you. So, get your pen and paper, get your phone out to take notes, listen in and get all the info, so it’s something that you can implement this fall.
While we’re talking about the fall, if you are looking for the perfect play to produce around Halloween – yes, this all fits in with our talk today – I’m doing a little teaser. Make sure you click the show notes. We have so many great plays that delve into theatrical horror. Zombie makeup unit, anyone?
Click the show notes at Theatrefolk.com/episode207. I’m going to share more news, more titles at the end. I’ll see you on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello! I am here talking to Alyssa Pitner.
Hello, Alyssa!
ALYSSA: Hi!
LINDSAY: All right!
Now, tell everyone where in the world you are right now.
ALYSSA: I am in Queen Creek, Arizona, at Casteel High School.
LINDSAY: Very cool.
And the weather? Is it still warm there?
ALYSSA: Oh, yeah. It’s not even really sweater weather yet. Oh, well.
LINDSAY: Ah, too bad, too bad.
ALYSSA: I know. I don’t have to shovel snow or scrape ice off my windshield. My life’s so hard.
LINDSAY: And how long have you been a drama teacher?
ALYSSA: I’ve been a drama teacher now for three years.
LINDSAY: Oh, cool.
ALYSSA: I’m a newbie, but…
LINDSAY: You’re new. Let’s talk about that for a second.
What made you want to become a teacher and specifically a drama teacher?
ALYSSA: I wanted to be a teacher since I was a kid because I got some weird thrill when I was younger of grading my brother’s homework which I don’t get that thrill anymore as an actual teacher. But, when I was in high school, I had a theatre teacher who let me direct a one-act, and I fell in love. It was the coolest experience of my high school career, and I was like, “I want to do this forever!” and I realized I could. So, that’s what I’m doing.
LINDSAY: I talk to a lot of people who start off in that performing track and then the love of teaching overtakes. Was it always teaching for you?
ALYSSA: I love performing and I love performing in high school and I thought about pursuing it, but I wanted to be a teacher, so that’s where I stayed.
LINDSAY: That’s good. We need people who actually love teaching and want to do it. So, that’s an actual good thing.
So, you’ve been doing it for three years now. What is something that has surprised you about being a teacher?
ALYSSA: Something that surprised me? The amount of paperwork is insane, sometimes. Like, IEP paperwork if I go for that kind of stuff. And how much – as a theatre teacher, -
Episode 206: Monologue Competitions: How to compete confidently
How can you encourage your students to compete with confidence? Learn from the source! Student Kelsey Gilmore was chosen as critics choice for monologues and best in show in her district for her monologue performance. What did she do? How did she prepare?
Show Notes
All things monologue at theatrefolk.com
Stressed
Have You Heard
Puzzle Pieces
Myth-o-logues
A Box of Puppies
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 206. You can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode206.
Today, we’re talking monologues and, more specifically, monologue competitions.
Do you take your students to monologue competitions? Do you have your students perform monologues in the classroom? How is it going for you? Going okay? Want to do better? How can you encourage your students to compete with confidence?
Well, I think the best way is to learn from the source.
We’re going to talk today to a student who has had great success this year in competition.
If you are looking for monologues for your students, if you just can’t listen to the same monologues over and over and over again, we can help. We can help! We can help!
All you’ve got to do is look in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode206.
I’ve put a link in there to Theatrefolk’s monologue collections, monologue plays. We have a few! In our monologue books, all the monologues come from published plays, and it’s a one-stop shop to find those plays! Theatrefolk.com!
Okay. I will see you on the other side!
LINDSAY: Hello everyone!
I am here with Kelsey Gilmore.
Hello, Kelsey!
KELSEY: Hello!
LINDSAY: First off, tell everybody where in the world you are right now.
KELSEY: I am in Tallahassee, Florida.
LINDSAY: Awesome!
You are a senior, right?
KELSEY: Yes, ma’am!
LINDSAY: Excellent.
The reason you are talking is that you did something very exciting last weekend at your district thespian festival. Not only were you chosen for critic’s choice for monologues, but you also won best in show.
KELSEY: I did!
LINDSAY: Congratulations!
KELSEY: Thank you so much!
LINDSAY: We’re just going to kind of talk to you about what you did to prepare for districts and what it’s like to compete and maybe some advice for some folks who are listening – our listeners, our teachers, and drama students. I know a lot of them have students who go into competition and are frustrated sometimes with competition.
Let’s start off with some background.
Have you competed at districts every year?
KELSEY: I competed my sophomore and junior year. I didn’t do it in freshman year, though.
LINDSAY: Do you remember what your first competition was like? I know it was a long time ago.
KELSEY: It was very nerve-racking. There were so many people and so much talent. I was like, “Oh! Oh, wow! Wow! Okay… This is new! So many thespians in one place! That’s very cool!”
LINDSAY: District run is pretty huge, too. So, I can imagine it was overwhelming.
KELSEY: I actually won critic’s choice my first year, but that was for a large group musical. We didn’t win best in show, but it was a big feat for me to win critic’s choice with that musical number.
LINDSAY: Did it change your perspective a little? You know, going into it and you see all the people and you see all the talent and you’re like, “I could never do that,” and then to be awarded. Did you go, “Maybe I can do this?”
KELSEY: My freshman year or this year when I won best in show?
LINDSAY: That first time.
KELSEY: Oh, the first time, it still is like, “Wow! This is something completely far away!” But I’m doing it with a group of people. I’m not alone. -
Episode 205: Talking Tech Theatre Programs
We’re talking tech theatre in the classroom. What’s the first thing you should buy to build your tech theatre program? How do you design a set when you don’t have a theatre program? These questions and more!
Show Notes
Drama Teacher Academy
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 205 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode205.
Today – oh, I was going for it, and then I pulled back. I pulled back! Oh, I pulled back! Ugh.
Well, that happens sometimes.
Today, we are talking tech theatre.
If you are struggling with the tech side of things or you don’t have a tech background and you want this for your students, you want to provide this for your students, then this is the conversation for you. It is a great one!
At the end, I’ll give you a little more information on where you can get some great tech units.
I will see you on the other side!
LINDSAY: Hello everyone! Thanks for tuning in!
I am here today with Dan Mellitz.
Hello, Dan!
DAN: Hi!
LINDSAY: I like to start by asking, where in the world are you right now?
DAN: Currently, I am in Barrington, Rhode Island, which is one of the many places I have been in the past ten years. But that’s where I am located right now.
LINDSAY: Awesome! You gave two exams today. We’re talking tech today and we’re going to get into all about how you got to be where exactly you are right now in Rhode Island, but can you just share what you gave as their final exam? It was the advanced tech students who were making the thing, right?
DAN: Their final exam was to build a tech table for our program since we currently don’t have one, so they had to team up in two teams and design separate ones and then come together and combine their designs to a final design. And then, together, they built their final design and had to go and make sure all the measurements were correct because they sit over the seats and then they had to make sure it was portable. They did a really good job. I think they need some tweaking. It’s gotten a little heavier than it probably should be. But right off the bat was a really good choice as a final project.
LINDSAY: Well, not only is it an interesting choice as product, but it’s a practical kind of test for them to do and a sort of real-world test, huh?
DAN: Yeah, I’ve done sometimes where it’s like you’re doing all this – you know, build a platform and build some stairs that you don’t really need because I have a million of them – and then you just take them apart and it seems like a waste. This is a very practical item.
I’ve done ones where they’ve had to build backstage prop tables that are foldable. I like practical items because then I can use them, and they get to see them in action rather than just seeing them get thrown away.
LINDSAY: I love that, and I know that people who are listening love that kind of thing, too.
Another thing that I think you and I both know is that a lot of people listening are struggling with how on earth they teach tech. They don’t have tech backgrounds. They don’t have any access to tech. You know, we know lots of people who are putting on shows in their cafeteria.
I know that you have got this great website of resource help called The Techie Green Room which everyone listening can find in the show notes. I kind of feel we’re totally simpatico and on the same page with helping teachers in any which way we can, right?
DAN: Yeah, I think so.
LINDSAY: I think that’s where you’re coming from, right?
DAN: Yeah, I think it’s a really great place to be. I think there’s a lot of other resources out there, and I think I’m definitely not the only one, but I think I’m close to the only one that is ... -
Episode 204: When a Play Goes Wrong
Have you been there? The cast is fighting, no one knows their lines, maybe the flu has swept through the entire school. There are times when opening night is approaching and you are sure you won’t be ready. Drama Teacher Lea Marshall shares her experience with the play that went wrong, what she learned and what she’ll change for next time. In educational theatre, EVERYTHING is a learning experience!
Show Notes
Drama Teacher Academy
Poster: It's Fun to Do the Impossible
Poster: The Show Will Open
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
Hello! I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello again! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 204 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode204.
Today, our guest today, she is a treasure. She is a treat. She is an amazing resource, and I am always so happy, I am pleased as punch, I am over the moon when she finds time to talk to us, and this is a topic I know everyone has experience with, everyone will want to listen in on, and I know that you have been there.
You’ve been there!
The cast is fighting. No one knows their lines. Maybe the flu has swept through your entire school. There are times when opening night is approaching, and you are sure you won’t be ready. Maybe you don’t even want to be ready. Maybe you just want to walk away from this play altogether.
Drama teacher Lea Marshall is going share her experience with the play that went wrong, and what she learned, and what she’s going to change for next time because, in educational theatre, everything is a learning experience, right? Right!
Okay. I’ll see you on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello everyone!
Welcome to the podcast! I am here talking to Lea Marshall.
Hello, Lea!
LEA: Hello!
LINDSAY: Tell everybody where you are in the world right now.
LEA: I am in North Carolina because I am on break – Thanksgiving break. We got a week this year. I’m sorry. I’m sorry to all of you that did not get a week. We probably won’t next year, so I won’t gloat too much.
I’m in North Carolina, though. I’m usually in Tallahassee, Florida, where I live and teach, but I am in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It’s really beautiful here. I’d show you more, but this is the outside of our little Airbnb. My three kids are inside – two of them are in college, and they’re actually doing homework. So, I stepped outside in 23 layers. I swear, it’s like 50 degrees, but I’m in 23 layers.
LINDSAY: Yes, nobody has any sympathy because (a) you have an entire week off – although, when we post this, it’ll be March or something, so Thanksgiving means nothing – and (b) you’re usually in Florida where it’s warm.
LEA: Yes.
LINDSAY: You have just completed a production of Steel Magnolias.
LEA: Yes.
LINDSAY: And what you would like to say, because we’ve had conversations before about other productions. Are you sitting in yoga pants? Are you done with the show?
LEA: In my yoga pants.
The funniest story is that we did the post-production for To Kill a Mockingbird last time and I was in my yoga pants on the couch. In the middle of production – like, the bad three weeks, the last couple of weeks of it – I re-listened to that only because I needed to remind myself that, one day, again, I would sit on my couch in yoga pants and sound that calm and happy.
I want to be back in that space where I remembered how it felt to be done. And so, I listened to that. I was like, “Oh, I need to record another one so that, next time, I can listen to both of them, and remember how it felt to be done – how good it felt.” It will happen.
You will, at some point, be done.
LINDSAY: That gets us right to what we’re talking about today which is what happens when your production becomes the play that goes wrong. -
Episode 203: The Creative and Critical Process
The creative and critical analysis processes are defined parts of the arts curriculum in Ontario. Students learn the steps to help them acquire knowledge and skill in the arts and then develop their ability to craft an informed response to a work of art. Teacher Luke Bramer talks about his experience using the Creative and Critical process in his classroom.
Show Notes
Creative Process
Creative Process: Reflecting on Original Theatrical Works
Creative Process: From Page to Stage
Monologue Creative Process 1
Monologue Creative Process 2
Monologue Creative Process 3
Critical Analysis Process
Critical Analysis Process Worksheet
Critical Analysis Process: Reflecting on Original Theatrical Works
Theatrefolk Resources
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 203 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode203.
Okay, folks. Today, there are handouts. There are samples, documents, visuals, if you so choose. If you’re in your car, please do not download said handouts, samples, documents, and visuals. But I wanted to let you know that they are available, and you can check out everything in the show notes which I just said but I don’t mind repeating. That’s Theatrefolk.com/episode203.
We’re talking about a specific curriculum-based process that teachers in my home turf of Ontario, Canada, use, but it’s the kind of thing that we’re sharing. We’re talking about the creative process and the critical analysis process – each of which come with handy dandy graphs which, again, you can find in the show notes – unless you’re driving a car. Please do not download the graphs when driving.
What is it? Don’t download? No download graphs. Do not download graphs while driving. No download while driving. Got it? Got it.
We did this conversation first as a Facebook Live and now it’s here for you.
Sit back, relax, and I’ll see you on the other side.
LINDSAY: All right, everybody! Hello! Thank you for joining me!
Today, I am talking to Luke Bramer.
Hello, Luke!
LUKE: Hello! How’s it going?
LINDSAY: Ah, it’s going very well! We’ve recently moved, so we have nothing. It might be a little echo-y, but I think we’ll survive. We’ll survive.
Luke, please tell everybody where in the world you are right now.
LUKE: Sure. I am from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I work at Glendale Secondary School as part of the Hamilton-Wentworth District Schoolboard’s Audition-Based Program of the Arts.
LINDSAY: Oh, Hamilton! In my head, you were in Toronto, but you’re actually even closer!
LUKE: Yes.
LINDSAY: That’s pretty awesome!
Okay. How long have you been a teacher?
LUKE: I’ve been a teacher for eight years.
LINDSAY: And why are you a drama teacher? What was it that drew you to this path?
LUKE: For sure. I went to the University of Windsor and took Drama and Education and got really excited about that but loved the theatre portions of it. And so, I did a lot of stage managing while I was there, and I feel like my drama class is now like a show every single day – you know, lots of things to manage. But I got into a program at Glendale specifically and they have a specialized program there, so I got to do a lot more of the theatre and education which is what I really enjoyed doing.
LINDSAY: Ah, tell me why! Let’s get into why drama and education.
I have friends to went to the performance side of Windsor. What was in specifically about teaching that really drew you?
LUKE: I’ve always enjoyed the performance aspects, but actually getting students excited about stuff and actually getting to see them onstage taking over was really terrific. Being at Glendale, -
Episode 202: Shakespeare on a Shoestring
What does Shakespeare on a shoestring mean? It means no set, no elaborate costumes, all sound done onstage and life. Just like Shakespeare would have done in his day. If you’re looking for a doorway to Shakespeare, if you’re looking for a show to tour or take to a festival when you don’t have any tech at your disposal, then the shoestring philosophy will be right up your alley. Tune in to learn more!
Show Notes
Shakespeare on a Shoestring: Cymbeline
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 202 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode202.
Woot! Woot!
I am thrilled to have this conversation that I can present to you and we are going to share a great concept. Well, I’m not going to share it. Our guest is going to share it.
It’s all about Shakespeare on a Shoestring.
Michael Calderone is who I’m talking to, and we have actually just published his play – Shakespeare on a Shoestring – Cymbeline! – here at Theatrefolk.
So, we have the concept which turned into a play which turned into a published play, but we’re focusing on the concept – the concept about how we can do Shakespeare on a Shoestring and how you can do Shakespeare on a Shoestring.
I am always, always, always up for a way to make Shakespeare accessible to students and to open that door to his work. So, let’s get to it! I’m going to see you on the other side!
LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am here with Mike Calderone!
Hello, Mike!
MICHAEL: Hi there!
LINDSAY: So, I like to start off by asking for you to share where you are in the world right now.
MICHAEL: I am at the campus of Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut.
LINDSAY: Awesome. And what do you do at Hopkins School? What do you do?
MICHAEL: I am one of two drama teachers here. I direct. I teach acting classes, drama classes, and public speaking.
LINDSAY: Very awesome.
Let’s talk about theatre experience first. When did you start really connecting to theatre?
MICHAEL: I did not start connecting to theatre until freshman year of college. I was looking to go to a restaurant school for college, but didn’t have the money to do it, so I went to the local community college, found theatre, and from there I went to Rutgers University and became a Theatre Bachelor of Arts student.
LINDSAY: Aha! So, it was sort of happenstance that you fell into it.
MICHAEL: It really was.
LINDSAY: Why did you stay with it?
MICHAEL: Well, it was the love of the theatre. I guess I was always performing.
I didn’t do anything in high school at all and I think that’s one of the most ironic things about this – about my career. It’s that I never did it in high school. It was in college that I found it and fell in love with it.
Shortly thereafter, when I got into Rutgers, that’s when I fell in with the class that was the Shoestring Players which was an undergraduate performance company that spent a semester developing a show based on international folktales. I went to the audition, I got called back, and then I was not cast. But I went back as the percussionist which is basically the onstage live Foley artist punctuating the performance.
With that job, that’s where I went from we were the first company to go to the Edinburgh Festival way back in 1989 and then performed with them professionally, started teaching with them, started directing with them. From there, when I was looking for a job to pay the bills, I started teaching.
LINDSAY: Wow! You just segued right into our topic for today… brilliantly!
MICHAEL: I listened to your last podcast!
LINDSAY: I like a good segue, man! You know, it’s all about the ebb and flow. It’s all good. It’s all good!
Yes, -
Episode 201: Production Case Study: Annie
Where do you start with a play? How do you come up with a vision that spans across character development, light, sound, set, costuming? How do you execute on that vision? And then how do you put all that into an entertaining musical? Listen in to this production case study on the musical Annie.
Show Notes
Drama Teacher Academy
The Myths at the Edge of the World
The Perils of Modern Education
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 201 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode200.
Today, I am talking to a dear friend here at Theatrefolk Global Headquarters, a man who wears many hats, for us and for others – Matt Webster.
Matt has been in the classroom. He’s taught students to become drama teachers. He’s a playwright. For this podcast, we’re going to talk to him in his role as a director – specifically, what it’s like to direct the musical, Annie. It’s a production case study!
So, let’s find out if the old adage is right that you should never work with animals and children. Let’s find out, shall we?
See you on the other side!
LINDSAY: Hello everybody!
Lindsay Price here, and I am talking to Matt Webster.
MATT: Hello everyone!
LINDSAY: Now, usually, I ask where people are in the world, but we happen to be sitting right beside each other.
MATT: Side by side in Cedar City, Utah.
LINDSAY: But where do you usually hail from?
MATT: I hail from Charlotte, North Carolina.
LINDSAY: Very nice.
We are here today. We’re doing a production case study. We’ve done a number of these and I really love being able to talk to folks about the process of putting on a production. We have so many people who listen. I have to put on many, many shows in a year. Some people don’t know where to start, right?
MATT: Absolutely.
LINDSAY: What show are we talking about?
MATT: We are talking about the show “Annie, the Musical.”
LINDSAY: Awesome. You didn’t do any Junior. You did the full-on Annie?
MATT: We did the full-on Annie.
LINDSAY: The first thing is this wasn’t your choice. You were hired to direct Annie.
MATT: Yes, I was hired as a director for a local community theatre company and one of the reasons that they chose me was because I have a background in theatre for youth and working with children. they wanted to have children in the cast as orphans, including small children. That’s why I was offered the job.
LINDSAY: So, what was the age range?
MATT: I ended up casting a 5-year-old as the youngest who turned 6 during rehearsal which was one of my most brilliant things I have to say because she was adorable. But the range was from 6 to 60 is the cast range.
LINDSAY: Awesome, awesome.
Let’s start with your first steps in working on a show. One of the reasons I know that a lot of schools do Annie, but I know too that sometimes the teachers are in a position where they’re putting on shows that they might not necessarily like. I know a lot of teachers who are in the position where they know they have to do musicals, and musicals just aren’t their bag.
As a director, what was your first step in approaching the script and the score?
MATT: With Annie, there’s a really interesting challenge and that is we had to figure out which version we were using. The problem is that we were not allowed to get the script more than two months in advance or we’d have to pay extra.
So, a script was found, but there are multiple versions of Annie. There’s the original version. There’s a rewrite in the 80’s and then a newer version. In addition, online, the choreographer and the music director and some of the actors who were cast looked at some of the music online and some of the scenes online and the... -
Episode 200: The 48 Hour Play Project
In this episode we talk to a middle school teacher who takes her students from script to production in 48 hours. How does she do it? How can you do it? Listen in to find out! It’s a mega mix of skills: creative thinking, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.
Show Notes
Drama Teacher Academy
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 200. Woot! Woot! And you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode200.
200 episodes! Celebrate! Fireworks! I’m trying to say, “Fireworks!”
Okay, 200, that’s a lot. I know it’s not a lot for some podcasts. Some of the podcasts I listen to, I think The Nerdist is closing in on a thousand episodes, but we are just chugging along here, doing our little thing, making our little recordings.
The podcast is one of the things that gets mentioned to me time and time again by folks when I go to conferences. So, I just want to take a second to, again, say thank you. Thank you for listening!
Today, we are talking about putting on a play as part of a speed round. 48 hours from getting the script to performance. That’s what our guest does with her middle schoolers.
Let’s find out the what, the how, and the why, shall we? It is a mega-mix of creative thinking, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.
I’ll see you on the other side!
LINDSAY: Hello everybody!
I’m here with Angela Watkins.
Hello, Angela!
ANGELA: Hello, Lindsay!
LINDSAY: Awesome! You sound like chipper, ready to go! Love it!
ANGELA: Always.
LINDSAY: Or you fake it really well, right?
ANGELA: Yes!
LINDSAY: Awesome.
Okay, can you tell everybody where in the world you are right now?
ANGELA: Where in the world I am right now is at the Telluride Middle/High School in Telluride, Colorado. It’s in the southwest mountains. It’s a beautiful little resort town that I’m lucky enough to get to teach at.
LINDSAY: Awesome. Lovely.
How long have you been a teacher?
ANGELA: I’ve taught for about 25 years, but not formally in a school for that long. I’m going into my tenth-year teaching at a regular school and with a theatre curriculum.
LINDSAY: Have you been teaching drama all this time? Or is it new?
ANGELA: Yes, I’ve been teaching drama all this time. I initially founded a little theatre company here quite some time ago and my position was education and outreach. So, the school subcontracted me to do plays within the school. After – I don’t know – 15 years or so, I decided not to be in a theatre company anymore and just teach. That’s where this position came along. And so, I’ve taught, I’ve directed plays – you know, many, many hats.
LINDSAY: Always, always, the drama teacher wears a gazillion hats.
What is it about teaching drama that connects to you?
ANGELA: Well, I guess, when I think about when I was young, what I enjoyed most about school was drama – the fact that so much can be learned in playing and pretending and role-playing and stuff.
Every student, no matter who they are, can get something out of theatre, and some take it very seriously and go very far, but it can go in many directions and it’s so nice to give kids that don’t usually have those options some opportunity to try things or discover things. And I think that can happen in my classroom.
LINDSAY: I think that, the more we get further into the 21st Century, I think drama is becoming – I know lots of people don’t think this but – it’s the most important class for all of those reasons that you just outlined. You know, they’re so worried about their marks and sometimes, they’re just so caught up in what’s happening that that chance to play is really important.
ANGELA: I couldn’t agree more, -
Episode 199: Shakespeare in the rough
Have you ever thought about performing outside with your students? What’s it like to rehearse and perform Shakespeare outside? In this episode we talk to Hilo Community Players about their Kids Shakes production. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Show Notes
Mmmbeth
Theatrefolk Shakespeare category
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 199 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode199.
So, we are talking about a couple of things today. First, Shakespeare. Two, environment.
Oh, you like how I messed that up? First, two? Ah, I know some of you were probably paying attention. “Why did you say ‘first, two’?” Okay, okay, okay. First, Shakespeare. Second, environment. You got it. I know you got it. We’re all in this together, right? Right.
When I’m talking about environment, I’m talking about, where is it that Shakespeare is performed? Have you ever thought of performing outside with your students? Your first reaction would be, could be, “No!”
But hang on. What happens when you take away four walls and you have to deal with the elements and people who might just wander through? You might say, “Lindsay, you’re not selling it!” However, we’re going to talk today to some folks who love the experience. They love working with students and performing outside. We’re talking to some folks from a community theatre in Hawaii who put a Kids’ Shakespeare production every summer – outside.
Just a note here before we continue on. There is a gaggle of us today – three in Hawaii and me. Things might get a little crowded. But, again, we’re going to deal with it, right? Ah, I knew you would. I knew you would.
So, see you all on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello everyone!
I am here, and I’ve got a bunch of people we’re talking to on this podcast today which is awesome. So, I want to say hello to Mimi and Cathy and Yvette.
Hello, ladies!
GUESTS: Aloha!
LINDSAY: I always like for you guys to say where you’re from and you guys are in a very special place. Where are you?
GUEST: We’re in Hilo, Hawaii.
LINDSAY: Aloha!
GUEST: On a big Hawaiian island in the beautiful coast of Hawaii.
LINDSAY: Awesome.
Are you guys locals? Or are you transplants?
GUEST: I’m a transplant.
GUEST: I’m a transplant.
GUEST: I’m local.
GUEST: I’ve been living in Hawaii for over twenty years.
GUEST: And I’ve been here sixteen years, so I’m kind of local.
LINDSAY: Kind of local. I think that anybody in a place over ten years, I know sometimes locals don’t feel that way, but I think any time over ten years, you get to claim status, I think. You’re residents.
You guys sent some lovely pictures of a production of Mmmbeth – Allison Williams’ Mmmbeth. I just wanted to get you on a podcast to talk about it – talk about your process. You guys performed outside which I think is a unique experience and I’d like to hear about your successes and your struggles with dealing with some Shakespeare but outside. I think that’s pretty awesome.
Let’s start with the choosing of the script. You did this for your Kids’ Shakespeare program, right?
MIMI: Correct.
Actually, a bit of background is the Hilo Community Players has been putting on Shakespeare in the park since 1978. So, this was our 40th year of putting on Shakespeare in the park. For the past four years, we’ve added to that Shakespeare in the park experience a Kids’ Shakes program. It’s a lighthearted sort of Shakespeare-themed show that gets put on using the same set as the main stage show and using the same space and everything but at a matinee time for a younger audience.
LINDSAY: That leads me to my first question. We’ll get back to the show in a sec, -
Episode 198: Going Big with a production in China
Kimberly Mack is an English Teacher in China at an International School. This past year she wanted to go “big” with her first year middle school speech class. And big they went! Listen in to her about her students experience putting on their musical, doing the set, sewing costumes, and singing in their non native language.
Show Notes
FAQ Link
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 198 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode198.
Have you ever heard a teacher say, “My students could never do that”?
It always shocks me a little.
Now, granted, I am not a full-time teacher. I’m not a teacher. I’m not in the classroom. Perhaps, when a teacher says, “My students could never do that,” there is a good reason.
But I have a very vivid memory from about ten years ago when I was at a school and they were working on one of my plays. I was talking to the students and I said, “You guys always seem really confident. You seem so confident onstage. That’s amazing.” One of the students said to me, “Well, our teacher believed in us. She never thought that we couldn’t do it. And so, we thought the same.”
I just love that. When someone believes in you, that’s a very powerful feeling, isn’t it?
Today, we’re talking to a teacher who had that same feeling and she wanted to go big with her group. Big meant putting on a musical with her middle school students at the international school where she worked.
Let’s hear her story, shall we?
See you on the other side.
LINDSAY: Hello everyone!
I am talking to Kimberly Mack today.
Hello, Kimberly!
KIMBERLY: Hi!
LINDSAY: Now, I know, over the summer, that you are stateside, right?
KIMBERLY: Yes, I am.
LINDSAY: But tell everybody where you usually are during the year?
KIMBERLY: I normally teach over in Lijiang which is in Yunnan province over in China. It’s down southwest.
LINDSAY: That was an awesome pronunciation.
KIMBERLY: I’ve been working on that.
LINDSAY: Well, I’m sure you must have to say it quite a bit.
Are you teaching in an international school? Or do you teach Chinese students?
KIMBERLY: Yes, it’s an international school, but we have Chinese, Indian, Korean, and American students there.
LINDSAY: What is it like? Let’s start with that. What is it like to have such a multicultural student base?
KIMBERLY: It’s been really interesting. I went there right after college. It was my very first experience as a teacher. It was neat because, here we are getting to share the American culture with all of these students, teaching them English. Some of them would come into our school knowing absolutely nothing of English and we’ve got to start from the ground up and see them progress. It’s just been a really amazing opportunity.
LINDSAY: All right. Now, that leads very naturally to my next question.
How long have you been teaching?
KIMBERLY: Two years.
LINDSAY: What about teaching has been a surprise for you?
KIMBERLY: I guess the biggest thing is how much these students are able to pick up so quickly, yet they’re reading these English words, but then they have no idea what the meanings are because they just don’t translate. Here, you’re having to tell not just the word but the meaning and explain these things that would be common words in America.
LINDSAY: Cool. So, that’s the student experience.
Now, what about your experience just being a teacher? What was your expectation of being a teacher and how has that played out?
KIMBERLY: I’ve actually always wanted to be a teacher since my parents were both teachers for twenty-plus years. It’s been like a dream come true in a way. -
Episode 197: Production Case Study: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Tracy Garratt’s students wanted to be challenged and show what they could do. In this Production Case Study we’re talking Shakespeare. More specifically, student driven Shakespeare.
Show Notes
Drama Teacher Academy
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 197 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode197.
Today, we are doing another production case study and we’re talking about Shakespeare – more specifically too, student-driven Shakespeare. Where do you start with Shakespeare? How do you get your students to make the decisions? Well, you should listen in if these are your questions. I think we might have some answers!
Let’s find out together and let’s get to it.
LINDSAY: Hello everyone! I am here, talking to Teacher Tracy Garratt today.
Hello, Tracy!
TRACY: Hi! How are you?
LINDSAY: I’m wonderful.
Let’s start. I like to let everybody know where in the world our guest is. So, where in the world are you?
TRACY: I am in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
LINDSAY: Which is literally a hop, skip, and a jump away from me. We can’t quite wave to each other but it’s almost.
TRACY: Almost, half an hour drive.
LINDSAY: Half an hour away.
We’re going to talk today about you recently did a production of our adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with some fabulous pictures which are going to be in the show notes. But, first of all, I want to just sort of talk to you.
How long have you been a teacher?
TRACY: This is my sixteenth-year teaching.
LINDSAY: How is it for you sixteen years down the road? Are you still happy teaching?
TRACY: I still love it. I still think that it’s the best choice that I’ve made in my life – other than having my son. Most days, I get up and think, “I can’t believe I get paid to do this,” and I have taken to saying to my kids, “You know, you have to find work where you get up and you wonder, ‘Are you stealing from your boss?’ because I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this.” That’s my attitude. Thus far, I still feel that way. I’m still lucky. Of course, we have days that are not great but, most of the time, I don’t believe that I get paid for this. It’s crazy.
LINDSAY: I sit around sometimes and there are some days where I am in my pajamas at noon and I’m like, “How did this happen that I have a job where this is happening?” It’s just wonderful, you know.
What is it about teaching that that was the thing that you wanted to do?
TRACY: I just love kids. I love being around kids. I love their energy. I love their positive aura, if you could say that. I love the fact that everything is new to them. They’re not afraid of making mistakes. I just think that kids are the best and they keep me young. So, I’m really appreciative of that, especially as I enter my fifties.
LINDSAY: I would never know that. You always struck me as very young – no more than 30.
TRACY: It’s the kids!
LINDSAY: We are talking about A Midsummer Night’s Dream and taking a production from beginning to end. What has been your relationship with Shakespeare? I know students and teachers have a myriad of relationships with Mr. Shakespeare.
TRACY: Well, you know, when I was in high school, I found Shakespeare kind of difficult. I found the language really hard to understand. You know, understanding the story is a bit of a challenge. I feel like there’s a rule, especially in North America, studying Shakespeare. Somebody’s decided in their infinite wisdom that we should be doing that.
And so, in my younger days, I found it hard. But then, when I went to university and I took a course. I thought, “Oh, this is a little bit better now that I know and now that I und... -
Episode 196: Fundraising idea: Do your own coffee house
Listen in for the details of an awesome fundraiser event. Low cost, easy to plan, all you need is a space and your students. You too can fundraise for your program without losing your time or your mind!
Show Notes
Google form for Auditions
Winter Coffee House Poster
Spring Coffee House Poster
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 196 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode196.
Today, we are going to talk about fundraising, specifically fundraising for your program without losing time or your mind because that’s the thing I think where fundraising can get into a real bumpy road. It’s the thing that everybody wants to do. But, if it just eats up your time and makes you go a little crazy, that’s not good for anybody.
Our guest does a particular fundraiser twice a year and it’s very successful for her. It’s an awesome, low-cost, low-key event. I think, instead of me just talking about it, we should get to the conversation.
Let’s get to it!
LINDSAY: Hello, everyone! I am here talking with Ellen Miller.
Hello, Ellen!
ELLEN: Hello! How are you?
LINDSAY: I’m awesome! Thank you so much! And you? How are you?
ELLEN: I’m great! I’m fantastic!
LINDSAY: Well, you can’t ask for more than that. That’s the best.
I’d like to start by just asking if you would tell everybody where in the world you are situated right now?
ELLEN: I am in Dallas, Texas. I teach in Plano which is just north of Dallas and I teach at a ninth through tenth grade high school in Plano.
LINDSAY: Oh. So, you only deal with grade nines and tens?
ELLEN: I do, yeah. It’s kind of a different situation in my city.
LINDSAY: Yeah, what is that like? Do your students get drama in middle school?
ELLEN: They do. We have theatre in sixth grade through, well, seventh grade and eighth grade at our middle schools and then the sixth graders can participate in the shows at the middle school level. In ninth and tenth grade, we have a full technical theatre course offering and theatre course offerings.
I teach Technical Theatre I and II and Advanced Technical Theatre class. We have kind of a full range of offerings at our ninth and tenth grade level.
LINDSAY: Yeah, that’s pretty awesome. And then, they go off to eleventh and twelfth.
Do you miss not getting them in eleven and twelve or do you like where you are?
ELLEN: I like where I am. You kind of get the best of both worlds. The sophomores still get to kind of take on a leadership position and you get to really see them grow over two years and then it’s cool because we do a lot with our eleventh and twelfth grade school. We call them senior highs here. It’s cool to see them grow in an even bigger theatre situation in the eleventh and twelfth grade.
LINDSAY: I would imagine in that situation that leadership really is much different than if you’re in a nine through twelve school because, if you’re in grade ten, you are the senior of your school and you have to sort of – I don’t know if “mature” is the right word but you’re it!
ELLEN: Yeah, I have ten officers for my theatre department and they do everything from running warmups during our rehearsals, they plan events for other students, they do the announcements for our school, and they do a lot of building community within our theatre department and things like that.
LINDSAY: Well, I think that’s really awesome.
How long have you been a drama teacher?
ELLEN: This is my eighth-year teaching theatre.
LINDSAY: What connects you to being a drama teacher? Did you like it in high school?
ELLEN: Yeah, I actually started theatre in about fifth grade with a program we used to have called Odyssey of the M... -
Episode 195: Drama Teachers! We’re talking rubrics
Drama teacher Lindsay Johnson loves rubrics. And she wants you to love them too! Listen in to learn her process for creating assessments and making them effective for your classroom.
Show Notes
Theatrefolk Facebook Page
Shreds and Patches
Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company.
I’m Lindsay Price.
Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening!
This is Episode 195 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode195.
I’m excited. This is exciting. I know you’re excited because, today, we are talking about everyone’s favorite topic. I can’t even make it sound good.
We’re talking assessment! Oh, an even better topic – rubrics!
We should have a great big fanfare right there. Assessment and rubrics! I know, and you know, assessment is so tricky in the drama classroom when there are activities that are project-based and process-based and group-based. How do we make it all happen?
Well, we’re here for you. we’ve got a guest today, a drama teacher who loves creating rubrics and she wants you to love them, too. So, let’s get to it!
My guest is Lindsay Johnson.
Hello, Lindsay!
JOHNSON: Hello!
PRICE: All right. Tell everybody where in the world you are situated right now.
JOHNSON: I am in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
PRICE: Awesome.
JOHNSON: Teaching at South Minneapolis at a charter school, teaching middle school drama for seventh and eighth grade.
PRICE: Awesome. How long have you been a teacher?
JOHNSON: I’ve been teaching since 2009.
PRICE: Math, everybody! For a while, awesome.
JOHNSON: But I’ve only been teaching theatre for… This is my fourth year teaching theatre.
PRICE: Was the plan to start something else and you ended up in drama? What was your path?
JOHNSON: I started with Teach for America and I was placed in an English reading and writing environment. And so, I did that for the first five years or so. And then, I taught a year of social studies randomly because that’s what they needed at my school. And then, my principal asked what I wanted to teach, and I said drama. So, I’ve been doing that ever since and I’m the founding drama teacher and the only drama teacher in our entire network.
PRICE: Oh, that could probably be a little bit lonely at times, I imagine.
JOHNSON: Yeah, it is, that’s why I love DTA.
PRICE: Ah! That’s awesome! DTA, of course, is the Drama Teacher Academy.
So, what’s your drama background? What was drama like for you in high school and after that?
JOHNSON: I actually really didn’t have a drama program at any school I attended. My drama background is completely in community theatre. I did a ton of community classes and then I was in a bunch of plays at our local community theatre all through school.
In college, I didn’t actually get a degree in theatre, but I took every acting class available at my university for fun. Yeah, I’ve just been really involved in theatre all my life and I did drama club at a school when I was still teaching reading and writing and loved that.
PRICE: So, when the call came, when someone asked you what you wanted to teach, why teach theatre? Why was that the thing that you wanted?
JOHNSON: Yeah, I think drama has always been a huge passion of mine. It’s the first thing I really felt like I got and felt like I could do it really, really well from a young age. I mean, from my own perspective, of course. I really enjoyed it and I love acting and I love theatre. And so, the idea of getting to teach that and do that, I think all of my classes incorporated drama even though I wasn’t teaching drama. Even when I was teaching social studies, we were acting out all the wars and everything. It was just fun to make that the focus of my class.
PRICE: Awesome. I love that. - もっと表示する
