Issue 64
What's New at Theatrefolk?

Welcome!

Four new plays from two Theatrefolk authors and Three New Resources!

We're going to look at four new plays from two Theatrefolk authors! Mrs. Evelyn Merritt brings two new holiday plays to the catalogue: Strawberries in Winter and A Kidnapped Santa Claus. Uber youth playwright Bradley Hayward explores the teen experience in Split and Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less.

But wait, there's more! We've expanded our resource materials for helping students write their own plays. The more writing, the better!

Read on!

In This Issue

• SPLIT
  A unique and theatrical look at the effects of divorce.
• STRAWBERRIES IN WINTER & A KIDNAPPED SANTA CLAUS
  Two new holiday plays!
• SIXTEEN IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS
  A wonderful collection of plays about being sixteen.
• NEW RESOURCES
  All designed to help your students write plays!
• STAY CONNECTED
  Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
• FREE RESOURCES
  Some amazing (and free!) resources for drama teachers.
• CONFERENCE ALERT
  Meet us in person.
• IN THE NEXT ISSUE
  What you can expect next.
• STAY IN TOUCH
  How to reach us.

Split

“It only takes a split second for things to change. So how do you know it's all going to work out?”

What lead you to write a play about divorce?

Whenever I work with teenagers, I always ask them what sort of material they would like to see onstage. Invariably, they say things like vampires or musicals, but upon listening to their discussions amongst one another, I find their candid and sometimes nonchalant attitude about divorce to be eye opening. I grew up when divorce was the exception, but now I've gathered that teenagers today have accepted the fact that it’s a possibility in any marriage. I was shocked by this revelation, which moved me to write a play that would not only make people laugh in spite of it all, but get across that some relationships still have the power to last forever. And while the play is about divorce, I worked very hard to make sure it was more than just “a divorce play.” As a matter of fact, the word is never uttered in the entire play. The characters are already facing challenges before the play even begins and divorce simply complicates these previously existing hurdles. The result is a piece that I’m very proud to have written.

One of the things I like about the play is its use of humour. I strongly believe issue plays need humour! How did you find the humour in divorce?

I’m lucky in that I can find the humour in pretty much anything. Divorce was an interesting subject to tackle because it’s a decision that teenagers do not make, yet they have to suffer the consequences. Usually teenagers cause their own problems and parents make them face the music for their wrongdoings. In Split, the opposite is true; they are put in difficult situations as a result of their parents’ behaviour. It’s an ironic twist that had plenty of comic potential, which ultimately made the dramatic moments even more powerful.

You have a keen ear for the different character ages in the play and how they each deal with the issue. What research did you do about the topic? Anecdotal? Did you talk to teens? Something in your own history? How did you hone in on the different responses?

I’m constantly doing research by getting into conversations with teenagers as frequently as possible. If you listen closely enough, they have a lot to say about their hopes, dreams, fears, struggles and everything in between. Sometimes it seems like they are speaking in code, but it’s my job to interpret what they have to say in a way that will move audiences of all ages.

My nieces and nephews mean the world to me and after seeing how bravely they’ve dealt with the divorce of their parents, I was inspired to address their experience in a way that celebrated their strength. Unfortunately, not all children of divorce come through it unscathed, so I also wanted to include characters that have to rely on the strength of others to get through it. Although when trust is compromised, as is the case in divorce, it’s not always easy to believe there are people you can count on. I believe that there is someone you can always count on, and that someone is yourself.

The character of Strange is in fact, strange. I love how you include a character in the play who doesn't fully comprehend socially what divorce means. What was your inspiration for including Strange?

I thought it would be interesting to include a character such as Strange (who happens to have Asperger’s syndrome) not only because he cannot comprehend divorce, but he also has a difficult time understanding love. And because of his condition, he takes every single word he hears at face value. He’s completely unaware of all of the sarcasm, passive aggression and anger that often comes with divorce, which allowed me to include a character that the audience can always count on to tell the truth.

Talk further about creating these characters. Did any of them change in the writing or in production? Which character had the most impact?

The characters have very strong voices, but with only 30 minutes to tell their stories, I had limited time to introduce them all. Therefore, it became imperative that every word they said had an impact on the story. This was a fun challenge because it forced me to be extremely economical with the dialogue, while still creating three dimensional characters.

Usually my plays go through extensive rewrites, but very little changed from the first to final draft. The biggest change was eliminating a character that turned out to be unnecessary. He was an interesting character, but his circumstances were somewhat similar to a couple of the others, so I ultimately decided to make the cut. It was not an easy decision since I had become attached to all of the characters, but perhaps he will make an appearance in a future play.

I kept going back to Strange as the central figure because he remains the most neutral throughout. He does not understand what divorce means, nor does he understand love. What he does understand, however, is hope. By not fully grasping the enormity of his situation, he remains hopeful for the future and this innocence ultimately encourages the other characters to have a more positive outlook.

Another element I find so important in the issue play is how the issue is theatricalized. Talk about how you created some of the wonderful physical moments in the play such as symbolic rebuilding of the home at the end.

Since the play is all about things being split apart, I thought it would be a nice contrast to bring the characters together in a physical way. The actors are constantly forced to work as a single unit, despite the fact that they all feel disconnected. As the play progresses, the characters slowly get closer together. In the first scene, none of them speak to one another. But in the final moments, they are all supporting one another and literally putting a home together. The result is an ending that might not be a “happily ever after,” but definitely suggests the possibility of one.

What is your favourite moment in the play, and why?

Transitions are something many high school productions struggle with, so I wanted to include creative ways to connect each of the scenes together. One of these transitions features the entire cast splitting their time between parents and relatives, both metaphorically and physically. They veer left and right, completely unsure of where they are going, and end up colliding into one another. The resulting heap of confused teenagers is a chilling visual depiction of the rubble left behind by divorce. It’s after this point in the play that the characters figure out they have to make the best of their situations in order to move forward. I’m pleased that I was able to “show” this moment rather than “tell” it, which is not always easy to do onstage.

What advice would you give to schools performing Split?

When I started writing this play, my idea was to write a bunch of very short scenes that slowly build upon one another. I wanted to tell the story in YouTube length increments that would reflect our ever shrinking attention spans. What I would encourage actors and directors to do is explore what might be happening to the characters “behind the scenes.” Create histories for each of the characters; where they’ve been, how they’re feeling, where they’re going. This will help inform each scene and give them a richness that goes beyond what meets the eye.

You have recently made the leap to full time playwright! What was that transition like and how has it affected your writing?

Becoming a full time playwright has been a dream come true. Since I do not have to adhere to a strict schedule, I’m able to take more time to appreciate and observe my surroundings. In doing so, I’ve discovered that there’s a story in absolutely everything! In the past couple of months, I’ve been inspired to write a variety of different plays based on things as simple as untied shoelaces, elevator buttons, soda fountains and even flying dog hair. Your recent collection of “Scene Spurs” brilliantly sums up how important it is to look for ideas in unexpected places, and I’m finding this true more now than ever.

Being alone with my notebook most of the time has also encouraged me to talk to strangers whenever I do venture into the world. Every single person has a unique point of view and it’s been fascinating to incorporate what I’ve found in my writing. Also exciting is having the time to work on ideas that have been simmering in my brain for years. I’ve never had a lack of ideas, but I rarely had the time to execute them all. Now I’m able to work on these ideas one at a time and am definitely taking more risks as a result.

Lastly, I’ve been able to reach out to the many schools, students and directors that have made it possible for me to achieve my dreams. Working directly with teenagers has proven that I am, without a doubt, doing exactly what I am meant to be doing. A person can’t ask for much more than that!

Click here to read sample pages from Split!

Strawberries in Winter & A Kidnapped Santa Claus

A Kidnapped Santa Claus

“Gimme, gimme, gimme! I can't find one selfish kid. Not one. What's a demon to do? I'm twiddling my thumbs. They used to swarm my cave, I used to be swamped!”

Where did you find A Kidnapped Santa Claus?

I was merely doing some research on perspective stories and was shocked to find this charming story by L. Frank Baum. Considering The Wizard of Oz is so well known, I guess it's an assumption that his other work would be just as well known.

What did you like about the story?

I love stories with a wide variety of characters – we have demons and elves on the same stage! Because there are very defined locations in the story it was easy to think of the staging as well – Cave demons on the right and The North Pole on the left. I always have to think about the staging. I also love the message of the story. The Cave demons personify negative emotions: hate, malice, envy, selfishness. What the story presents is that when you're in a situation you have a choice: you can act positively or negatively. A nice message around the holidays!

Talk about the writing process. What was the most difficult part of adapting this story?

You always have to be careful with what kind of narration you include when you move from story to the stage. I included two narrators because I wanted to give the play a storytelling frame - the narrators are sharing a story with the audience. But I love how the narrators turned out as characters! That's important. Audience participation was also important and it was a little tough to think of ways to include them, aside from the regular holiday singing and booing the villains. The audience creates the wind to help one of the elves fly – it's some wonderful theatrical magic.

What is your favourite moment in the play?

Once Santa is kidnapped, the elves attempt to complete his duties by delivering all the presents on Christmas Eve. They try their best (another great message) and but don't get it quite right. I like the humour in that moment. And it's hard not to like to hate the scheming cave demons! Such wonderful costume and mask opportunities there.

What is it like to see your work staged?

There is nothing better than seeing an audience react, particularly a younger crowd, at Christmas time! They really get invested in the story because it's something they still firmly believe in. I love it when an audience gets to participate. There's something very satisfying at being allowed to boo during a show!

Strawberries in Winter

The second piece from Mrs. Merritt is called Strawberries in Winter, adapted from Alexandar Chodzko's short fairytale, The Twelve Months. Alexander Chodzko was born in Russia and lived from 1801 to 1891.

“Marouckla! Clean the room! Marouckla! Make us dinner! Stoke the fire! Sew my apron! Bring in the hay! Milk the cow! Marouckla you stupid dolt! Can't you do anything right.”

Talk about finding this story.

As a companion to A Kidnapped Santa Claus, I was looking for a story that was winter/holiday-based but not necessarily a Christmas story. It made sense if I was going to look for a “winter” story, to look for Russian fairy tales! I was so pleasantly surprised to find The Twelve Months by Alexander Chodzdko. The story appeared first in English in 1896 in a book called Fairy Tales of Slav Peasants and Herdsmen and is about a young girl, Marouckla, who is harshly bossed around by an unkind stepmother and stepsister. It sounds so much like Cinderella, doesn't it? I suspect every country has such a story. In The Twelve Months the stepmother and stepsister are so determined to make Marouckla's life miserable that they set her on impossible tasks: fetch fresh violets and ripe strawberries in the dead of winter. Marouckla never complains, she just tries to do what she's told the best she can. She heads up the mountain in a snow storm and encounters twelve beings, the twelve months who are able to manipulate the weather in order to help. Of course when the greedy stepsister tries to go up the mountain and demand the same help, she is not so successful. A very classic fairy tale with vivid characters.

You have introduced two new characters into the story, why?

The two new characters are Morozoko (Jack Frost or Father Frost) and Zhar-Ptitsa (The Firebird). In keeping with the storytelling frame (like in A Kidnapped Santa) I knew I wanted a pair of storytellers to share this story with the audience. When you do research on Russian fairy tales, the names Morozoko and Zhar-Ptitsa come up quite a bit and have their own history. Morozoko has his own fairy tale, (which is not all that different from The Twelve Months) involving a young girl and a mean stepmother/sister. When the young girl is sent out into the winter she comes across Jack Frost. The theme is, those who respect Jack Frost get help and those who don't feel the true power of winter. You can imagine what happens to the stepmother and sister! Zhar-Ptitsa, (which means heat bird) often causes much trouble to the hero in her stories. To have Jack Frost and a Firebird as the narrators for this story is perfect. Not only are they from the same culture, but their completely opposite personalities naturally give them something to play with. I like these two characters so much I'd like to write more plays for them to star in!

Why did you change the title from the original?

Well, it's all about grabbing interest. And The Twelve Months, while appropriate, doesn't grab much attention. I love the image of a red strawberry in the middle of the white snow.

What advice would you give to a school performing these two plays?

When it comes to children's plays, the more invested the characters are in telling the truth of the story, the better. Sincerity will always make a bigger impact than instead of “let's be wacky.” In both stories, there are narrators who share the story with the audience. Those narrators have to get right into the stories, as much as the audience would. The audience will look to the narrators to see how they're going to react and temper their reaction accordingly. It's easy to talk down to children, and it's the biggest mistake. And of course, have fun with the plays! These stories are filled with mythical and magical creatures who do out of the ordinary things. What a great opportunity to play.

Click to read sample pages from Strawberries in Winter.

Click to read sample pages from A Kidnapped Santa Claus.

Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less

“Do you think I miss things because I talk so much? Maybe I do. I go on and on about stupid things like Ferris wheels and pastrami all the time. I'm like those trails of smoke out there. “Look at me! Don't forget about me!” Meanwhile, all the pretty lights pass me by. You're the only person who never tells me to be quiet. Now I've messed everything up! You probably have a million things to say, but I never shut up long enough to listen.”

Why did you pick Sixteen as the specific age of teenager to focus on?

Sixteen is smack dab in the middle of the teen years, which is a very tumultuous time in a person’s life. The characters have adapted to being a teenager, but haven’t quite come to terms with adulthood, which is approaching more rapidly than they probably would like to admit. I remember sixteen as an age when I was expected to take responsibility for my actions, yet I still did not have the freedom to make all of my own decisions. This is exactly the predicament all of the characters in Sixteen are in and it’s interesting to see how each of them cope with their vastly different circumstances.

Talk about the writing process – how did you decided to make this a collection of short plays rather than all in one work?

I wanted to come up with a variety of different challenges for actors that would push the limits of both realism and theatricality. Writing a collection afforded me the opportunity to write a serious drama, a silly comedy, a bittersweet romance, a bizarre dream sequence, a physical ensemble play, a choral piece, a monologue, and on and on. Not only was this fun as a writer, but I think actors will have a great time exploring the characters from different perspectives and audiences will appreciate the surprises in store for them.

Secondly, I challenged myself to write a collection of plays that work perfectly well on their own, but have an even deeper meaning when presented together. For instance, Bench Warrant features two bullies that are very mean to one of their classmates. By itself, the audience will undoubtedly sympathize with the girl being bullied and not the bullies. However, it takes on an entirely different context after having seen Double Click and Brace Yourself, where the audience is introduced to the bullies and sees the insecurity underneath their aggressive exteriors.

How does the writing process differ in the ten minute format than a longer play?

Ten minute plays are a wonderful format for a playwright, particularly when it comes to characterization. In a longer play, there is a plot that constantly has to be moving forward, so it’s difficult to stop for too long and find out what the characters are thinking about. In a ten minute play, however, it’s almost as if you can stop time and capture a moment that would otherwise pass by unobserved. The characters have time to open up and express their innermost feelings, which allows a writer to share their rich histories with an audience. What’s most important in a ten minute play is to make it clear that the characters have had a life before the play began and will continue to after it’s over, but for ten minutes they are given the opportunity to stop and reflect on their present situation. This is why short plays tend to be very intimate, which ultimately provides actors with meaty roles that they can really sink their teeth into.

Which was the easiest play to write? Which was the most difficult? Why?

The plays featuring Laura seemed to spring forth fully formed. She embodies the moral compass of the piece and is featured in more plays than any of the other characters. The easiest play to write was Lazy Eye, an unconventional comedy told from the point of view of Laura’s eyeballs. The conflict between the characters is very clear, so all I practically needed to do was sit back and listen as their dispute played out before my very eyes. Or should I say their eyes.

Friend Request and Status Update: A Symphony were the two most difficult plays to write. In these plays all of the characters had to share the stage without actually occupying the same space. Both are theatrical representations of communication in cyberspace, so the characters are constantly conversing with one another via short, staccato lines of dialogue. The end result is exhilarating; however, keeping track of seven characters that cannot see one another was definitely a challenge. But it turned out to be a worthwhile one because the choral and physical work required is fun for both the actors and audience.

People often ask me how I can write for the teen voice, when I am no longer a teen myself. I say it's because the emotional core of a teenager never changes. Why do you feel you can write so well for teenagers?

I think I can write for teenagers because I am willing to believe they almost always tell the truth. As we grow older, we are less likely to expose ourselves to others because we are afraid of getting hurt. Teenagers take more risks and are less tentative because they have not experienced as much rejection. My goal is to encourage people of all ages to continue taking risks, so rather than rejecting what teenagers have to say, I embrace it.

Talk about your experience rehearsing Sixteen – What was it like to be able to work directly with a group of students?

Having immediate feedback from an actor, particularly when they are the same age as the character they are playing, makes it infinitely easier to decipher whether or not the dialogue rings true. (The words, “I’d never say that,” immediately leap to mind.) And for those moments when I wished I knew how a character might react, having teenage actors by my side was like having my very own wishing well. Little known fact: despite arguments to the contrary, teenagers are rarely ever wrong.

What was your most profound moment in rehearsal?

The first reading of Fireworks was particularly moving for me. The two actors were in the middle of the play, partly reading from their scripts and partly looking at one another. The actress playing Samantha suddenly stopped the scene and told the actor playing Brody not to look at her because it was making her cry. That’s when I knew that the play had exactly the emotional impact I had intended. For someone who normally writes comedy, this gave me the confidence I needed to trust the drama instead of always going for a joke.

What was it like to see Sixteen performed?

When the plays are produced together, it’s exciting to see that all of the characters go through a journey from beginning to end. All of the characters change throughout the play, some for better and some for worse. Each character is featured in at least one play, while they may be a supporting player in another. And quite often their behaviour radically changes depending on the company they keep. Samantha, for instance, is very outspoken with her boyfriend in Fireworks, whereas in Bench Warrant she is less confident in the presence of her girlfriends. Likewise, James is snarky with his sister in Brace Yourself, but in Pay Phone we discover that his behaviour is the result of his many anxieties. Separately, the plays offer actors rewarding roles, but together they allow actors to examine their characters from many different perspectives; which is exactly what being sixteen is all about.

I'm both horrified and uplifted by Bench Warrant, which I think is a good emotional combination! Do you have a favourite play in the collection?

While I love each of the plays for different reasons, my personal favourite has to be Tumblefur. We are introduced to Laura in several plays before this one, where she always seems to be up against characters that are trying to knock her down. However, in Tumblefur she is left all alone with her thoughts and delivers a spirited monologue that expresses the play’s core message of rising above each and every challenge that is thrown our way.

I’m also partial to Status Update: A Symphony, mostly because of the way it sounds when read aloud. A majority of the status updates are my own creation, but some of them are actual updates that I lifted directly from Facebook. Over the years I had collected hundreds of Facebook updates that I found funny/interesting, having no clue what I might do with them. When I looked at them all together one day, they almost seemed poetic. So I had a terrific time exercising both my poetic and theatrical license on an exciting play that is definitely worth all of the extra effort it requires to learn and rehearse.

What advice would you give to schools performing Sixteen?

The best advice I can give is to resist the urge to over-produce the plays. Simplicity is key because the plays are more about characterization than they are production value. As a matter of fact, they are perfectly suited to reader’s theatre. Also, it’s important to embrace each character in spite of their many flaws and realize they are doing the best they can with what they have been given. They all have something important to share; it’s just a matter of discovering what that is.

Click to read sample pages from Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less.

New Resources

As a playwright, my not-so-secret mission is to get students writing. I believe every student can write a play. It's not about becoming a writer, it's about learning how to communicate and express thought. However, that's easier said than done. Teachers and students often feel uncomfortable with the process of writing. We want them to feel comfortable getting words on the page! Read on to learn about two new eBooks and one new course that do just that.

Scene-Spurs: Writing Prompts for Dramatic Depth

Monologue Prompt: A teenager looks out of the window of her bedroom and sees the storm coming. She is caught by the power of the storm. Why? Why doesn't she warn anyone? What is she thinking? Write the monologue.

Writing Scene-Spurs: Writing Prompts for Dramatic Depth was like going to summer camp for me. This says all kinds of weird things about what I enjoy doing in the off season, but I digress. I loved choosing the pictures and then just riffing on what I took from each photo. What questions came to mind? What characters did I see in the frame and who was standing outside the frame? If the picture could talk what would it say? What monologues would I write? What scenes? Suffice it to say, if the photo didn't inspire me, it didn't go in the collection.

We've talked about Scene-Spurs: Writing Prompts for Dramatic Depth in a previous newsletter, so we'll keep this brief. Sometimes the hardest part of writing is finding that place to start. And even still if you have a starting place, maybe there's still no spark driving your pen to paper. The purpose of Scene-Spurs: Writing Prompts for Dramatic Depth is to provide the starting point with an interesting picture and then provide the spark with questions to answer, automatic writing prompts, monologues and scenes to write. Your students are still doing all the work, but there's none of that dread that can come when you're staring at a blank page.

You have two versions of each photo to work with: A Spur with all the prompts on the same page as the picture, OR you can distribute a full-sized photo and give out the prompts verbally. Every student works differently. Choose the method that will get them writing!

For now, Scene-Spurs: Writing Prompts for Dramatic Depth is only available in eBook. You get an email which provides a link where you can download a PDF copy. The book can be printed off and copied for your class, or used on a SMARTBoard. This is our first venture into providing this type of resource and we can't wait to get your feedback!

Click here for more information and a sample spur!

Write Your Own Vignette Play

“The first thing to notice is that writing scenes does not occur immediately in this process. It’s vital that students don’t start writing scenes as their first step. While this may seem counter-productive (you are working on a play after all) it’s very purposeful. Following each step is especially important if you have students who feel insecure in their ability to write. Every class has one or two students who already have the natural instinct to write a play. But this is a group project and that means there are 20-30 students who don’t have that instinct. These steps are going to encourage insecure students, providing them with a process that they’ll be able to use in any writing situation.”

Getting a class to write and then produce an original piece is an excellent learning experience. It can also turn into a nightmare on a dime: disagreements on subject matter, some students who bully the writing process, some students who don't contribute a word, a story that gets over-bloated or never nears completion. Time and time again I've talked to teachers who share their horror stories with the group writing project.

Vignette Play: Short scenes on a theme.

It's been a pet project of mine for awhile now to provide a step-by-step process for a class to write a play. It makes the most sense to start with the vignette play. Vignette is a genre of play that I often return to as a writer, and it's a genre that works quite well in a classroom situation, both in terms of acting and writing.

The purpose of Write Your Own Vignette Play is to provide a process by which an entire class can participate. It's not good enough to provide something that the few naturally talented students can pick up and run with. The process has to involve every student in the class. It can never be forgotten that this is a class project, not an independent writing project. That means there have to be ways for the student who fears writing to participate. There have to be ways for the insecure student to participate. There have to be avenues for all. To that end, there are a lot of steps that have less to do with writing and more to do with working as a group such as brainstorming, generating source material, using improv to theatricalize ideas, and a structure for processing and giving constructive feedback. These are all techniques that encourage a group to work together.

The other important aspect of Write Your Own Vignette Play is to get a class to keep moving toward a finished draft. Writing, by and large is a solitary task. When you get more than one cook in the kitchen, a script can spiral out of control quickly. It's easy to get stuck. It's hard to get a group to come to consensus on one idea and move it forward. The techniques in this book encourage group decision making, and how to make the best decision for the play as opposed to for an individual.

I'm proud of this book and confident that not only does it provide an effective process for writing a play, it provides a learning experience in group team-building skills. Worthwhile skills to have.

Click here to read a sample chapter from Write Your Own Vignette Play!

Playwriting Kick-Start

“Welcome to Playwriting Kick-Start! Playwriting Kick-Start is an in-class and on-line playwriting project that focuses on ideas. What is a good idea for a play? Where do I look for ideas? I want to write but where do I start/ What if my ideas are no good? How do I come up with ideas that don't suck and will actually turn into plays?”

Last year I received an Ontario Arts Council Grant to develop and take into schools a playwriting project that focused on ideas. I would work with classes for a week on brainstorming techniques, how to generate source material for an idea, how to come up with more ideas than needed, what makes an idea theatrical, and finally how to move that idea forward. I find that beginning writers often want to dive into the deep end of the pool when it comes to writing, without really thinking about what they want to write about. This leads to writer's block and to students thinking they can't write. What I wanted to do is supply a process that any student (regardless of natural writing ability) could follow to get from the idea stage to the playwriting stage.

All of which has lead to Playwriting Kick-Start, an four lesson on-line course that comes with instruction and personal feedback. Students receive instruction, practice what they've learned, then submit an exercise which receives constructive criticism from a professional playwright (that would be me). The project is an excellent “kick-start” to a playwriting unit in a drama or English class curriculum. It will give students a strong base from which to write their plays. They won't suffer from writer's block along the way and students at all levels will feel confident in moving forward with their work.

Click here for more information on Playwriting Kick-Start!

Stay Connected

We’ve got big plans for this year, including giving away some free plays through our Twitter and Facebook pages. Now would be a really good time to friend us up!

Free Resources

Did you know we have a page full of free resources for theatre teachers? Check it out here!

Conference Alert

Here's our upcoming conference schedule. If you're attending, please drop by and say hi!

• Arts Alive Conference Mississauga Secondary School, Mississauga, ON
  Feb 23, 2012 to Feb 23, 2012
• OCTELA Conference Worthington, Ohio
  Mar 9, 2012 to Mar 10, 2012
• Florida Thespians Tampa, FL
  Mar 16, 2012 to Mar 17, 2012
• International Thespian Festival Lincoln, NE
  Jun 26, 2012 to Jun 30, 2012
• NCTAE North Carolina
  Sep 14, 2012 to Sep 15, 2012
• FATE - Florida Association of Theatre Educators Orlando, fl
  Oct 11, 2012 to Oct 13, 2012
• CODE Nottawasaga Inn Resort, Alliston ON
  Oct 19, 2012 to Oct 21, 2012

In the Next Issue

Our theatre history series continues with a look at the Medieval theatre.

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