Advocacy

Every drama teacher knows that advocating for their students, programs, and productions is essential. Even the most successful programs can be misunderstood or undervalued. The first step is recognizing the importance of your program and being able to articulate its impact. Drama classrooms teach far more than performance skills: they cultivate leadership, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, confidence, empathy, and problem-solving. Being able to describe these outcomes in a way that administration, colleagues, and the community understand is critical for building long-term support. Once you recognize your program’s value, advocacy becomes a strategic process. Start by setting realistic goals for your program, such as increasing enrollment, expanding class offerings, or enhancing community outreach. Break these goals into small, achievable steps and involve your administration where possible. Collaboration across departments and the school community strengthens your visibility and support, whether that’s co-creating cross-curricular projects; integrating the arts into other classrooms; or showcasing student work through visual displays, festivals, or community events. Making your program and its outcomes visible ensures that others can see the skills and growth happening every day. Effective advocacy requires intentional communication, consistent celebration of achievements, and demonstrating the impact of your program beyond the theatre space. By prioritizing these practices, teachers can build lasting support for their drama programs and productions. Where do I start?Ask yourself these questions about your program. Click below for a printable handout! • What is the value of my drama program in terms of life skills, student growth, and community impact? • What are my main three goals for my program? What do I want to achieve? • What five steps can I take to achieve each of these goals? • Can my administration help with any of these goals? • Who can I talk to in other departments to increase visibility and explore cross-curricular connections? • When was the last time I let my admin know what was happening in my program? What was the response? • How can I provide administration with tangible evidence of student learning and program success? • What are some examples of positive, professional, and impact-focused language I can use when describing my program? • When was the last time I shared student successes (posters, newsletters, social media, school board meetings)? What was the response?

As theatre teachers, we know that drama classes are important, but when schools and students are faced with challenging times, the value of those classes is often questioned. Complicated issues like budget cuts, school board elections, and social upheaval can put a target on a drama program, and when that happens it’s important to be able to articulate the value of drama classes in schools. Here are three illustrations of drama’s impact beyond a typical school setting: SkillsStudents learn skills in drama class that they don’t learn anywhere else in the general school curriculum. The most important of these are so-called “soft skills.” These include teamwork, communication, and creative problem solving, and are some of the most valuable skills in the working world. The drama curriculum teaches these skills every day through warm ups, games, activities, rehearsals, and performances. Performances are especially valuable, as preparing for a performance teaches students dozens of skills such as self-control, task management, and working with deadlines. If someone questions the need for drama classes in your school, point out that your classes are a laboratory for learning and applying soft skills, and that those skills are highly prized in the business community. CommunitySpeaking of community, drama classes are at the core of building nurturing and supportive communities in a school. Students in drama classes work to create an ensemble in any number of situations, from improv games to scene work to full productions. In an era when students are becoming more and more isolated and withdrawn, drama classes require students to work together in a creative environment. Sports and the performing arts are often the only parts of the school curriculum that require students to work together towards a common goal, but the arts have the additional benefit of being cooperative rather than competitive. For many students, drama class is the only time they get a chance to positively interact with their peers. Be sure to share that fact the next time someone suggests that drama classes are unimportant. EmpathyNo matter what subject they teach, teachers will tell you that teaching has changed. Students are more distracted and less connected than ever before. They have forgotten how to be a student, and in some cases they have almost forgotten how to be human. Thankfully, drama class is the remedy for that affliction. Drama class is the study of the human condition, where students learn about emotions and empathy. Through scripts and scene work, we ask students to see the world through the eyes of another, and walk a mile in their shoes. When a student has portrayed someone else, even for a short time, it becomes easier to empathize with others and see beyond the narrow lens of self-importance. Drama class requires students to engage their empathy, and that benefits society as a whole. Additional Reading: 10 Reminders That What You’re Doing as a Drama Teacher Matters 20 Ways To Advocate For Your Program

The drama classroom is a unique space with tremendous potential for allyship and advocacy. It’s often a haven for students who feel “othered” in more traditional school environments, especially LGBTQIA+ students. Being a conscious, active ally in your drama classroom goes beyond just being welcoming; it means intentionally creating a space where all identities are seen, respected, and celebrated. Here are some tips for advocating for your students both within and beyond the drama classroom. Advocating Within Your Drama ClassroomWithin your classroom, you have the opportunity to model allyship daily. Your drama classroom can be the space where it’s safe to take risks, make mistakes, and try again. It’s a place where, given the opportunity, students can truly be themselves. • Include a clear statement in your syllabus and classroom agreements about respect, inclusion, and anti-discrimination. • Let students know that misgendering, homophobic language, and transphobic behaviour won’t be tolerated. • Choose plays and texts that include queer voices and characters, and work by LGBTQIA+ playwrights. Include these choices as part of your regular teaching, not just in a “Pride unit.” Choose pieces that celebrate and uplift LGBTQIA+ joy, representation, and excellence. • Offer flexible casting options. For example, instead of saying “We need a girl to play Juliet,” try “We need someone comfortable with Juliet’s role — anyone interested?” • In playwriting, devised theatre, and improv, let students develop characters and performances that reflect their lived experiences, while still respecting their boundaries. • Always use consent-based practices in physical theatre exercises, blocking, and ensemble work. For example, always ask “Is it ok if I place my hand on your shoulder here?” rather than physically moving an actor into place. • Lead conversations on how theatre can be a tool for social change and visibility. • Introduce and discuss intersectionality: how gender, sexuality, race, and class all interact in performance and casting. Advocating Beyond Your Drama ClassroomExpanding your advocacy beyond the classroom is where real systemic change can start to take root. As a teacher and an ally, you can use your voice and position to improve the broader school culture for LGBTQIA+ students. • Collaborate with your school’s GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance), or help start one if it doesn’t exist. Volunteer your classroom as a meeting space, or offer to be a staff advisor. • Seek out professional development opportunities that centre on inclusive education and equity, especially ones taught by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Look for topics such as inclusion, intersectionality, and trauma-informed approaches. Share these learning opportunities with your colleagues. • Support inclusive school policies, such as gender-neutral bathrooms, dress code updates, and curriculum representation. Push for school forms and databases to include preferred names and pronouns. • Speak up in staff meetings and curriculum discussions when LGBTQIA+ issues are being ignored or minimized. If necessary, partner with like-minded colleagues to present a unified front when advocating for change. • Be a mentor and visible ally to colleagues. Other staff might want to be allies but feel unsure or nervous. Your openness and willingness to learn can inspire others. When LGBTQIA+ students see their identities respected beyond one safe classroom (hopefully, yours!), it helps to build a school environment where they can actually belong and thrive. Even small acts of advocacy can and will ripple outward.

“"The arts are a very human way of making life more bearable." — Kurt Vonnegut” Hey, drama teachers! Want to get students thinking about why they’re in your class? Let’s start with this powerful idea from Vonnegut. Think about it: why do people turn to the arts in times of joy, sadness, or struggle? Art isn’t just entertainment; it’s a way to process emotions, to connect, to heal. To make life bearable. Why Do We Create?Ask your students: When was the last time you turned to a song, a book, or a movie to help you navigate a tough moment? The arts offer comfort, expression, and understanding. Whether it’s the catharsis of acting out a dramatic scene, the emotional release of painting on a blank canvas, or the resonance of lyrics that perfectly capture what we feel - art helps us cope. The Arts as a Human NeedAsk your students: How has art helped you? Do you think it's a human need? Some may argue that art is essential, as it has been part of every culture throughout history. Others may see it as a luxury, something we enjoy but don’t need. Either way, it’s a great discussion starter! The Arts and ConnectionOne of the most beautiful aspects of the arts is their ability to create shared experiences. A play can bring an audience together in laughter or tears. A song can unite people across cultures. A painting can speak volumes without words. How have you seen or experienced this in your own life? Keep the Conversation GoingEncourage your students to reflect on these questions: • How do the arts help people cope with challenges or difficult emotions? Can you think of a time when a form of art - music, theater, visual art, or literature - helped you process something in your own life? • Vonnegut suggests that the arts make life "more bearable." Do you think art is essential to human life, or is it just entertainment? Why? • In what ways do the arts connect people and create shared experiences? How have you seen or experienced this in your own life? Let’s remind our students - and ourselves - why the arts matter. Let’s make drama (and all forms of art) purposeful, meaningful, and most importantly, human.

Every drama teacher learns that sooner or later they will have to advocate for their students, programs, or productions. No matter how amazing or successful your drama program may be, there will always be people who do not recognize the value of what you do. That’s why you need to be an advocate for your work. But how do you advocate for your program? Start small, think long-term, and find a way to show the value of what you do using language your administration will understand. Talk about the important skills you teach, such as leadership and creative problem solving. Talk about improving student confidence and educational outcomes. Talk about community outreach. Remember: The sooner you can articulate the value of your program, the better. Download the Advocacy Toolkit for some tried and true ways to advocate for the value of your program and schoolwide productions, as well as some clever ways to get others to advocate for you.

Welcome to our video series, Calling All Theatre Teachers! In this series we’re going to answer questions that drama teachers have about stepping into a theatre program. QUESTION: How do I deal with angry parents/guardians?Watch the video of our discussion of this question where Laramie shares his biggest suggestion for dealing with angry parents. Click the button below for some giveaway docs! First, a tip sheet for dealing with parents. Second, a template audition packet and an example show contract that Laramie uses. Sometimes, you can circumvent angry parents by putting all the information out front and getting them to sign off on it. Note that Laramie suggests including a full rehearsal schedule for parents/guardians as well as a character breakdown. How do YOU deal with angry parents/guardians?

Whether your drama program is just starting out or it’s well established, it’s important to keep a record of your theatrical achievements. Your drama portfolio should consist of a digital and physical archive, as well as a social media presence, and a display element in the school, preferably near to your drama classroom or the school auditorium. School sports achievements are always displayed prominently; the arts should be no different. Your work and your students’ work should be admired publicly and remembered fondly. Celebrating your school’s theatrical achievements shows that you are proud of the work you do and encourages more students to participate in drama class and future productions. So let’s get showcasing! 1. Start a physical archive.You likely don’t have a ton of room to spare for a huge archive, so be choosy about what physical items you keep. You should keep a show programme, a show poster, and a cast photo print from each show you produce. As well, you can include things like newspaper clippings or printouts from online publicity sources, a photo or two from a special event, any award certificates or adjudications received, and any similar small items you deem important to a particular show. Keep memorabilia to a minimum though; there’s no need to save every piece of paper associated with the show. Keep each show contained to one folder. Be sure to carefully label any undated or unmarked items so future generations can identify what they’re looking at. For printouts of web articles, write the website address and the date accessed on the paper, as articles often vanish or are re-routed frequently. Store archival items up off the ground in sturdy, weatherproof boxes, rather than in cardboard boxes that can deteriorate or get wet. For bonus points, label the outside of the boxes so you know what items are inside. For those minimalists who turn up their noses at a physical archive, it’s useful to have a small physical archive because you never know if or when a digital archive might fail, get corrupted, deleted, or lock you out (lost password, anyone?). As well, you can display the archival items for students, faculty, and visitors to view and shift them around whenever you feel your display needs a glow-up. It’s also just a nice feeling to be able to hold a small piece of memorabilia in your hands. 2. Start a digital archive.Having a digital archive is useful in case your physical archive gets lost or damaged. If possible, use a cloud-based system that can be accessed from anywhere, and keep a backup as well. Again, keep digital versions of show programmes, posters, and photographs properly labelled in dated folders (for example: Fall 2023 – darklight). Scan copies of any physical memorabilia (photo prints, certificates, etc.) and store them in the appropriate digital folder. This way if the physical copies get damaged, you’ll have electronic backups. You can also devote way more online storage to photos and videos — rehearsal photos and videos, production photos from tech/dress rehearsals, and a video recording of the show, provided your show rights permit you to do so. Keep a digital copy of the cast list with photos so you can easily identify performers as years pass. You may also want to keep a piece of paper with your digital archive password in your physical archive storage box so that in the future others can access and add to the archive you’ve started. 3. Update your online presence.If you have a classroom website, get it updated. If your school uses social media, start using it. If your school doesn’t, get on it! Your online presence is like a web-based scrapbook documenting your theatrical endeavours in real time. Share videos and photos of your students and their work, create online events to publicise your shows, try out the latest TikTok trend with your students. Is it extra work? Yes. Can you share the same work across multiple platforms? Again, yes, just sometimes with a bit of tweaking. Every app and website attracts different viewers, and with all the algorithm changes, there’s no guarantee your audiences are actually seeing your posts. There’s nothing wrong with recycling materials. As well, most apps have “Memories” or “This day in…” or archival sections where you can repost content from past years. Use that for throwbacks and highlight the work you’ve done over the years. 4. Create a physical display unit.If you don’t already have a window display unit or a similar area to show off your students’ work, speak to your administration about allotting one to your drama department. Then freshen it up! Give it a good scrubbing and fill it with photographs, awards, show posters, props from past shows, spirit wear — anything that catches the eye and paints your drama program in a positive light. Update it seasonally or when you’re studying a new unit. Display student work such as student-created masks and props, set models, makeup designs, and rehearsal photographs (get them blown up to 5x7 or 8x10 size). Of course, be sure to display any awards or trophies your shows have received. You can get creative too. Perhaps you can get a mannequin or dressmaker’s dummy and display a costume designed by a student or worn in a show. Make friends with a talented sewer and have them make your show shirts into a banner or quilt and display that on the wall. Mount cast photos on the centre of a large board and have the students write their autographs around the outside. (That might be worth money on eBay someday!) Above all, have fun, be creative, and take pride in the work you and your drama students have done. You deserve it!

What is the difference between marketing and advertising? Marketing is the process of identifying potential customers and getting them interested in your product or service — in this case, the show you are producing with your student actors. Marketing involves communicating to, connecting with, and actively engaging the target audience. Advertising falls under the umbrella of marketing, because advertising activities (such as radio, television, print, or social media advertisements, as well as in-person events) all help with marketing goals. In short: advertising is one facet of the marketing package. So, what’s our overall goal when marketing a show? In colloquial terms, it’s to “get bums in seats,” which just means to get audience members in to see your show. You and your students can create the most compelling, thrilling, entertaining theatrical piece imaginable, but you definitely need to have people come and see it! Challenge your students to use their business brainpower and have them complete the following theatrical marketing exercises. You can use these exercises as theoretical lessons, or actually have your students work towards marketing their upcoming production to potential audiences. Let’s go! 1) Identify your audience.Take a piece of paper and fold it in half vertically, so you have two columns. In the left column, write “Who is your ideal audience?” Brainstorm answers to the following questions: How old are they? What types of shows do they like? What do they do in their spare time? How much money do they have to spend on tickets? Add any other details you think are relevant. In the right column, write “Who is your actual audience?” Answer the same questions from above, using what you know about the people living in your school district who are likely to come see your school’s production. If you have any data about ticket sales or audience facts from previous productions, see if your students can look at the data and extrapolate any useful information from it. (For privacy purposes, don’t share any personal information such as names or contact information about your previous patrons with your students. Stick to quantifiable information, like how many adults versus students versus seniors attended, did they come to a matinee or an evening performance, did a play or a musical sell more tickets, etc.) 2) Choose a potential show.(For a theoretical project; if your students are working on marketing a show you’re actually producing, feel free to skip this step. Or, you could have your students complete this step anyway as if you hadn’t already selected the show.) Have students pair up and decide what shows they’d like to produce. Here are some posts that can help your students with show selection: Choosing a Play for Production, Top 5 Rules for Choosing a Play for Performance, Choosing Shows You’re Passionate About, and Putting on a Class Production: What To Produce?. Have students complete a SWOT analysis or project pitch to convince the rest of the class that their show should be the one selected to pursue. Once each pair has a proposed show and an analysis, as a class, narrow down your options and decide which show you’ll focus your marketing campaign on. 3) Compare and contrast.Compare your selected production to your ideal and actual audience lists. Do you think it will appeal to either or both of your potential audiences? Why or why not? Answer the following questions: • What makes THIS production a must-see? • What forms of advertising can you employ, and for what audience? Radio? Billboards? Social media? Snail mail? In-person events? (Grandma Sally may not see the show on social media, but she might hear about it on the radio, whereas Micah from Close By High School may have seen a video on Snapchat advertising the show.) • What other methods could you employ to reach your ideal and/or actual audience lists? • If you feel that your show would appeal to only your ideal audience (not your actual audience), how can you present the show in a way that would be more appealing to your actual audience? 4) Make a choice.Students will complete two of the four following tasks, as well as the “One More Choice” task (for a total of three tasks out of five). Students may complete additional tasks for extra credit, as time permits. Remember to tailor your work towards the specific audience members whose attention you are trying to grab. • Tagline exercise: Create a catchy tagline (a short piece of text meant to capture the essence of your product or service) to advertise your show. It can be a line or lyric from the show, but you can’t use an already established tagline from an existing marketing campaign for that show. • Branding exercise: Design an overall visual look for your show’s print media (posters, social media profile photos and headers, logo, etc.). What colours, fonts, and images will you use to create a cohesive look? • Scripting exercise: Write a script for a 30-second commercial (radio or television/social media) to advertise your show. Bonus points if you actually create the audio or video ad! • In-person exercise: Plan a live, in-person event to publicize your show. Will you have your cast walk in a parade? Hold a flash mob at the local mall? Hand out flyers during a school event? Run a fundraiser for a charity related to an issue in the show? How will you grab your audience’s attention and make them remember to buy tickets? • One more choice: Choose one of the 10 Ways to Publicize Your Show and complete that task. Write a detailed journal entry about how you went about completing the task. 5) Take action!If your students are working on an actual show your school is producing, use the work they’ve completed to spread the word about your show! During or after the show, reach out to audience members to learn how they found out about the show and see how students’ marketing skills pulled them in. Additional Resource: The Drama Teacher Podcast: Marketing the Arts

There are many reasons to get into teaching theatre. Whether it comes from a love of teaching or a love of theatre, it’s important to take a deep breath and enjoy the journey. Learn from the challenges and celebrate the successes. But sometimes it can be tough to determine what success looks like. So we went straight to the source to get the inside scoop from those who’ve been there: drama teachers. We asked: How do you define success as a drama teacher? Keeping in touchThe amazing successes of so many students. Even more importantly, how so many of them have stayed in contact through the years. I have loved each and every one of them and it means so much to still be in contact. I love being able to congratulate them on their many achievements. (Kim) Former students, as long ago as 15 years, writing me letters of appreciation and realizing the good effects that drama had on them. I love it when I’m invited to their weddings too! (Tina) Today I went to see a play at a local theater and one of my former students was in it (I didn’t realize until I saw the program). She was so excited to see me and told me I made her day, because I was her favorite teacher ever. To me, that is success. (Jennifer) Groups of students who remain friends and creative collaborators after leaving my class and come back to visit me sharing about their latest projects. Letters written by students advocating for the preservation of the school drama program citing the impact it’s had on their lives. (Diana) Developing life skillsAre the students learning skills and stretching whatever it is they need to stretch… voice, confidence, movement, intentions, teamwork, awareness, listening, posture, eye contact, diction, focus, staying in character, playing increasingly more difficult characters, more in period, etc., and are they enjoying it after a performance/success? (Deborah) Students learning empathy for others and how to be unapologetically their most authentic selves. (Kelly) Social awareness of something greater than oneself rooted in actions fueled with empathy. (Pam) Being told by a parent of a dyslexic student that they never thought their child would be capable of confidence with reading, but seeing them on a stage in front of a crowd having memorized lines blew them away. (Eryn) Confidence buildingWhen that shyest of kids opens up and owns his scene to the delight of the audience. And watching him feel that joy. (Kelly) Seeing a shy little kiddo come to class at the beginning of the year, and leave at the end of the year being able to stand up and perform confidently in front of the class is the most rewarding for me. Building confidence and helping them believe in themselves! (Ashleigh) Having students forcibly hug me after their performance, saying, ‘“You said I could do it and you were right, you believed in me more than I did!” (Vicky) Happy, confident kids. (Kris) Getting a kid who previously had stage fright to act as the lead in your show. (Jeff) Not having to be backstage ever because the students are so confident in their ability to get the job done. (Meg) If my students leave my care having more confidence in themselves than when I got them.(RHS) When I see my actors fully committed and fearless in their characters. (Jeannette) The smiles on their faces when they finish performing and they thought they could never do it. (MMS) Students finding their placeA place for kids to belong, to find their thing, just like any kid who loves basketball, music, etc. The pride they feel putting on a show, the joy they get from playing a game, losing themselves in a character… so many things. (Tara) When a parent tells me, “My kid loves this, he found his people.” (Shannon) My favorite part of theater education is the kinship and feeling of family that comes from the shared effort of putting together a show. When I see even the quirkiest kids finding solace in the safe space that I strive to create, that to me is the biggest success I could achieve. (Leigh) As a neurodivergent teacher, theater saved school for me. I hope to be that place for my kids. (Amanda) Small things. That one freshman that came after school to finish painting that set piece you assigned during class who gradually gets to know the rehearsing drama kids and then when an ensemble member drops, she’s there to step in and within a month, she’s found her theater family and she’ll be a drama kid for life, and in those tiny, one-student-at-a-time moments, magic is made and faith is restored and I am once again in love with what I do. Small things. (Terry) Seeing students come into their ownObserving and being part of their development as artists and human beings. That moment when you see them come into their own is so satisfying! (Amy) Growth! My favorite thing in the world is feedback saying, “I never expected that from [troubled/shy/athletic/etc. student name]!” (Caryn) The ownership of actors and tech on the night of the opening show! They own it. Joy! (Betsy) Developing a love of theatreWhen people who experience their first few classes suddenly realise that drama is an essential subject and should be taught to all ages and levels. Bingo right there. (Amina) When the final curtain falls at the end of a run and all of the students run to you and beg to do one more performance or start asking what the next show will be. (Bill) Students who leave my class loving theatre. (Roxanne) Just when we start rehearsals on an end-of-course showcase and one student asks, “After this one are we going to do another show?!” (Ranya) When students leave the room excitedly chatting about what they just experienced in class. (Kathi)

Advocacy is at the heart of any successful drama program. Your administration needs to know that you are doing valuable and important work in your classroom, and that you, your students, and your program needs to be supported. Don’t assume your administration automatically believes what you do is worthwhile. You have to be the biggest cheerleader and advocate for your program. *Here are 20 ways to help you advocate for your program: *1. Use arts statistics. Show the numbers. How do students involved in the arts do on SATs? 2. Use advocacy quotes. Turn those quotes into posters, make it visual. 3. Have a mission statement. Make it brief, catchy, memorable, and then repeat it. 4. Use admin speak. Describe your activities in terms of 21st century skills. 5. Highlight school board initiatives. Show how your program applies school board goals. 6. Identify your admin’s background. Is it sports? Put theatre into their language. 7. Invite your admin into the classroom. Many admins don’t understand drama. 8. Invite your admin to see different projects. Show that you wear multiple hats. 9. Use support material. Have a one page handout just for admin in their language. 10. Be persistent. Admin too busy? Video an activity, copy an assignment, send it to them. 11. Invite your admin to do a walk on part. Show your admin the hard work your students do. 12. Do you win awards? Ask for a trophy case! Sports has them, so should drama. 13. Share successes. If a struggling student is finding success in your class, share it. 14. Have others do the talking. Get parents/students to talk about the value of your program. 15. Go cross-curricular. Can you work with other departments on a project? 16. Be cross-curricular. Show how theatre activities apply to other subjects. 17. Build a community presence. If you’re active in the community, it makes you valuable. 18. Invite the community to you. Have a prominent community member to do a walk on part. 19. Get in front of the school board. Get on the agenda and share your success. 20. Advocate for yourself! Rest & self-care are important so you can be an effective advocate.

Whenever you receive a new list of students for your upcoming drama class (or classes), you aren’t just about to teach X number of students – you’re also going to be dealing with many (or most) of their parents. But before you stress yourself out over possible parental issues, read on for five tips for dealing with the parents of your drama students. We hope this will help you stay calm and cool this semester. 1. Remember that parents are only focused on their own kid, while you have to focus on the full class/cast.It can be hard for parents to remember that your focus is not solely on their own little darling; you have many students to keep tabs on. Drama class in particular is different because of the large frequency of group work and collaboration involved. Many parents don’t realize that their child’s actions often affect the rest of the drama class. While it is important to listen and reassure parents that you have their child’s best interests at heart and are focused on their learning and growth, you have to keep a full group awareness at all times. Which leads us to our second tip… 2. Encourage students to advocate for themselves before their parents get involved.I am grateful that I haven’t had to deal with this too often, but in the past I have had to speak with parents because they were upset that their child wasn’t cast into a particular role or because their child was apparently unhappy about something that happened in the classroom. In these cases, I listened carefully to what the parent was saying, particularly if it had to do with bullying, or the student’s health. However, it was always important to try and discover whether what we were discussing was a genuine concern from the student, or if it was the parent who was actually upset. In these cases I always ask the parent, “Have you spoken to your child about this? What did they say?” and then encourage the student to come and talk to me directly about the issue. You will often find that it is the parent who has the bigger problem than the student, and frequently the parents are contacting you without having spoken to their child about the perceived issue. Of course, every situation is unique, but most problems can be dealt with if the student comes to speak to you directly. This also is a good life lesson for students and parents alike to learn – that parents will not be able to solve their child’s problems for them all the time, and that students need to be brave, speak up, and advocate for themselves if they have concerns. 3. You may have to educate the parents too.I once spoke with a parent whose daughter had been in a number of productions, but had yet to be cast into a leading role. She was always in the ensemble. The parent was considering pulling her kid out of the current production. I asked this parent, “How does your daughter feel about this? Has she told you she is unhappy in ensemble roles?” The parent eventually admitted that their daughter loved being in the productions, regardless of the role, and it was the parent who in fact wanted their daughter to have a larger role and was annoyed about having to drive their daughter to and from rehearsals for (in their words) “a nothing role.” The parent also admitted that their daughter would be mortified if she knew they were calling me (which was touched upon in tip #2), and that the world of the theatre was unfamiliar to them, as they had come from a sports background. In this case, I explained the similarities between theatre and sports (teamwork, collaboration, practicing/rehearsing to increase endurance and improve skills, and so on) and made a comparison between first string in sports and leading roles in the theatre – not everyone is going to be the star player, but everyone is an important part of the team as a whole. I also encouraged the parent to speak directly to their daughter about the show, both to learn what she loved about theatre and to learn about the process. While you may not be dealing with parents who are sports enthusiasts, it’s important to remember that the world of drama and theatre can be a foreign place for many people, including parents. Have patience and take some time to educate parents on the ins and outs of drama class and/or the production process, and encourage parents to talk to their kids about what they’re learning and enjoying about theatre. You may also consider having an experienced theatre parent write up a letter to new parents explaining their perspective and learning process as their child went through drama classes and school shows. Experienced “theatre parents” are an asset, as they have “been there and done that” and can reassure other parents that what they are experiencing is normal. 4. Get parents on your side right away with regular updates.Parents like to be kept updated with what is going on in their kids’ lives, especially when they are trying to extract details from them. (“What did you do in class today?” “Nothing…”) It can be frustrating for parents who might feel like they’re totally out of the loop. If you have a teacher’s website, try to update it at least once a week with whatever you are working on in class, for each drama class you are teaching. Alternatively, you may wish to send a mini newsletter to your students’ parents – perhaps weekly, or at the very least, once a month. Be sure to include important dates (such as performance dates or tests/exams/assignments due), opportunities for volunteering (if applicable), and fun photos whenever possible. Parents love seeing photos of their kids! 5. Email templates are your friends.If you frequently write emails of a similar nature over and over, create a series of email templates to save your time and sanity. This way you can simply copy/paste and adjust the “Dear Mr./Ms. So-and-So” and you won’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you receive a similar question from yet another parent. Frequent messages I’ve received include: • Information requests about assignment due dates • Questions about bringing particular costume items from home • When and how to purchase show tickets • Why didn’t my child get cast into the role that they desperately wanted • Requests to explain the audition process (both before and after auditions) • Where and when is the graduation ceremony • Requests for letters of reference for job applications or scholarships

Dramatic events are absolutely fantastic for reaching out into the community, fundraising, raising awareness for various causes, and having a great time while you’re at it. If your school has a requirement of community service hours in order for your students to graduate, it’s a great way for students to obtain those hours – or to add some volunteering experience to their resumes. Here are some ideas for your students to get their creative and altruistic juices flowing. Many of these ideas will require some sort of performance aspect. This might be a great way to incorporate classroom work, devised performances, or scenes/songs from rehearsals of your current show. Adding a community service aspect prior to their final performances will give students some additional fire to get their projects completed and polished, while giving them valuable performance experience at the same time! Get excited to give back! • Visit a local retirement home or hospital and provide entertainment for the residents/patients. • Lead a drama class or activity for a primary school, Brownies/Scouts group, Boys & Girls club, or other local youth group. • Select a favourite charity to donate a portion of ticket sales to from an upcoming performance of your show. • Create and perform a piece of work (such as a group scene or a series of monologues) that addresses a current issue that is important to your students (such as bullying, students’ rights, self-confidence, body issues – the list is endless). • Host a coffeehouse evening at your school for students to sign up for and perform a piece of their choice – such as a song, monologue, or poem – with the admission fees being donated to a selected charity. If you wish, all pieces could relate to a particular theme. This also gives students the chance to volunteer in various capacities, including sound and lighting, publicity, box office, and hosting. • For environmentally-focused students, figure out a way to create a low-impact performance – perhaps performed outside in natural light, with costumes and props made from repurposed items and music performed on acoustic instruments. • Have students research plays and musicals that relate to current events or social issues. How could one of those plays be used as a jumping-off point for devising a new piece of theatre on the same topic, an outreach opportunity, or a fundraising venture? • Volunteer to help with various technical or backstage roles for an elementary school production, such as costumes, props, backstage supervision, or operating sound and lights. • Look into local opportunities where students’ performance or technical skills could be used to give back, such as children’s fun fairs, library reading programs, fringe festivals, or seasonal community events (such as a Halloween haunted house). • Research local historical events, create a theatrical piece from them, and present it as part of a heritage event or town celebration. This is only a handful of the interesting outreach ideas that students could employ for their community service projects. Use the included worksheet and Reflection to help students brainstorm and organize their ideas for a theatrical community service project.

Students nowadays are more connected, aware, and tech-savvy than ever before. Yet, with all that connection and knowledge, students are hyper-aware of their insecurities, their desires not only to fit in but also to succeed in every area of their lives, and the public nature of communication through social media and the Internet. Seemingly, everything is available for everyone to see, including students’ mistakes and failures. This can make students fearful of failure and reluctant to take risks – they know that others may be watching and ready to pounce on any perceived weaknesses. Students may feel that it’s easier not to try than to risk looking bad in front of their peers. Teachers must work with their students to help them feel confident and encourage them to push themselves out of their comfort zones. The drama classroom is a great place to do that, as the art of theatre is a practice – there is no such thing as perfection, but there is progress. And as with many other things, confidence is something that can be grown and developed. Try using the following five tips to help encourage confidence in your drama students. 1. Choose your words with care.This doesn’t mean having to be extra-flowery or unnatural, nor does it mean being afraid of constructive criticism. However, I have found that using words of affirmation throughout the learning process (before, during, and after the lesson) works because it encourages students to focus on what they’re doing well and to keep doing it. During the introductory section of the lesson, focus on encouraging your students to give their best efforts, and follow that up with brief and clear instructions. This way they can have the maximum amount of time available for actually practicing. During their work time, check in with students and affirm visible progress: “You’re on the right track,” “Keep at it,” or “Great question – let’s figure that out.” At the end of class, try to end on a positive note. Even if the class didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, focusing on ideas such as “What did we learn during today’s class?” and “How can we improve for tomorrow?” will help students to stay positive and feel confident, despite setbacks. Avoid using phrases like “This is easy” with your students. The concept you’re introducing may be easy for you, but, for some students, you could be presenting a very daunting task. (“What do you mean I have to say a monologue in front of the whole class? All by myself?!”) Which brings us to our second point… 2. Encourage risk-taking and trying new things in the drama classroom.Students need to know that not everything they attempt is going to succeed on the first, second, or thirty-fifth try. Maybe the joke in their improv scene that they thought was hilarious didn’t land, or a crucial prop got left behind, which threw off the entire flow of the scene. Work with students to frame failure not as an indicator of their abilities (or lack thereof), but as an opportunity to try again. “Maybe I just didn’t get this lesson as I should have. Let’s try again.” “What did I learn from this experience?” Failure is not the end of the world. Rather, it’s a chance to give it another shot or to go in a new direction. Maybe a different approach would work next time. 3. Embrace “beginner” mentality and focus on the process.Some students want to be good at everything right away – and will give up if they don’t succeed immediately. They don’t want to analyze their scene – they want to jump right up onstage and perform it. But learning takes time and effort. The theatre is a place of constant learning and practice. Think of a baby learning to walk: You need to learn to sit up, crawl, and stand first, all before you can walk. As well, remind students that not everyone is good at everything immediately, but everyone can and will be good at something. Maybe one of your students is not great at mime but they’re awesome at spoken-word poetry. Encourage your students to embrace their strengths but keep chipping away at their weaknesses. Practice makes progress! 4. Guide, but don’t overpower.As teachers, we must find the balance between being available to explain, clarify, and answer questions. But we also need to step back and allow students to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions. School is supposed to be a place where students grow and learn, not just regurgitate what the teacher says. Being able to think for themselves, analyze problems, deal with challenges, and come up with creative ideas and solutions are all important life skills that students need to develop. 5. Ask students directly what they need.“What do you need from me to help you feel confident in the drama classroom?” What works for some students doesn’t work for others. So ask them what helps them. Some students need discipline and strict deadlines, while others need affection and praise. Some students work better independently, while others prefer group work. Some students work better when they have a clear outline of what the plan is each day. Some students need time at home to review and process what they’ve learned. By asking students directly, you can better align yourself and your lesson plans to accommodate their different learning styles. This also shows that you are willing to work with your students to help them succeed. This could be a great Exit Slip or Reflection exercise to share with your students.

It takes a community to create a great production, and theatrical performances would not exist without the time, skills, and talents of dedicated crew members. From costumes and props to sound and lights to front of house and stage management (and everything in between), crew members are the heart and soul of a production. Their creativity, passion, and hard work are invaluable to every show. So where do we find these amazing people, and how can we get them on our team? Let’s brainstorm! Where can you find potential crew members?• Your drama classes! (Make it a requirement that students must volunteer a certain number of hours doing crew work in order to pass.) • Other classes at your school, such as: • Communication technology classes (like recording) for sound designers and operators • Design technology, manufacturing, and carpentry classes for set pieces, props, and furniture • Art, photography, and graphic design classes for designing and painting sets, as well as creating programs and publicity images for social media • Esthetics classes for hair, wigs, and makeup • Fashion and sewing classes for costumes • Business and marketing classes for production and box office duties • Co-op students can take on a variety of roles depending on their area of focus • Talk with fellow teachers to see if projects could be done for class work or extra credit • Siblings, parents, and other family members of the students currently involved in the show • Friends from other schools of the students currently involved in the show (perhaps you can sign off on volunteer hours for them?) • People involved in community theatre in your city • Students from nearby colleges/universities/professional schools looking to gain practical experience ( For example: For a production I worked on that was set in the 1950’s, we had students from a local hairstyling school create time-appropriate hairstyles for the students in the show and teach the students how to do them on their own.) How can you recruit crew members?• First and foremost: Ask! Get out there and ask people to help out. Speak to students in person during class and on breaks. Send an e-blast in your school’s newsletter. Post on your school’s social media accounts. Post flyers on your school’s bulletin boards. • Get students to help recruit crew members. They are your best resource for meeting more great students. Use the recruitment reflection exercise below to get students involved in this process! • Offer extra credit, letters of support/letters of reference, or sign off on volunteer hours to students who work on productions. • Reach out and make connections with drama teachers at other schools and members of community theatre groups. • During auditions, include a crew recruitment note in your audition information sheet to see if students are interested in crew roles. (Make sure not to make students feel like being in the crew is a consolation prize if they are not cast in the show. Emphasize the importance of the crew roles and how essential they are to making the show happen!) • Check your personnel files and reach out to students who have worked on past shows. • Does your city have an online theatre network? If so, create recruitment posts. For example, in London, Ontario, there is a Facebook group called “London Downtown Theatre Online” and a website called “Theatre in London,” both of which are fantastic for advertising local shows as well as recruiting potential volunteers. If there isn’t a similar network in your city, then create one! • Get student actors in your show to assist with crew tasks. Actors can help in a multitude of areas: helping with creating/finding costumes and/or props, scenic painting, and publicity for starters. There’s nothing wrong with student actors taking on double duty. • If students can’t commit to coming to rehearsals but still want to be involved in the production, give them tasks that they could work on at home or during spare periods at school. For example, a student interested in costumes may not be able to help with dressing actors during the entire run of the show, but perhaps they could do a smaller project such as sewing one costume at home, helping with costume laundry, or hot-gluing gemstones on a crown. Or, a student who is interested in marketing could create and pre-schedule a series of Facebook and Twitter posts to advertise the show. Think creatively and delegate jobs to as many students as you can.

So, you’ve decided to produce a play at your school this year. You’ve considered all the possibilities of shows to produce and have made a great selection. You have a vision for the show and have all your dates and plans in place. You’ve held auditions and have a great cast in place. Rehearsals have just started. Things are going great! But now we’ve got another item to add to your director’s (never-ending) to-do list: publicity. You need to sell those tickets and get audience members to see your show! As the teacher, you might be responsible for acting as producer on top of your other theatrical duties. If at all possible, save yourself some sanity and add a producer to your team, or at the very least, an assistant producer. This could be a senior student (a great opportunity for a student with solid leadership skills), a teaching colleague, a student teacher, or a parent volunteer. Having that extra person will really help. Be sure to encourage all members of the cast and crew to join in with publicity. They are your best and brightest advocates of the show, and as the saying goes, many hands make light work. The more people you have spreading the word, the better. You should start publicizing your show as early as possible. So, without further ado, here are ten ways you and your team can publicize your show. 1. Get people talking.First and foremost—word of mouth— tell everyone you know. Word of mouth is the cheapest and easiest way to let everyone know that you are doing a show and that you’re excited about it. 2. Poster your community.Get your cast and crew together to do a poster/flyer blitz and paper the city. The standard poster size is 11×17 inches, but have a variety of sizes to put in unique spaces. It’s also a good idea to create postcard-sized or business card-sized flyers or handbills, so people can tuck them into a purse or pocket. You could even create a unique giveaway like bookmarks to publicize your show, especially if your show is based on a book. Remember to make sure to get permission first, if you’re putting posters in certain places like businesses or public areas. Some places require you to get materials approved before posting them. You don’t want your posters and handbills to end up in the garbage. 3. Use social media.Do a social media blitz (school website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) and create your #ShowHashtag. Take photos during rehearsals. Share behind-the-scenes “sneak peeks” of costumes and sets. Start a show blog and have cast and crew members write weekly blog posts and updates. Create a YouTube channel to show rehearsal clips and interviews with cast and crew members. You could also create a trailer to advertise your show–just be aware of any potential copyright issues if you’re using music in the video. 4. Use traditional media.Don’t forget about traditional media (newspaper, radio, television)—approach anyone and everyone you can think of. You could also purchase ad space in local newspapers/online media, or trade ad space with other local productions in their playbills. 5. Be a walking advertisement.Order clothing with your show’s logo (t-shirts, hoodies, caps) and get your entire cast to wear them everywhere. These items also make great mementos after the show closes. You could sell these items during the run of the show. 6. Hold a contest.Organize a contest or giveaway for patrons like free tickets to opening night or a piece of show merch, for answering trivia, uploading photos, using the #ShowHashtag, or for sharing posts online. 7. Create cast incentives.Offer an incentive to your cast and crew members–whoever sells the most advance tickets for the show wins a prize. 8. Get into the community.Get involved in local community events devoted to arts and culture. You could set up a table and give out flyers and smiles! If your show happens to rehearse near a major holiday, get involved in your local holiday parade, either walking the parade in costume or even creating a float. You could also organize a flash mob at a community events–this is especially useful for advertising musicals. 9. Ticket rates.Create a special group rate for tickets and encourage groups to buy tickets in advance. Call groups in your area and arrange for them to come–try local schools, senior residences, Girl Guide/Boy Scout groups, or youth groups. Perhaps someone in your cast has a connection to a group that might like to come. Use those resources. 10. Explore your subject matter.If your show addresses current issues, you could hold a fundraiser or awareness drive, or donate a portion of ticket sales to a favourite charity. You could also hold post-show talkbacks with the cast and crew to speak to the audience about these issues. These are all great selling points to include in your publicity, and you’re giving back at the same time. What are some creative methods you’ve used to publicize your shows? We’d love to hear about them.

Drama is one of the few classes that teachers real world skills. This is something that every drama teacher knows well. You know this. Despite resistance you may receive from parents, administrators, or even other teachers – the drama class is a vital and necessary component to a well rounded education. It’s not computers or television that ruins the lives of students. It’s the square peg in the round hole. It’s testing. It’s the methodology that every single student must conform to one way. Students do not need to learn how to parrot back facts. That is the sole purpose of a test. Teenagers know everything is at the swipe of a finger, so why bother? How soon will it be before today’s visual learners rebel? Students do need to know how to think on their feet in the 21st century. We have given them information at their fingertips, how do we take them to the next level? They need to know how to use their brain to create, to communicate, to innovate, to collaborate. These are the real world skills of the modern world, the 21st century skills. And they are happening in every drama classroom right now. Are you shouting that from the rooftops?The drama class is a microcosm for 21st century skills.Throw that on a poster and slap it on your classroom door. Make it your mantra. If you want parents, administrators, other teachers to take you seriously and to take your program use this sentence on a constant basis. My class promotes 21st century skills.The skills of the 21st century are not about technology, even though every teenager is fully wired. It’s about teaching students to think in a new way. Click on each link for classroom exercises and articles on these important skills. • Critical Thinking • Creative Thinking • Communication • Collaboration ** ** The act of being in a play promotes all of these skills. Critical Thinking:• We apply close reading to the script • We analyze our characters and make inferences • Weask and answer questions based on the script Creativity:• We interpret the script • We develop choices for our characters • We design the costumes, sets, and props based on the script Communication:• We construct a vision both visual and thematic • We offer feedback and suggestions during therehearsal process • We receive and process feedback from the audience Collaboration:• We work together onstage and off • We develop a community • We problem solve You may be thinking – Hold on. This is not why I teach drama. I teach drama not for the administrators. I am there for the students. I am there to create the only safe space they have in a day. I am here to bring theatre to life. I am not a spouter of buzzwords. You don’t have to be. In the classroom it’s just you and your kids. But how are you advocating for your program outside the classroom? Is your administrator in your corner? Are the parents? What are you doing to keep your program alive? What language do you use to make administrators sit up and take notice? Click here to download a brainstorming activity that asks: How does my class promote 21st Century Skills?

In an age of seemingly endless assessments of our students’ ability to critically read and analyze literature, there is a dire need for them to experience a variety of texts in a variety of formats in order for educators to better train them to get at the heart of what a writer is doing. Because of this, dramatic works fit perfectly into any curriculum attempting to tie the Common Core standards to what the students, at the end of the day, know and are able to do. Of course, dramatic works are already mentioned in the Common Core as one genre with which our students should be interacting. But educators don’t always see them in the same light as more traditionally taught formats, like novels. It’s true that plays generally offer less student face-time with words than novels. However, they offer much more in the way of student engagement, unlike any other text-based medium. This significantly increases the likelihood of success in teaching them to see the literary techniques and authorial tricks-of-the-trade that the Common Core requires. “It’s one thing to read about something; it’s an entirely different thing to perform it.” The act of reading aloud, hearing the words, and portraying the ideas on the page makes clear what mere words cannot. It’s one thing to read about something; it’s an entirely different thing to perform it. Tone, theme, mood, inference, denotation/connotation, language use, structure, plot—all of this is present in plays and, to be sure, more easily seen by a “reader” because it’s literally seen by the reader. With our school’s work with my play Stereotype High, we hit every single one of these elements during our production. We had on-going discussions about theme, character motivations, word choice, the interrelatedness of the scenes, allusions to other works, teen language, and any number of other text specific issues wherein understanding the work was at the core of the discussion. As much as Stereotype High created multiple opportunities for students to explore all the standards of the Common Core, it’s not something specific to that particular play – it’s impossible to perform the words without interpreting them (and the characters saying them). And this is exactly why plays are a perfect fit with the Common Core. With regard to the general reading of dramatic works in the classroom, the following Common Core standards apply (grade nine standards, although there is little difference between these standards and the ones two grade levels above and below): Reading: Literary TextCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine the theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped or refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. * CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7 * Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment. * CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.9 * Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). **These two are of particular importance as, since most teachers are already incorporating Shakespeare and Greek drama into their classrooms, these standards completely apply to modern adaptations.* WritingUnlike most classical prose, plays inspire students to write plays. They’re shorter, more accessible, and tap into their authentic language so much more directly than any sort of prose can. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.A Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.B Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.C Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.E Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. LanguageUnlike the printed word, plays provide a spoken tone (and, possibly, a physical action) to a word that may further help a student understand new language. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.A Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.B Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.C Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or to determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.D Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5.A Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5.B Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

““There are two ways of spreading light – to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” ~Edith Wharton” I was very lucky growing up where I did. I grew up in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. Population 50,000. What we lacked in numbers we made up for in theatre. We had a very active high school theatre scene. It was very competitive, too. Our school never won much of anything but I loved it all the same. In the summer, drama kids (and non-drama kids) from every school in the city would get together and perform a musical. The program was called Summer Challenge and the super-amazing Marty Southcott would cram casts of 100+ onstage. Rehearsals were in the evenings, but my fondest memories come from the afternoons. There was always some kind of activity in the afternoon for kids who didn’t have summer jobs. We’d have a baseball game, put a float together for the Canada Day Parade, etc. We also did our fair share of community outreach such as singing at nursing homes. I loved the outreach activities the most. Community outreach is a wonderful way of building awareness for your program, growing your program, and making it flourish. It confirms how important a role you play as an arts leader. And, most importantly, it’s a way of giving back to the community that supports you. Here are some tips and ideas to get your outreach program off the ground. Outreach within your programThe first community to look at is your own – the community of drama makers in your program. Orientation Welcome new students to your program with an orientation get-together. Do this even before you hold auditions. Talk a bit about your plans for the year, the shows you’re doing, schedules and expectations, and the opportunities for involvement. Get everyone excited about what’s to come. But don’t make it all about you, make it about them. Turn the rest of the session over to your senior students. • Have your seniors perform a scene from last year’s show. • Have a senior talk about their first audition for you, what it was like, how they felt then, how they feel now. • Do a modelling exercise. Auditions are very mysterious and scary for newcomers. Stage a mock audition so your newbies can get an idea of what to expect. Show them what a good audition looks like and what a bad audition looks like and discuss the differences. • Have your tech kids describe the various behind the scenes opportunities for kids that don’t want to be on stage. • Promise to find a role (onstage or off) for every kid who is interested and is willing to put in the time. And keep your promise. It’s not possible to have a lead (or even a speaking role) every time, and not every script lends itself to having dozens of bodies on stage, but there’s always a place for extra offstage personnel. Keep kids interested in coming back and if you have way too many actors this time, you know that next time you’re going to need to do a show with a larger cast. Peer Leadership Empower your seniors to welcome the new kids and to give them tools to flourish in your program. Seniors can help with: • Audition preparation • Learning lines • Choreography / blocking review • Modelling rehearsal etiquette • Modelling backstage etiquette • Learning a new technical skill Break up cliques Every group has cliques, this is unavoidable. And cliques can be harmful when you’re trying to build a community. Take note of the cliques that form within your group. When you’re casting a show, it might seem like a good idea to keep the cliques together, but this comes at the expense of being an inclusive program. Spread the wealth It’s tempting to always give your “best” kids the “best” roles. And every so often you get that awesome class who you want to work with forever. Avoid casting the same kids in the “best” roles. It discourages your newer kids and when that perfect class graduates you’ll find yourself back at zero. Reward your kids for making it through the year Hold an “End of Year” award ceremony. Let off the steam from the stresses of the past year and celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. Be creative with the awards. Some ideas: • Most offstage hours put in by a student who wants to be onstage • Scariest backstage “disaster” • Peer mentor of the year • Most promising newcomer • Best “rise to the occasion” moment School Community OutreachOutreach within your school community can raise awareness of your program and boost your numbers. The more awareness there is for your program, the bigger the involvement, the more ammunition you’ll have when budget cuts threaten its existence. Here are some ideas to keep your program front and center in the minds of your school community. Have a “Job Fair” When people think of a drama club, they think of acting in plays. So if kids aren’t interested in acting, they won’t think to get involved in your program. Hold a job fair to raise awareness of all the myriad other talents that we need in the theatre. Your school is teeming with talented kids who aren’t actors, but would still be excellent assets to your program. Mine those talents! Find the musicians in the school. Even if you’re not doing a musical, many plays can benefit from some live music, perhaps as underscoring, or to transition between scenes. Here’s an example of a student who scored and performed music for Bradley Hawyard’s Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less.

The importance of Arts Education is hard to quantify. The Arts excel at improving intangible skills (e.g. communication, self-expression, creative and critical thinking) which don’t graph as well as test scores in Math. If you can’t numerically “prove” the success of your drama class, why should it exist? This opinion is supported by a downward trend in the the number of arts programs and classes offered. The 2012 study Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools found that 55% of High Schools (and a staggering 96% of Elementary Schools) in the US were not offering theatre. But all is not lost. Many studies and research papers exist that strive to numerically prove the value of Arts Education. The goal of this research is to show that students with a high involvement in the arts succeed in quantifiable areas including attendance, grades, and post-secondary success. Additionally, some of these studies provide tangible data for those hard-to-quantify intangible skills. Where do I start?A quick Google search for Arts Education studies will give you a wealth of resources, and we’ve included some helpful links at the end of this article to get you started. But how do you make sense of all this information, especially if you’re short on time or find the figures overwhelming? Look for summariesLet other people do the work for you. Americans for the Arts offers an excellent document that not only pulls out the most effective statistics, it also presents them in a highly visual manner. It is easy to read and understand. What if I want to pick my own stats?Perhaps you’re looking for data that tells you something specific and want to read the papers yourself. This is very time consuming for one person. So enlist the help of other teachers. Throw a Paper Reading Party with drama teachers from your district. Do it over Skype if it’s more convenient. Each teacher is responsible for reading a paper based on your specific criteria and reporting back. You may need to bribe them with pizza, but keeping arts programs alive is important to every arts educator. How do I share this information?How do you effectively get the data into the hands of those who might hold your program by a thread? Visualize the DataOrganize the data so that it’s something to see rather than something to read. Handing someone a page of statistics is not as effective as showing the information visually, like an infographic. You want your information to be presented in an interesting and effective way. What is an infographic? It’s exactly what it sounds like, a visual representation of information. There must a defined point to the infographic and something specific to learn. Here are a couple of examples. What makes an effective infographic?It’s all about the eyes. What do the eyes see? What do they register and take to the brain? Effective infographics provide information in a visual manner that highlights specific points. Any text or statistic you think is important, must stand out and be easy to read. For example, I have no idea what I’m supposed to focus on in this infographic. It’s supposed to be about phones. If you’re giving your infographic to someone who thinks numbers matter then make numbers the focal point. Do your numbers pop? In this infographic the number “1.66 Billion” stands out to me. I want to know the reason for that number. I’m willing to read further because the number has piqued my interest. Use colour to draw the eye. This infographic has a lot of text and a lot of numbers but I don’t find it overwhelming to read because my eye is drawn to specific places. It’s not a wall of text all in one font size or colour. The numbers pop out. Click the link at the end of this post for our Arts Eduction infographic: Students Involved in The Arts...Do What? I can’t do this! How do I make an infographic?There is a website for everything, including for infographics. Here are a couple of links to help you out. • Infogr.am • Canva • 20+Tools to create infographics • 5 Tools for non designers Vocalize the DataCuts to the arts often happen out of ignorance – “It’s just a bunch of games.” Get out your megaphone, stand on your soapbox and let people know this is not true! If you can get support from your fellow teachers, from parents, from community leaders, it’s going to become harder to sweep your program under the rug. You need to become an Arts Advocate. This toolkit from Americans for the Arts is a great place to start. It gives suggestions for how you can increase the visibility and awareness for your program, different ways for your voice to be heard and even how to write a piece for your local paper. The Kennedy Centre has a toolkit for Arts Advocacy. It outlines the habits of effective advocates, prompts you to ask questions (what is my message, who is my message for, how am I delivering my message) and has a checklist for Individual Advocates: • I stay informed about school, district, state, and national initiatives and conduct research on Arts Education. • I inform colleagues, parents, neighbors, family members, friends, and others about the importance of Arts Education and local, state, and national initiatives. • I speak to the principal at my school about the value of arts learning and what the current school programs need. • I invite decision-makers, the media, and supporters to attend student performances and arts events. • I recognize the contributions decision-makers have made to my school or district. • I send decision-makers copies of newsletters, press releases, and articles about Arts Education. • I thank decision-makers for their support The Educational Theatre Association has an Advocacy page on their website. Follow them. Better yet, ask them questions or for recommendations. And finally a list of useful quotes for Arts Advocateswith a PDF link. Information is useful only if it’s seen, heard, and acted upon. That is the most important takeaway point – once you have the knowledge, share it. Let everyone know why the arts must be and should be an integral part of the education picture. Take five minutes and write down five things you could do with an Arts Education statistic. Who could you share it with? How could you visualize it? How can you vocalize it? Arts Education StudiesBelow you’ll find a selection of Arts Education Studies/papers with some info on each. Click each title to link to the individual study. The Arts and Achievement in At Risk Youth • This study is easy to read, well laid out, lots of graphs and easy to extract information. • Four studies that examine the academic and civic behaviour outcomes of teenagers and young adults who have engaged deeply with the arts. • Looked at the effects of intensive arts involvement versus little to no art. • A focus on youth from low socioeconomic status. • Statistically significant differences favouring arts involvement were found. • Students with an average of intense arts involvement show better academic outcomes. • Students with high rich arts experiences were more likely to take a calculus course • Students with few or no arts credits were five times more likely not to graduate than students with many arts credits. • Students with high arts involvement more likely to be in honour societies. Reinvesting in Arts Education • A long read but not difficult. • Produced by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities • Outcomes associated with Arts Education have become increasingly important. • Arts instruction on a downward trend. • The PCAH makes the following recommendations: build collaborations, develop arts integration, expand opportunities for teaching artists, use policy to reinforce the place of Arts Education, widen the focus of Arts Education evidence gathering. • Forward by Arne Duncan US Secretary of Education – good text for quotes. • Improved by arts involvement: student achievement, student motivation and engagement, problem solving skills, social competencies • References a brain study paper that is looking at the effect of early Arts Education on brain development. Addressing the question of transfer learning – involvement in the arts transferring to higher grades in another subject for example. • The need for a new skill set that addresses dropout rates and 21st century skills versus the decrease in arts program. • Cites a study in New York City comparing arts resources in schools to graduation rates. School in bottom third offered least access to arts. • Cites a study by the Conference Board which reports that employers rate creativity among the top five skills for workers. • Appendix includes 13 additional studies. Champions of Change: The Impact of The Arts on Learning • A collection of studies. The purpose is to convince skeptics or neutral decision makers. Looks at why and how young people are change through their arts experience. • When young people are involved with the arts, something changes in their lives. • Although the youth in the arts programs were actually at greater “risk” than those in the other programs, the researchers found that characteristics particular to the arts made those programs more effective. • Champions of change studies found much evidence that learning in the arts has significant effects on learning in other domains. • Engagement in the arts – whether the visual arts, dance, music, theatre, or other disciplines – nurtures the development of cognitive, social and personal competencies. • The arts regularly engage multiple skills and abilities. • Findings: The arts… • Reach students who are not otherwise being reached. • Reach students in ways that they are not otherwise being reached. • Transform the environment for learning. • Provide learning opportunities for adults in the lives of young people. • Provide new challenges for those students already considered successful. • Connect learning experiences to the world of real work. Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement • A May 2005 Harris Poll on the attitudes of Americans toward Arts Education, commissioned by Americans for the Arts, revealed strong public support. Among the findings: 79% agree incorporating the arts into education is the first step in adding back what’s missing in public education today. • Students who participate in arts learning experiences often improve their achievement in other realms of learning and life. In a well-documented national study using a federal database of over 25,000 middle and high school students, researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles found students with high arts involvement performed better on standardized achievement tests than students with low arts involvement (2002 Catterall, James S). • 2005 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report – “Students who took four years of arts coursework outperformed their peers who had one half-year or less of arts coursework by 58 points on the verbal portion and 38 points on the math portion of the SAT.” • Students at risk of not successfully completing their high school educations cite their participation in the arts as reasons for staying in school. Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools • A lot of graphs, tables and data in this study. The study outlines exactly how many schools were surveyed in each case, the socioeconomic status of schools, school characteristics and how schools were approached. • The point of the study is to look at to what extent Arts Education instruction is occurring in schools and under what conditions. • Covers the years 1999-2000, and 2009-2012. • Looks at art, dance, music and drama/theatre – drama/theatre begins on page 46. • In 2009/10 4% of elementary schools offered instruction for drama/theatre during school hours. In 1999/2000 it was 20% • BUT in 2009/10 46% of elementary schools indicated that drama/theatre activities were integrated into other subjects. There is a table that indicates teachers who teach the arts as a separate subject and those who incorporate it into other subjects. • In 2009/10 17% of elementary schools reported professional development for drama/theatre teachers. • There is a breakdown of data of the types of teachers teaching drama/theatre (eg: full-time arts specialists). • 45% of secondary schools surveyed offered drama/theatre instruction in 2008/09 down slightly from 48% in 1999/2000. • In a survey of 18,000 secondary school drama teachers, 52% were using rooms dedicated to drama with special equipment. The study also lists percentages of rooms without special equipment, gyms and cafeteria use, and other rooms. • 32% of secondary school drama teachers in 2009/10 received professional development. Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core • Short paper on Arts Integration. • Integration requires collaboration, research, intentional alignment and practical application on behalf of the teachers who take on this challenge. • Almost everyone has one art form (visual art, music, dance or drama) with which they connect and use to make sense of the world. • Arts Integration seems to be hidden from view because teachers are nervous about their own artistic abilities, and also their ability to effectively facilitate a lesson that includes authentic arts standards • Lesson plan that combines arts and math comprehension. Project Based Learning as a Context for Arts Integration • Short paper on Project Based Learning • Using the arts as a gateway, an introduction into a project • For example, have students do a “tableau” activity where they represent the structure of a cell.