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2021 Survey Report Shows Pandemic's Effects on School Theatre

By EdTA News posted 15 days ago
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As in-person instruction has resumed this fall, theatre teachers and students across the country are thrilled to be returning to the stage. Yet school theatre programs — which offer critical support for social and emotional learning and life-skills development — continue to feel the pandemic’s effects, a survey by the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) shows. Despite COVID-related complications, schools kept theatre going during the 2020-21 school year: Ninety-two percent of EdTA member teachers said they staged at least one in-person production, and 68 percent did at least one virtual production. Yet 53 percent of EdTA member teachers reported that student ...
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EdTA Among Arts Organizations Awarded $8.5 Million Grant for DEI, SEL

By EdTA News posted 18 days ago
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Arts education across the nation could become even more integral to student and school success as well as more inclusive of diverse student experiences and cultures over the next five years as a result of a groundbreaking partnership between arts education organizations led by the National Art Education Association (NAEA), a national nonprofit for visual arts, design, and media arts educators. Partners received a more than $8.5 million federal grant to fund their project, Connected Arts Networks (CAN): Leveraging Arts Learning Communities for Teacher Leadership and Student Achievement, which focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion; social and emotional ...
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Next Board Listening Session: Meet EdTA’s Executive Search Firm

By EdTA News posted 18 days ago
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As part of its commitment to open communication with members, EdTA’s board of directors is hosting bimonthly listening sessions throughout the 2021-2022 school year. The 60-minute sessions revolve around one focus topic for the first 40 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of open discussion, and are open to all EdTA members. November’s session will focus on the search for EdTA’s next executive director. As was recently announced, the association has retained Good Insight as the executive search firm to recruit and hire that role. The listening session will be an opportunity for members to meet the Good Insight team and provide input that will help them in their ...
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Board Hires Firm to Lead Executive Search

By EdTA News posted 21 days ago
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Washington, DC-based Good Insight has been retained to facilitate the national search for EdTA’s next executive leader. Search committee chairs Krista Carson Elhai and Matt Conover selected the firm following a monthlong proposal and interview process. “Good Insight’s focus in the nonprofit sector, commitment to anti-racism, and tailored hiring approach make it an ideal firm to guide us through our national search,” said Elhai. “We’re excited to have their partnership in finding the right candidate to lead EdTA into the future.” The firm works exclusively with nonprofit organizations, with a mission to “connect good causes to great leaders.” In the coming ...
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EdTA Receives $20,000 Ohio Arts Council Grant

By Matt Curtis posted 09-08-2021
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The Ohio Arts Council has awarded EdTA a $20,000 grant to support an association initiative to expand access to theatre education programming in Ohio schools. This fall, EdTA will prototype a “World Drama Club” designed to help students achieve cultural competence, improve social/emotional learning, and develop student leadership skills through theatrical learning. The prototype will target students in schools without arts programming, home-schooled or virtual school students, and students in geographically diverse rural and urban areas — audiences not served by the traditional troupe structure of the association’s International Thespian Society. “EdTA’s ...
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Join in a Board Listening Session September 9

By EdTA News posted 09-02-2021
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Have a question or idea about EdTA scholarships? Your EdTA board of directors will host a virtual listening session Thursday, September 9 at 7 p.m. ET focused on this topic. The session is open to all adult members; if you’d like to participate, sign up by September 8 to receive a meeting link. This is one of an ongoing series of sessions where EdTA members can share ideas and thoughts with the EdTA board. Sessions on other topics will be hosted throughout the year. President Helen Duranleau-Brennan, and Vice President Krista Carson Elhai facilitate the meetings. Other board members and EdTA staff will attend to ensure specific program feedback and suggestions ...
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Nominating Committee Accepting Board Applications

By EdTA News posted 08-27-2021
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Each year, EdTA members elect leaders to serve three-year terms on the board of directors. The association’s nominating committee is currently accepting applications from prospective candidates for the 2022 board election. Any EdTA professional member or Thespian troupe director is eligible to stand for election by filing a  candidate vita form no later than October 8 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The nominating committee will select two to four candidates for each of the two open seats. “EdTA is seeking leaders who are willing to dedicate their time and expertise to overseeing and creating governance policies that will impact the future of our organization,” said board ...
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EdTA Launches Search for Executive Director

By EdTA News posted 08-24-2021
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The EdTA board has launched a national search for its next executive director to lead day-to-day operations and fulfill the organization’s vision and mission of shaping lives through theatre education. Julie Cohen Theobald, who led EdTA and ITS for the past decade — and launched ETF as the organization’s fundraising arm for students and teachers — will move on to a new career opportunity at the end of August. At their July meeting, the board endorsed the process for hiring Theobald’s replacement. The next step is selecting an executive search firm to assist the board in recruiting and hiring the executive director. A request for proposals was issued to ...
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Effective Immediately: New Payment Address for EdTA, ITS, and ITF

By EdTA News posted 08-02-2021
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There has been a change of address for those members who make payments to EdTA, the International Thespian Society, and the International Thespian Festival by check. Effective immediately, our new lockbox remittance addresses are: Educational Theatre Association PO Box 7410260 Chicago, IL 60674-0260 International Thespian Festival PO Box 7410258 Chicago, IL 60674-0258 Please note that these addresses are only for payments; our office is still located at 4805 Montgomery Road, Suite 400, Cincinnati, OH 45212. As always, when submitting payments by mail, please remember to include the remittance form found at the bottom of the invoice . Detach it ...
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Announcing 2021 Educational Theatre Association Award Recipients

By EdTA News posted 07-28-2021
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Each year, the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) honors the achievements of individuals and theatre programs with special awards presented in recognition of notable accomplishments. This year’s list of recipients includes the following:   The Educational Theatre Association Administrator’s Award  recognizes outstanding school administrators who have demonstrated exemplary support for educational theatre and is awarded to  Nate Fancher  of Saint Cloud High School in Saint Cloud, Fla., and  Britt Adams of Northwest Whittfield High School in Tunnel Hill, Ga. As principals, both Fancher and Adams find ways to support the arts through accessibility, ...
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New Board Term Begins

By EdTA News posted 07-01-2021
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July 1 marks the start of a new EdTA board term, with new members joining and others transitioning to new roles. Helen Duranleau-Brennan is your new board president through June 30, 2023. Krista Carson Elhai has rejoined the board as vice president following her election in March. Gai Laing Jones steps into the past president role for one year. Appointed board member Leslie Johnson also joins the board, replacing Laurie Baskin. Duranleau-Brennan, Elhai, and Jones are all longtime theatre educators. Duranleau-Brennan currently works as a literacy and arts consultant for the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency. After 37 years in the classroom, ...
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Jones and Stanfield Named Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teachers of the Year for 2021

By EdTA News posted 06-24-2021
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Roshunda Jones  of G.W. Carver Magnet High School in Houston and  Holly Stanfield  of Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, are the dual recipients of the second annual  Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year Award  presented by  The ASCAP Foundation  and the  Educational Theatre Association  (EdTA). The award recognizes the highest level of achievement for a high school or middle school musical theatre teacher and comes with a $5,000 cash prize. This prestigious award is made possible by a grant from the Annenberg Foundation made in honor of Stephen Schwartz.   Because of the remarkable accolades of the two finalists, ...
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Free Money for School Theatre Programs

By James Palmarini posted 05-26-2021
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Free money for theatre education (almost) Now that I have your attention, here’s what I want to talk about: federal funding for theatre education programs. That’s right—money from Washington that can actually come directly to your program. This is not a fantasy. It’s real and it’s now. I’m talking about the American Rescue Relief Plan (ARP) that was signed into law in March. Embedded in the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package is the Elementary and Secondary Education Relief fund (ESSER) that represents an unprecedented level of financial support for public education. ESSER III, called that as it is the third round of federal funding intended to help ...
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An End-of-School-Year Checklist for Troupe Directors

By EdTA News posted 05-25-2021
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EdTA troupe directors are closing the curtain on an incredibly challenging school year. As you pack up your props and clean up your dressing rooms, here’s your ITS end-of-year checklist: A summary of reminders and useful information about your troupe business to help you close out this year and prepare for the next.   ☑ Take care of outstanding balances.   Have all your inductions and dues for 2020-21 been paid?  L og in  then choose My Orders on the left to check your  account, and  be sure to resolve any unpaid balances. Contact  members@schooltheatre.org  or (513) 421-3900 ext. 1 with questions.   ☑ Process troupe director changes. ...
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EdTA Announces The Social and Emotional Learning Lesson Plan Project

By Cory Wilkerson posted 05-07-2021
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The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) is looking for 20-25 theatre educators, currently teaching in the classroom, who would be willing to create ten model lesson plans illustrating the ways in which theatre education can teach social and emotional skills.  Teachers accepted for the project will be given professional development in making clear connections between theatre instruction and social and emotional learning skills paired with a professional development intensive in assessment for learning.  The time commitment will include a one hour kick off meeting, any time needed to create or re-work ten existing lesson plans,  plus a total of four hours ...
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New Grace Kelly Scholarships to be Awarded at International Thespian Festival

By EdTA News posted 05-06-2021
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The Princess Grace Foundation has partnered with the Educational Theatre Foundation to instill a major investment in the continuing education of promising young theatre artists. Thanks to a generous gift from the Victory Foundation, $500,000 will be allocated over 10 years to the Grace Kelly Scholarship program, awarded to students who show creative promise in their area of the theatrical arts, with an emphasis on traditionally underserved communities. Through the International Thespian Excellence Awards (Thespys®), the newly established program will provide extraordinary young theatre students at the high school level with financial support and mentorships ...
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