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Community Spotlight: Julie Hanisch

By Ginny Butsch posted 15 days ago
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One of the main goals for our Theatre Education Community is to help theatre students and professionals from all over connect and identify with each other in order to build resources and support the theatre education field. We shine a spotlight on a different member every other week by conducting a simple interview. Our next Spotlight is Julie Hanisch, the English/Drama teacher at Mukwonago High School in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, home of Thespian Troupe 642. Julie has been exchanging ideas and advice in the Open Forum for a couple years now and has a clear passion for creating student leaders and providing a variety of theatrical opportunities. Why do ...
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Important Enhancements Coming to EdTA Online Member Services

By EdTA News posted 15 days ago
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EdTA is upgrading our member management software to better serve you. This upgrade will provide streamlined operations, integrated technology systems, and advanced features that give you more flexibility to manage your member experience. The change requires us to take some transactional processes offline beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, December 1, and continuing through Friday, December 11. During this time, you’ll still be able to register for Thespian Nation Live , access webinars and lesson plans on Theatre Educator Pro , order items in the Thespian Spirit Shop , post or receive messages in our online forums , and make a donation to ...
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Advocacy Leadership Network Seeking New Chapter Representatives

By EdTA News posted 16 days ago
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The Educational Theatre Association’s Advocacy Leadership Network (ALN) is now accepting applications for new chapter representatives. Launched in 2017, the ALN is designed to train adult members in grassroots advocacy efforts on behalf of theatre and other arts education. The network, currently including 26 chapters, was founded to address a new era of public education signaled with the passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. ESSA gave greater responsibility to state and district decision makers to determine how and what education is delivered to their K-12 students. The goal of the ALN is to create a coordinated team of chapter ...
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Save the Date for Virtual ITF 2021

By EdTA News posted 23 days ago
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The Virtual International Thespian Festival ― the ultimate annual celebration of school theatre ― will return June 22-25, 2021. For one week every summer, members of the International Thespian Society and other theatre fans from around the globe gather for performances, interactive workshops led by top teaching artists, and auditions with premier colleges and universities in a community-centered experience like no other. Daily surprises and special appearances by Broadway and Hollywood celebrities mean participants never know who might stop by. Virtual ITF attendees can: Participate in a broad range of workshops highlighting every theatre interest. Enjoy ...
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EdTA Nominating Committee Selects 11 Board Candidates

By EdTA News posted 11-02-2020
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The Educational Theatre Association Nominating Committee has selected 11 candidates to compete for three national board seats. They have endorsed three candidates for the vice president/president position and eight candidates for two board director positions. The nominees for vice president/president are Krista Carson Elhai, David Tate Hastings, and Scott Walker. The vice president/president serves one five-year term: two years as VP, two years as president, one as past president. Randall Delone Adkison, Tali Allen, Donald Amerson, Sean Elias, Joannarae Ibañez, Darla Jones, Silvia D. Scaife, and Mary Schuttler will be on the ballot for the board director ...
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EdTA Survey Shows Profound Impact of COVID-19 on Theatre Education

By EdTA News posted 10-16-2020
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The Educational Theatre Association’s August survey, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Theatre Education,” has confirmed the profound effect of the pandemic on school theatre throughout the United States, leaving many programs at significant risk in the coming years. The survey queried more than 11,000 middle and high school theatre educators about the status of their programs in the pandemic environment. Nearly 2,400 teachers responded, offering a snapshot of how COVID-19 has reshaped both their teaching methods and student learning opportunities. Analysis shows programs have suffered substantial revenue losses, with 91% of schools forced to cancel performances ...
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Chapter Director Elections 2021

By EdTA News posted 10-15-2020
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The following candidates have been nominated by their boards to run for chapter director positions beginning August 1, 2021: Illinois Chapter ― James Smith Indiana Chapter ― Jeremy Leazenby Bruce & Ray Palasz (co-directors) Iowa Chapter ― No nominations. Kansas Chapter ― Barbara Hilt and Jennifer Morgan-Beuchet (co-directors) Massachusetts Chapter ― Jessica Harms Michigan Chapter ― Jason Pratt Montana Chapter ― Sarah DeGrandpre Nebraska Chapter ― Brooke Phillips and Emili Mokrycki (co-directors) New Jersey Chapter ― Carolyn Little New York Chapter ― Lindsay Shields Ohio Chapter ― Matt Wolfe ...
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USITT and EdTA Launch Technical Theatre Pilot Exam in High Schools Across the Country

By EdTA News posted 09-08-2020
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                       The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and the Educational Theatre Association(EdTA)  have selected 171 schools from 39 states and Taiwan to participate in the BACKstage Technical Theatre Pilot Exam, a digital test for high school students designed to measure their competency in a broad range of technical theatre knowledge. Several thousand students are expected to take the pilot exam, which includes both a pre- and post-test. The pre-test is available between September 8 and October 22, 2020, and the post-test will be conducted April 15 through June 1, 2021.  USITT, the recognized expert in the field of ...
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Community Spotlight: Marie Miguel

By Ginny Butsch posted 09-02-2020
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One of the main goals for our Theatre Education Community is to help theatre students and professionals from all over connect and identify with each other in order to build resources and support the theatre education field. We shine a spotlight on a different member every other week by conducting a simple interview. Our next Spotlight is Marie Miguel, the theatre teacher at Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. Marie also has an adaption of Frankenstein published and available at Stage Plays, with a forthcoming publication of an adaption of Oedipus, also at Stage Plays .   Why do you believe theatre is important? For many people, ...
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Nominating Committee Accepting Board Applications

By EdTA News posted 09-01-2020
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The Educational Theatre Association Nominating Committee is accepting applications from prospective candidates for positions on the EdTA Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee will select a slate of candidates for two Board director positions and one Vice President/President position for an election that will be conducted online beginning in January 2021, and concluding in March 2021. Any EdTA professional member, including Thespian troupe directors, is eligible to stand for election by filing a  candidate vita form  with the Nominating Committee. The committee has been instructed by the Board to seek two to four candidates for each of the three open ...
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Member-Only Resources for Current Needs and Issues

By EdTA News posted 08-28-2020
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                                A Message from EdTA's Education Manager Cory Wilkerson Whether your return to school involves in-person or virtual classes and productions, or hybrid work, EdTA has you covered with invaluable resources packed full of information, tips, and tools. In Theatre Educator Pro you’ll find: the Resources for Creating Online Learning page that includes top 10 tips for teaching theatre online, complete with a guide written by educators like you who have been there, plus ideas for content which translates well to an online or hybrid teaching situation; “Click to Teach” project-based units that include everything you ...
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Advocacy Update: August 13, 2020

By Leah Ball posted 08-13-2020
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EdTA Advocacy Update August 13, 2020 The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education. STATE NEWS Do you have state or province theatre or arts education news you want to share? Send it to Leah at lball@schooltheate.org Arkansas: Governor's Arts Awards open for nominations (Jonesboro Sun) Indiana: Lt. Governor Crouch Launches Arts, Cultural & Destination Marketing Organization Support Grants (Eagle Country 99.3) Kentucky: Kentucky Arts Industry Leaders Lobby Federal Government For Relief (89.3 WFPL) Massachusetts: ...
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Teaching Artist Spotlight: Suzanne Maguire

By Ginny Butsch posted 08-12-2020
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We recently launched a new Community program called Teaching Artist Directory . This directory is an EdTA members-only benefit that helps you find skilled theatre professionals to lead workshops in your classroom or at an event.   Our latest featured teaching artist is Suzanne Maguire, the Associate Director of Tiger Drama at Lewis & Clark High School, Washington State Thespians board member, a member of Teaching Artist Alliance, and the owner/coach of SpokaneActing . Suzanne has taught a variety of workshops at EdTA events, helping students and directors expand their acting skills and confidence.   What is your favorite thing about being ...
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Register Now for EdTA’s 2020 National Conference: Future- Proof Your Theatre Program

By EdTA News posted 08-11-2020
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Registration for the 2020 National Conference: Future-Proof Your Theatre Program, taking place on September 12-13, is now open! EdTA members who renew before the event attend for free. This is a pivotal moment for theatre education. Theatre is seeking to find its place in the dialogues surrounding race, social isolation, economic hardship, and political discourse. Since theatre teachers are expected to chart a brand-new path for themselves and students, the conference will support educators with accountable, practical solutions and ideas to use throughout the school year. Keynote presentations are by playwright and educator Idris Goodwin , known ...
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Being Proactive for your Students and Your Program

By Mitch Critel posted 08-10-2020
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Mitchell L Critel is the Technical Director and Production Manager at the University of Evansville. His work has taken him into many different venues and disciplines; Film, Television, Professional Theatre, and recently the University of  Nebraska- Lincoln where he led the BFA and MFA programs in Technical Production and Management.   Being Proactive for your Students and Your Program   As the world shifted from on campus to remote, I found myself trying to wrap my mind around how to teach hands-on production and management classes in an online format in an equitable way. If this stress was not enough,  I was also faced with decisions for an in-house ...
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