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Six students who experienced influenza-like symptoms while attending the Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln last week have been confirmed to have contracted H1N1 influenza, commonly known as swine flu, according to Nebraska public health authorities. None of them experienced severe illness, the state Department of Health and Human Services said. According to a broadcast report quoting health officials in Lincoln, all six have recovered or are “well on their way.”
The six confirmed cases were among eight individuals who tested positive for Type A influenza during the event, which ended Sunday. There were no known additional flu cases among people who attended the Festival as of noon Thursday. Public health officials have asked everyone who attended the Festival to participate in a survey to help them locate any as yet unreported cases and track the spread of the illness. The survey can be completed online at www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2bIKT8ghafZPJxlnh6XfKjQ_3d_3d. Here is the complete text of today’s statement from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, issued over the signature of Bryan F. Buss of the department’s Office of Epidemiology: “During the 2009 Thespian Festival held June 22–27 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, eight attendees were identified who experienced influenza-like illness at the time of the festival. Initial samples collected from these eight persons tested positive for influenza A. In response, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department initiated an investigation. “Six samples have subsequently been confirmed as the new variant influenza A H1N1 or swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV), testing is pending on one, and confirmatory testing was not performed on one. Fortunately, the affected persons who are residents of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas did not experience severe illness. The majority of attendees were not Nebraska residents; if any of these persons experienced illness in the days following the event, they likely would not seek health care in Nebraska thus our ability to investigate and identify such cases is limited. “At the present time, additional cases of illness have not been reported but whether further spread of the virus occurred among attendees is unknown. Accordingly, to determine if additional illnesses have occurred, we are contacting attendees as part of this ongoing investigation and have invited them to complete a survey. “This is a public health activity as described by 45 CFR §164.512(b), and authorized by Neb. Rev. Stat. §71-503.01. All collected information is confidential. Personal information will not be disclosed or released. The survey is voluntary but I encourage all attendees of the festival to participate and I wish to thank those who do in advance.” (Posted 7/2/09)
The proposal to change the name of the International Thespian Society to the Thespian Honor Society was narrowly defeated—by ten votes—in an EdTA membership meeting at the Thespian Festival. Since the proposal would have modified the EdTA code of regulations, at least two-thirds of the votes cast, rather than a simple majority, would have had to vote “yes” for the proposal to pass. The tally was 182 votes for the name change and 105 against.
“While the vote did not approve the name change, the board of directors remains confident that its decision to forward and endorse the proposal was the right course of action for the organization, its students, and its future,” says EdTA Board President Jerry Smith. “The fact that 64.3 percent of the voting members supported the name change indicates that more than a majority of voters felt the same, but the proposal failed to meet the necessary objective of a two-thirds affirmative vote. Name change or not, our mission remains the same: honoring student achievement in theatre.” (Posted 7/1/09)
The EdTA Board of Directors voted to endorse a statement from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) titled “A Statement of Support for the Whole Child.”
In a letter requesting support for the statement, Kathleen Welling, ASCD director of alliances and partnerships, wrote, “We call on parents, educators, policymakers, and communities to join forces to ensure our children become productive, engaged citizens. Our children deserve an education that emphasizes academic rigor as well as the essential 21st-century skills of critical thinking and creativity.” EdTA President Jerry Smith commented, “We have special appreciation for the emphasis on essential twenty-first-century skills of critical thinking and creativity and the statement’s support for a challenging well-balanced curriculum. EdTA believes that the education of the whole child must include standards-based work in the arts presented by qualified teachers.” EdTA members are encouraged to read The Learning Compact Redefined: A Call to Action at www.wholechildeducation.org. Members may also sign the petition in support of the Whole Child at the website. (Posted 6/16/09)
The Educational Theatre Association will offer its first online professional development class for teachers this fall. The focus will be the Critical Links Inquiry Process, a professional development program that helps educators refine their teaching methodology through classroom-based action research. Enrolled teachers will be eligible to earn three graduate credits through the University of Northern Colorado. The two-semester class will be conducted on UNCO’s online blackboard, and taught by Critical Links co-creator Cheryll Ostrom and Dr. Byron Richards, education research coordinator at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Minneapolis.
Much of the curriculum will be drawn from the 2007–09 Ohio Critical Links Pilot Project, in which twelve theatre educators from throughout Ohio created classroom- pertinent inquiry questions, and shared the gathered data with their colleagues in three “learning community” meetings. For more information about the Critical Links process, go to www.criticallinks.org. The final reports of the pilot project teachers can be viewed at www.edta.org/criticallinks. “The idea is replicate the inquiry and learning community process online, without the stress of having to travel and commit daily to being someplace at a particular time,” said project director James Palmarini. “We all know how busy theatre teachers are, and I think this might a good way for them to take a fresh look at their teaching methodology and earn graduate credits at the same time—without ever leaving their computers.” Palmarini also said he hoped that the data generated by the class will help EdTA begin to create an index of best theatre teaching practices. “Critical Links asserts that the theatre teachers working with students every day are the best judge of what works and what doesn’t, in the classroom and on the stage,” he said. EdTA Executive Director Michael Peitz said the class is a natural progression of the model that was created in the pilot project. “We’re hoping that this is the first step toward a series of online professional development opportunities for our teachers,” he said. “It’s a good way to advance both your own training needs and to ultimately do the best job possible for your students.” The registration fee for the class is $300; UNCO graduate credits are $185 each. Registration is limited to twenty-four students. All registrants must apply for at least one graduate credit per semester. EdTA will also make CEUs available. Registration is now open. To register, go to www.edta.org/onlinecriticallinks. All registrations must be faxed or mailed to the EdTA home office. The class is scheduled to begin October 5 and runs through May 14, 2010. (Posted 6/11/09) 
The Educational Theatre Association Arts Advocacy Day delegates. | 
EdTA essay winner Lauren Caddick and
North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan
on Capitol Hill, Arts Advocacy Day 2009. |
Arts Advocacy Day was held March 30–31 in Washington, D.C. The annual two-day gathering draws arts advocates from throughout the country to lobby on behalf of legislative initiatives and financial support for the arts and arts education. This year’s meeting included nineteen members of the Educational Theatre Association from nine states, along with more than five hundred other registered delegates. EdTA adult attendees were Eva Ferguson (Arizona); Jeremy Goldson, Elizabeth Goldson, Mary Schuttler, and Jay Seller (Colorado); Lynn Jensen and Helen Duranleau (Iowa); Brian Drake and Phillip Moss (Michigan); Ben Martin (Missouri); Joe Norton (New York); Diana Vance, Michael J. Peitz, and James Palmarini (Ohio); Bob Singleton (Texas); and Bob Smith (Virginia). Michigan’s delegation included two students—David Clauson and Jacob Dombrowski.
The meeting featured advocacy training to prepare attendees for visits to Congressional offices, testimony before Congress by musicians Linda Ronstadt, Josh Groban, and Wynton Marsalis, and the Nancy Hanks Lecture at the Kennedy Center. The Hanks speaker was Marsalis, who presented a remarkable one-hour review of two hundred years of American history and culture, using bits of blues, swing, ragtime, and bebop music to make his case on the importance of arts in our society. His lecture-performance can viewed online at www.americansforthearts.org/events/2009/aad/nhl09.asp. Among the Arts Advocacy Day delegates was EdTA student essay winner Lauren Caddick, of Troupe 7152, Forestview High School, Gastonia, North Carolina. Caddick was chosen from eight semifinalist essayists, drawn from more than one hundred submissions by Thespians from throughout the country. The essay topic was “Why arts education is important to America’s future.” EdTA launched the competition in support of Arts Advocacy Day, and as a way of acknowledging the importance of student voices in the ongoing effort to maintain and expand arts education in the United States. EdTA paid the travel and attendance costs for Caddick and her mother to attend the event, where they participated in legislative training on the current arts issues circulating on Capitol Hill and lobbying visits to North Carolina Congressional representatives. Caddick said she was thrilled by Marsalis’s presentation. She also got a photo opportunity with Groban. As a member of the North Carolina delegation, Caddick and the group were escorted to Capitol Hill, where they meet with the state’s new junior senator, Kay Hagan. The senator came off the floor of the senate during a vote and met the group in an outer reception area—a rare occurrence during Arts Advocacy Day meetings, according to an Americans for the Arts staffer. After listening to the group’s request that the senator support, among other things, National Endowment for the Arts and Arts in Education funding, Hagan spent a little time talking to Caddick about her essay and future plans. “It was really something for her to take time out to talk to us,” said Caddick. “This whole experience is something I’ll never ever forget.” EdTA Executive Director Michael Peitz said he was very pleased with the participation from so many of the organization’s state chapters this year, as well as the response to the new essay contest. “Both our adult and student members really stepped up and spoke out this year about arts education in this country. Our voices really can make a difference, and I think it’s clear that working on behalf of arts education is a win for students and teachers alike. Next year, we’re hoping we can get even more folks to Washington, particularly students—Arts Advocacy Day is such a great lesson in democracy on action.” (Posted 4/15/09)
The EdTA nominating committee has selected nominees for the elected position of EdTA board director. The term for the elected individual will begin August 1, 2010 and run through July 31, 2013.
The candidates selected by the nominating committee are: - Anita Grant, a retired theatre educator from Clements High School, Sugar Land, Texas, and former Texas chapter director;
- Gai Jones, a retired theatre educator from El Dorado High School, Placentia, California, former California chapter director, and former EdTA territory and regional director;
- Jay Seller, a teacher at Horizon High School, Thornton, Colorado, the current Colorado chapter director, and former EdTA territory director.
The board asked the committee to nominate candidates who added diversity to the board’s composition in gender, age, ethnicity, and regional representation with emphasis on - Leadership experience in chapter governance
- Experience as a middle school/secondary-school teacher and/or administrator
- Experience in advocacy for theatre education
- Experience in fundraising
- Active participation at EdTA’s major events, EdTA Annual Conference and International Thespian Festival
Candidates were also asked to state their vision for the Association. As directed by the EdTA Code of Regulations, the committee is charged to seek and nominate at least one candidate for open positions. The candidates’ responses to qualifications questions and their résumés can be accessed using the links below. Responses are printed verbatim and are limited to 150 words. Additional candidates may be placed on the ballot by petition: the petition process and forms for board candidacy can be downloaded and filled out, and must be received at the EdTA home office by June 30. The election will take place during the 2009 EdTA Annual Conference, September 10–13, which will be held in Anaheim, California at the membership meeting on Saturday, September 12. (Posted 4/3/09) Anita Grant vita
Anita Grant responses
Gai Jones vita
Gai Jones responses
Jay Seller vita
Jay Seller responses
Petition for inclusion on the ballot, vita form, instructions, and campaigning policy for EdTA board director
The Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) has named Ruthie Tutterow, an EdTA member from Greensboro, North Carolina, as the winner of its essay competition.
Tutterow is chair of the drama department at Greensboro Day School and troupe director of Thespian Troupe 6570. In her winning essay, Tutterow explained how attending the 2009 VASTA Conference would further her artistic and professional goals. As the winner, Tutterow receives $500 toward airfare to the VASTA Conference and a waiver for the $275 conference registration fee. She will have the opportunity to work with internationally renowned voice trainers Kristin Linklater, Patsy Rodenburg, Catherine Fitzmaurice, and Arthur Lessac, as well as network with colleagues from around the world. “As a high school drama teacher, I am eager to learn new ways for my students to optimize their vocal instrument,” says Tutterow. “I have used Patsy Rodenburg’s [videotape] A Voice of Your Own with my students and look forward to learning more from Ms. Rodenburg, as well as the other teachers at this conference. I am grateful for this opportunity!” EdTA and VASTA were a good match for this competition, according to Rena Cook, editor-in-chief of VASTA’s publication Voice and Speech Review: “When we conceived of the contest, EdTA seemed like a natural partner; no other organization puts you in touch with so many Thespians and their teachers.” The free trip was offered exclusively to EdTA members to increase awareness of the importance of voice training. “Part of EdTA’s mission is ensuring that our members have the vital professional development opportunities that they need in order to better serve their students,” says EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz. “The VASTA Conference provides professional development to theatre educators who wish to hone their skills in voice training. We are pleased that VASTA reached out to EdTA to create this opportunity to send one of our members to their conference.” The VASTA Conference will take place in New York City August 3–7. (Posted 3/18/09)
A group of performing arts and sports organizations have filed suit in Federal Court challenging the Federal Communication Commission’s 2008 ruling on the use of so-called “white spaces”—the radio frequencies used by wireless microphones. The Educational Theatre Association is one of several theatre groups that have joined the suit. Others include The Broadway League, Alliance of Resident Theatres, and the Theatre Communications Group. The cable network ESPN, along with the NCAA and a wide range of professional sports organizations, are also participating in the U.S. Court of Appeals petition.
The FCC’s “White Spaces Order” was part of the transition to digital broadcasting that was supposed to occur on February 17 (since delayed). The new digital broadcasts for television stations and new unlicensed devices (PDAs, cell phones, etc.) will inhabit the same frequency range—470 to 698 MHz—that wireless microphones use. There is concern among performing arts organization that the increased use of the frequencies by potentially millions of unlicensed devices could cause audio interference during public performances. Under the reallocated broadcast spectrum, the FCC will put aside two channels exclusively for “incumbent users” of unlicensed wireless devices in heavy-use markets; set up a system in which wireless users can register in a geo-location database that will allow them to track available channels; and require that all wireless devices have the capability to sense other wireless devices on the same frequency. The petition, filed February 27, seeks “review of the White Spaces Order on ground that it exceeds the Commission’s statutory authority and is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, unsupported by substantial evidence, or otherwise contrary to law.” The concern over the continued reliability and use of wireless microphones also prompted Americans for the Arts to include it in a “Communication Issues of Concern” brief distributed to members of Congress as part of Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. in late March. The brief urged Congress and the FCC to: - Conduct adequate testing of new devices to preserve the ability of wireless microphones used in performing arts venues to operate without interference.
- Recognize the legitimate use of wireless microphones used in the performing arts.
- Allow performing arts venues to be eligible for inclusion in a geo-location database.
Educational Theatre Association Executive Director Michael Peitz said EdTA joined the suit “to insure that educational theatre’s voice was heard in this very important issue.” Peitz noted that EdTA was supportive of creating greater access to the Internet, but also added that he was concerned that the re-allocation of the broadcast spectrum could open the door to radio interference to wireless microphones. “Our schools have come to depend on high quality audio systems, just like those in professional theatre,” he said. “It’s simply part of the educational package that we offer our students. Our theatre educators would have to radically change their teaching strategies if they we’re unable to depend on wireless microphones for their productions.” (Posted 3/9/09) 
Lauren Caddick. |
EdTA has selected the winner of its first student essay contest: sixteen-year-old Lauren Caddick, of Troupe 7152, Forestview High School, Gastonia, North Carolina. Caddick was chosen from eight semifinalist essayists, drawn from more than one hundred submissions. The essay topic was “Why arts education is important to America’s future.”
In her essay Caddick said, “In my life, arts education has played an irreplaceable role.... Art is an essential part of human existence and I hope that one day, with the support of our nation’s leaders, every American will be as positively influenced by the arts as I have.” EdTA launched the competition to support Arts Advocacy Day, organized by the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for the Arts. The event, set for March 30–31, draws arts advocates from throughout the country lobbying on behalf of legislative initiatives and financial support for the arts, including education. The competition was open to inducted student members of the International Thespian Society. EdTA will cover $1,500 of the travel and attendance costs for Caddick and a chaperone to attend Arts Advocacy Day, where they will take part in all event activities, including legislative training on the current arts issues circulating on Capitol Hill and lobbying visits to district Congressional representatives. Americans for the Arts has waived event registration fees. Readers for the contest were the staff of Dramatics magazine, EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz, Americans for the Arts Education Director John Abodeely, and Heather Noonan Watts, vice-president of advocacy for the League of American Orchestras. Caddick, who has been involved in the arts since she was seven, said she was prompted to submit her essay because she knew the importance of the arts was something she could address passionately. “About a year ago I saw a story in our local paper about the possibility that a string program in our elementary school might be cut. My sister was in that program and I had been, too. Plus I knew that, for some students, it was why they looked forward to coming to school every day. So I wrote a letter to the paper, drew cartoons in support of the program, contacted a school board member, and we were able to save the program. That experience taught me first-hand about the connection between the arts and community involvement.” Peitz said he was gratified that the response to the new essay contest had been so strong. “It says something about how aware our kids are, not just of their own needs, but those of their fellow students throughout the country. I’m especially proud that EdTA could help Americans for the Arts get the message out that arts advocacy is something that everyone can do—students and adults alike.” Caddick’s essay will be included in Arts Advocacy Day materials distributed to all registrants and Congress, and be published in Dramatics magazine. Links to her essay, along with the semifinalist entries, are listed below. For more information about Arts Advocacy Day 2009, go to artsusa.org/events/2009/aad. (Posted 2/26/09) Lauren Caddick’s essay
Semifinalist essays - Anne Alcasid, Bishop Moore High School, Troupe 5628, Lake Mary, Florida; essay
- Allison Aoun, Orange County High School of the Arts, Troupe 88726, Santa Ana, California; essay
- Allison Chalifoux, Bishop Moore High School, Troupe 5628, Altamonte Springs, Florida; essay
- Olivia Cho, Arendell Parrott Academy, Troupe 6652, New Bern, North Carolina; essay
- James Hendley, Newman (Georgia) High School, Troupe 7132; essay
- Hilary Kelly, Bishop Moore High School, Troupe 5628, Winter Park, Florida; essay
- Taylor Thompson, Jasper High School, Troupe 6044, Plano, Texas; essay
Molly Grasso has been elected the next chapter director for Nebraska Thespians. Her term begins on August 1, 2009 and runs through July 31, 2013.
Grasso, the troupe director for Troupe 68 at Papillion-La Vista High School, succeeds Robyn Baker of Millard South High School in Omaha. Grasso has served as a chapter committee head, developed the Nebraska Thespians webpage, directed the 2003 all-state production of Godspell, and hosted the 2006 Nebraska Thespian Festival. “I am very excited for the opportunity to be chapter director for the state of Nebraska,” says Grasso. “In the past four years, our state has made incredible changes in our state festival and I am proud of all that we have done. I look forward to working to help our state develop a better communication system and to expand our current network of troupes.” “As Nebraska Thespians continues to grow, we are pleased to have active members who are willing to step forward and take on leadership roles,” says EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz. “It is no small task for these busy educators to take time out of their schedules to provide leadership and support to their chapter. We thank Robyn Baker for her service as chapter director and look forward to having Molly Grasso take the helm and lead Nebraska Thespians into an exciting future.” (Posted 2/5/09)
Four Thespians were recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) youngARTS program:
- Tucker Worley, Troupe 5869, Denver School of the Arts, Parker, Colorado; Finalist in musical theatre
- Nora Garrett, Troupe 5869, Denver School of the Arts, Lakewood, Colorado; Merit Award in spoken theatre
- Nathan Cheeseman, Troupe 2960, Middleton High School, Verona, Wisconsin; Merit Award in spoken theatre
- Danielle Peterson, Troupe 4182, Lexington (South Carolina) High School, Merit Award in spoken and musical theatre
- Monique Huff, Troupe 4229, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas; Honorable Mention in spoken and musical theatre
The youngARTS program recognizes the most talented U.S. high school seniors in nine disciplines in the performing, literary, and visual arts. Each year hundreds of participants receive cash awards, and ultimately twenty finalists are named Presidental Scholars in the Arts. Finalists receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Miami for a week of master classes, showcase performances, and final adjudications. Students who qualify for the first round of the National Individual Events Showcase at the International Thespian Festival and students who are selected as semifinalists in the Thespian Playworks program are eligible to bypass the preliminary judging of the youngARTS program. “The Educational Theatre Association is a perfect example of the kind of partnership that NFAA appreciates,” says NFAA Vice President of Communications Judy Block. “Their member students are exceptional artists who obviously have great talent and exceptional gifts to share with the world, and we are proud to support them.” “The NFAA youngARTS program provides an important avenue for the cultivation of young talent and recognition of the transformative power of the arts” says EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz. “EdTA is proud to be associated with this program and looks forward to continuing our association in an effort to support the work of those who represent the future of the arts.” For more information about the youngARTS program, visit www.youngARTS.org. (Updated 2/19/09)
Matt Conover, who is the vice president of entertainment at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and head of the Disney Parks casting team, has been appointed to the EdTA board of directors. Conover was appointed to fill the remainder of the term of board member Paul Leopoulos, who resigned to be able to devote more time to the operation of his family-run foundation.
Conover’s connection to EdTA began when he was inducted as a member of Thespian Troupe 335 at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland. During his twenty years with Disney, Conover served as the production manager on the grand opening team for Disneyland Resort Paris, developed the Walt Disney Theatre, and created three original musicals for the Disney Cruise Line. “I am very honored and excited to be joining this terrific group of professionals who all share the common purpose—continuing to improve, enhance, and champion arts as a key component of education,” says Conover. “I was inspired to pursue a career in the arts while a high school student in Rockville, Maryland. It was educators then, just like the members of EdTA today, who inspired young people with a passion for the arts to practice their craft and embrace all of the lessons that an arts education provides. I want to be one of those now who can inspire.” “Matt Conover is an example of how an arts education can prepare an individual for success in a variety of career paths,” says EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz. “His years of experience and dedication to the arts in his career with Disney, coupled with his history as a Thespian, make him a unique and valuable addition to the EdTA board of directors. We are excited to welcome him and look forward to his contributions to the Association.” Conover’s term as board director runs from December 2008 through July 31, 2010. (Posted 1/20/09)
The nominating committee of the EdTA board of directors is accepting vitae from qualified members for a seat on the board, to be elected in September. The updated deadline for submitting a vita to be considered for nomination is March 9, 2009. The election will be held during the 2009 EdTA Annual Conference, which takes place September 10–13 in Anaheim, California.
The board established the skill sets and qualifications for nominees for the board director position during its December 2008 meeting. These criteria, which are outlined in a selection matrix (link below), will be used by nominating committee in selecting a candidate for inclusion on the ballot. The key dates for the election timeline are:
March 9, 2009: Vitae packets must be received at home office by this date
April 6: Nominating committee candidate is announced; petition forms and process posted online
June 30: Petitions must be received at home office by this date
July 25: Final ballot announced; registration for absentee ballots opens
August 15: Last day to request absentee ballot
August 22: Absentee ballots mailed from home office
September 5: Absentee ballots must be received at home office
September 13: Membership meeting and election at Annual Conference The nominee selection matrix can be downloaded from the link below. (Updated 3/10/09)
2009 EdTA board member nominee selection matrix
More than three hundred Thespian troupes in thirty-eight states collected 308,096 pounds (as of 11/7/08) (including late donations, 309,543 pounds) of food for local food banks as part of the Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat (TOTS-EAT) food drive.
Each year TOTS-EAT honors participating Thespians with community service awards in several categories at the troupe, team, and chapter levels. This year’s honorees are listed below. Troupe awards
Cornucopia Award, for most total weight collected by a single troupe: Troupe 2326, Kellam High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia; 16,162 pounds. Harvest Excellence Award, for greatest total collection by a first-time participant (troupes only): Troupe 2131, South Lafourche High School, Galliano, Louisiana; 2,108 pounds. Community Spirit Award, for first Thespian troupe registered (that also met the donation verification deadline): Troupe 2326, Kellam High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Golden Harvest Award, for troupes that collect more than 15,000 pounds: Troupe 2326, Kellam High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 16,162 pounds; and Troupe 4274, Grinnell (Iowa) High School, 15,762 pounds. Abundant Harvest Award, for greatest one-year increase in total collections by a troupe. For increase by pounds: Troupe 6512, Glen Este High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, 3,032-pound increase. For increase by percent: Troupe 6512, Glen Este High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1,011 percent increase. Troupe team awards
Cornucopia Award, for most total weight collected by a team: Wichita Area Team, Wichita, Kansas, 11,405 pounds. Team members include: Troupe 182, Wichita South High School; Troupe 184, Derby Senior High School; Troupe 695, Kapaun-Mt. Carmel Catholic High School; Troupe 923, Wichita Heights High School; Troupe 1204, Wichita High School West; Troupe 1820, Wichita Southeast High School; Troupe 2661, Wichita Northwest High School; Troupe 3473, Wichita North High School; Troupe 3540, Andover High School; Troupe 3596, Maize High School; Troupe 6282, Andover Central High School; Troupe 6542, Northeast Magnet High School; and Troupe 6544, Rose Hill High School. Community Spirit Award, for first team registered (that also met the donation verification deadline): Lee’s Summit United, Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Team members include: Troupe 1885, Lee’s Summit High School; Troupe 6258, Lee’s Summit North High School; Troupe 6761, Lee’s Summit West High School; and Troupe 7225, Lee’s Summit Community Christian School. Chapter awards Cornucopia Award, for most total weight collected by a chapter: - Overall winner: Texas Thespian Chapter of EdTA, 40,917 pounds
- Division 1 (1–10 participating troupes): Virginia Thespians, 23,634 pounds
- Division 2 (11–20 participating troupes): California State Thespians, 12,795 pounds
- Division 3 (21–30 participating troupes): Missouri State Thespians, 31,459 pounds
- Division 4 (31–40 participating troupes): Kansas Thespians, 34,220 pounds
Outstanding Commitment Award, for greatest percentage participation of active Thespian troupes: - Overall winner: Kansas Thespians, 52 percent
- Division 1 (1–10 participating troupes): Montana Chapter of EdTA, 27 percent
- Division 2 (11–20 participating troupes): EdTA Arkansas, 28 percent
- Division 3 (21–30 participating troupes): Missouri State Thespians, 20 percent
- Division 5 (41–50 participating troupes): Texas Thespian Chapter of EdTA, 10 percent
Abundant Harvest Award, for greatest one-year increase in total collections by a chapter. For increase by pounds: Oregon Thespians, 8,812-pound increase. For increase by percent, Oregon Thespians, 733 percent increase. Ten preregistered and participating troupes were randomly drawn to receive a $100 gift certificate good for anything from the EdTA Resources and Thespian Gear and Honors Catalogs. This year’s winners are: Troupe 1053, The Woodlands (Texas) High School; Troupe 1341, Harrisonville (Missouri) High School; Troupe 1476, Salina (Kansas) South High School; Troupe 1903, New Smyrna Beach (Florida) Senior High School; Troupe 2413, Shawnee Mission (Kansas) West High School; Troupe 3430, Bentonville (Arkansas) High School; Troupe 4151, Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kansas; Troupe 4589, West Hall High School, Oakwood, Georgia; Troupe 6386, Vernon Hills (Illinois) High School; and Troupe 88881, Summer Creek Middle School, Crowley, Texas. See the troupe and team totals page and chapter total pages for all the 2008 totals. (Posted 11/25/08)
Florida will have a new chapter director starting in 2010. C. LeRoy “Lee” Tempest, of Deerfield Beach High School, was elected by Florida EdTA members to succeed longtime chapter director Michael Higgins of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville.
Tempest, who has spent twenty-five years at Deerfield Beach, served as the head of the school’s English department, faculty chair, and graduation coordinator. He also served as co-chair of District VII and on its board. “I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to serve Florida’s troupe directors as the next chapter director,” said Tempest. “I hope to build on the wonderful foundation that Michael Higgins has created and make contributions to move our organization forward into the next decade.” “Florida Thespians is our organization’s largest and most active chapter, which is in no small part due to the tireless work and strong leadership of Michael Higgins,” EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz commented. “We are excited for Florida to continue their tradition of excellence with Lee Tempest at the helm and look forward to a smooth and successful transition of leadership over the next eighteen months.” Tempest’s term begins May 1, 2010 and runs through July 31, 2011. (Posted 11/24/08)
Dick Deasy’s keynote address “Theatre and the Challenges Facing the American Democracy” was a highlight of the 2008 EdTA Annual Conference held in Chicago. Deasy, the recently retired founding director of the Washington D.C.-based Arts Education Partnership, emphasized the need for educators to work as advocates for their own programs and school districts, using research data to bolster the case for theatre in the curriculum. The PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation that accompanied his remarks is available in two parts: Part 1 (file size is 1.2 MB) and Part 2 (file size is 884 K).
Also available for downloading are the PDF versions of the welcome address given by EdTA President Jerry Smith, Jr. and the State of the Association PowerPoint presentation. (Posted 10/17/08)
Five theatre educators were inducted into the Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the EdTA Annual Conference in Chicago in September. The new honorees are:
Jonathan Gillespie, artistic director at Warren Consolidated School of Performing Arts in Sterling Heights, Michigan, who rescued several ailing theatre programs during his career. Martha “Marty” Hancock, who spent over thirty years serving the Miami area, mentoring teachers, advising drama certification and textbook adoption at the local and state level, and adjudicating at conferences and festivals. Patricia “Lee” Hitchler, a former EdTA leadership coach and Kansas chapter director. Her school, Olathe East, received the EdTA Outstanding School Award, and she was recently inducted into the Kansas Thespian Hall of Fame. Madelon Horvath, an EdTA leadership coach since 1999. She served as troupe director at Chardon (Ohio) High School for nineteen years and as Ohio chapter director and regional director. Terry McGonigle, who costumed the International Thespian company productions of Ragtime—School Edition and Thoroughly Modern Mille—School Edition. He is the International Thespian Officers liaison and was inducted into both the Kansas and Georgia Thespian Halls of Fame. Eighty-three theatre educators have been inducted into the EdTA Hall of Fame since its inception in 1991. Inductees are nominated by their peers and screened by a board-appointed committee on the basis of professional achievement, education and continuing education, community service, commitment to theatre and theatre education, work with the Educational Theatre Association and the Thespian Society, and letters of recommendation from students and peers. This year’s induction ceremony was held during a Lake Michigan dinner cruise on the excursion boat Mystic Blue. The EdTA Founders’ Award was presented posthumously to William Strauss. A Harvard-educated lawyer, writer, and co-founder of the satirical musical group the Capitol Steps, Strauss was the guiding force behind the Cappies, a program that gave high school students opportunities to attend each other’s shows, review them, and honor exceptional work. Strauss passed away earlier this year after an eight-year battle with pancreatic cancer. The Standing Ovation Award was presented to Bob and Marty Fowler, who founded Interactive Educational Video and developed the multimedia educational series Practical Technical Theater. (Posted 10/13/08)
In the summer of 2007 ten theatre educators from throughout the state of Ohio were chosen to participate in the Ohio Critical Links Project, a two-year program designed to promote localized learning communities of theatre educators. Their first-year reports of the individual teachers can be viewed at www.edta.org/criticallinks.
The project’s goals are based on Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, an arts education research compendium published in 2002. The seven-step Critical Links Inquiry Process, as explained on the website www.criticallinks.org, is a professional development tool that supports teachers in refining their expertise. Through an inquiry process, sometimes known as “action research,” teachers develop questions pertinent to their classroom practices, gather evidence to answer those questions, and share the results in a “learning community” of their peers. The Educational Theatre Association is co-sponsoring the project, along with Arts Education Partnership. AEP is a national coalition of arts, education, business, philanthropic, and government organizations that demonstrate and promote the essential role of the arts in the learning and development of every child and in the improvement of America’s schools. Additional funding has been provided by the Ohio Arts Council and the University of Cincinnati. The ten theatre educators gathered three times during the 2007–08 school year. The meetings were conducted by Dr. Pamela Paulson and Cheryll Ostrom, the creators of the Critical Links Inquiry Process. During the first meeting, each member of the learning community created a research question that could be applied to their own theatre classroom or rehearsal work. Participants also began to learn how to adapt and facilitate the inquiry process themselves. In the second meeting they met in small groups, offered some evidence of student learning, and refined their individual inquiry questions. In the third meeting they shared their findings with their peers and the facilitators and began discussion on the formation of their own learning community for the 2008–09 school year. In the first meeting of the second year, held in early October, the teachers finalized plans to facilitate their own school district learning communities. Two of the ten will conduct a national Web-based learning community. The deadline for application for that group is November 3. Download the application form. The range of questions posed and data gathered in the learning communities are expected to provide important information on how students learn specific elements of theatre and how these elements impact their general learning skills. The data is also intended to help the teachers who generated it to adapt their pedagogy and align their curriculum to their state’s Academic Content Standards. The ultimate goal of the project, according to James Palmarini, project director and the editor of Teaching Theatre journal, is to create a network of theatre educator learning communities and a Web-based index of best teaching practices, based on the classroom research work of the participating teachers. “Critical Links asserts that the theatre teachers working with students every day are the best judge of what works and what doesn’t in the classroom and on the stage,” he said. “The project assumes that skilled educators can learn research methodology, gather and organize data, and contribute valuable information to the domain of theatre education.” The ten participating first-year teachers and their schools are: Jo Beth Gonzalez, Bowling Green (Ohio) High School
Irene Imboden, Troy (Ohio) High School
Colleen Pence-Sizelove, Butler Tech’s Options Arts Academy, Hamilton, Ohio
Patricia J. Santanello, Dublin (Ohio) Scioto High School
Diana Crawford, Withrow University High School, Cincinnati
Kandace L. Cleland, Canfield Village (Ohio) Middle School
Art Thomas, St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland
Greg Varner, Upper Arlington High School, Columbus
Wendy Duke, Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, Akron
Melissa Montag, Wayne High School, Huber Heights, Ohio For additional information about this project, contact jpalmarini  edta.org. (You will need to type this e-mail address into the e-mail message’s “To” field, as this is not a link.) (Updated 10/16/08) Back to top of page |