The EdTA Board of Directors has called a special meeting of the membership to be held during the Thespian Festival in June. The purpose of the meeting is to consider proposed changes to the code of regulations.
The proposed changes would: - Allow absentee ballots for EdTA elections.
- Change the number of votes needed for election to a plurality.
- Adjust the timelines for announcing the candidates selected by the nominating committee and for submitting paperwork for nominations by petition.
“The board proposed these changes in response to the concerns voiced by the membership last September,” said board President Jerry Smith. “The board considered the feedback following the last election. We felt the concerns were important ones and warranted immediate action before the next election. The board strongly recommends approval of the changes.” Although not all members will be in attendance at the June 23–28 Festival, all members are able to vote on the proposed code amendments. The code states that members may attend meetings in person or by mail, though not by proxy. This allows all members to attend and vote by requesting absentee ballots by May 23 and returning them by June 17. Ballots will be mailed to those requesting them by May 28. An affirmative two-thirds vote is required for passage of the amendments. Members may request an absentee ballot by clicking here. Ballots may be requested until 5:00 p.m. EDT May 23. The full text of the proposed changes and the current version of the code of regulations may be reviewed by clicking the links below. (Posted 5/7/08) Proposed changes to the code of regulations
Current version of the code of regulations
The EdTA Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Professional Standards for its members working in the field of theatre education.
The code is intended to provide members with a framework for ethical decision-making in matters both inside and outside of the classroom involving students, parents, colleagues, and members of the community at large. The Code of Professional Standards was created by a committee of four EdTA members, including EdTA Board Vice President Debby Gibbs of Tupelo, Mississippi; Craig Ihnen of Des Moines, Iowa; Gavin Mayer of Denver, Colorado; and Ruben Van Kempen of Seattle, Washington. “As the largest professional organization for theatre education, EdTA requires that its members conduct themselves in a way that represents the highest level of integrity,” EdTA Board President Jerry Smith said. “The Code of Professional Standards is a statement to those inside and outside of the community of professional educators that EdTA members are always serving their schools and communities in a way that maintains a focus on the welfare of students by collaborating with fellow educators, parents, and the community.” Click here for a downloadable copy of the new code. (Posted 5/1/08)
The staff of Dramatics magazine received seventy-seven submissions for the 2008 Playworks program. A group of readers narrowed that field to thirteen semifinalists whose work will in turn go through one more round of readings before the finalists are named in mid-April. Finalists will then be invited to the International Thespian Festival June 23–28 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a week’s worth of play development workshops and a staged reading of their work on the final day of the Festival.
The semifinalists are: Elijah Allred of Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina, for American Ashtray
Stephany Calles of El Toro High School in Mission Viejo, California, for Robert O’Delliet: A Life
Kyrie Eberhart of Robert D. Edgren High School in Misawa, Japan, for Heart of a Child
Aliza Goldstein of Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Florida, for Izzy Icarus Fell Off of the World
Molly Horan of Bristol (Connecticut) Eastern High School, for Ramon Noodles
Katie Hunter of Olathe East High School in Overland Park, Kansas, for www.SELFSTORY.com
Zach Laws of Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina, for Four Grieving Mothers
Lindsay Miller of Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth, Texas, for Chartreuse
Alison Morrow of Lee’s Summit (Missouri) West High School, for Keep
Madison Owens of Newton (Kansas) Senior High School, for Heart
Will Seefried of Denver School of the Arts, for A Freckled Heart
Luke Slattery of Colorado Academy in Denver, for Icarus
Seanna Tucker of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, for Don’t Look Back The finalists will be announced after April 17. (Posted 4/8/08)
EdTA judging committees have chosen the recipients for 2007–08 Festival grants.
International Thespian Society Leadership Grant: Natasha Jones, Toledo (Ohio) School for the Arts, Troupe 6783
Ronald L. Longstreth International Thespian Festival Grant: Emmanuelle Mouniapin, Toulouse, France Doug Finney Festival Grants: - Joey Frenette, Maurice McDonough High School, Troupe 303, Waldorf, Maryland
- Forrest Harlan, Florence (Alabama) High School, Troupe 2273
- Andrew Smith, Ingleside (Texas) High School, Troupe 7233
- Joseph Michael Villanueva, Boulder Creek High School, Troupe 7070, Anthem, Arizona
The Festival grant is named for former EdTA executive director Ronald L. Longstreth. It is awarded to a high school theatre student who is not a U.S. citizen to enable him or her to attend the annual International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. The grant includes transportation costs to and from Lincoln and fees for Festival registration. Mouniapin is an exchange student from Toulouse, France, and will attend Festival with Troupe 5464 of North Penn High School, Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The ITS leadership grant was created by Joe Burnsworth, a former EdTA president, and is awarded to a troupe or state officer who participated in the leadership training program at the Festival. The grant covers the Festival registration fees. The Finney grants, named for the late Doug Finney, longtime Festival chair, are awarded to four high school theatre students to enable them to attend the annual event. These grants include partial coverage of transportation costs to and from Lincoln, and fees for Festival registration, college or Thespian audition scholarship registration, and the National Individual Events Showcase. EdTA extends special thanks to the judging committees for helping to continue serving theatre arts students. (Posted 3/26/08)
The nominating committee of the EdTA board of directors is accepting vitae from qualified members for the positions of vice president/president-elect and one board seat, to be elected in September. The deadline for submitting a vita to be considered for the ballot is April 15. The election will be held during the 2008 EdTA Annual Conference, which takes place September 25 through 27 in Chicago. (See the related election story below.)
As provided in the EdTA code of regulations, the board establishes candidate criteria for each election. The criteria for the two positions to be elected this year are: For EdTA Vice President/President-Elect, the committee seeks a candidate with experience on the EdTA Board of Directors and with fundraising. Furthermore, the candidate must demonstrate experience in theatre education or a related field. The candidate should be an active participant at EdTA’s major events: the EdTA Annual Conference and the International Thespian Festival. The candidate will also be asked to state a vision for EdTA’s future. For EdTA Board Director, the committee seeks a candidate with experience as a troupe director, chapter director, leadership coach and/or EdTA Board member. Also the candidate must have experience as a middle school/secondary school teacher and/or administrator and experience with curriculum writing and assessment. In addition, the candidate must describe experience in advocacy for theatre education and with major fundraising. The committee will request information on specific participation at EdTA’s major events: the EdTA Annual Conference and the International Thespian Festival. The candidate will also be asked to state a vision for EdTA’s future. Prospective candidates can download the vita submission forms:
2008 EdTA vice president/president-elect candidate vita form
2008 EdTA board director candidate vita form (Updated 3/28/08)
The EdTA board of directors is proposing changes to its recently implemented election procedures, including a provision for absentee voting and a revised timetable for the nomination process, in response to member comments during the 2007 election. Meeting in February in Cincinnati, the board also established candidate criteria for the September 2008 elections for vice president/president-elect and an EdTA board director.
(See the call for vitae story, above, for the text of the board’s candidate criteria for the two positions.) “The EdTA board heard clear messages from our members about their concerns regarding the election process,” says EdTA President Jerry Smith. “The changes being proposed address these concerns in a way that honors the importance of the election process, with the ultimate goal of ensuring a strong board to continue to guide the Association into an exciting future.” The election changes are proposed in the form of an amendment to EdTA’s code of regulations that will be considered at a membership meeting during the 2008 International Thespian Festival. The amendment provides for absentee voting for members not in attendance at the EdTA Annual Conference and establishes a new timeline for candidates to petition to be added to the ballot. The key dates on the election timeline:
Thursday, March 13: Call for vitae
Tuesday, April 15: Deadline for vitae to be received at the home office
Friday, May 30: The nominating committee candidate is announced; candidate vita and petition forms posted online
Monday, July 14: Deadline for petition packages to be received at the home office
Tuesday, July 29: Announcement of petitioners (if any); absentee ballot request registration opens
Friday, August 15: Deadline for absentee ballot requests
Wednesday, August 27: Absentee ballots mailed
Monday, September 15: Absentee ballots due
Saturday, September 27: Election day (Posted 3/13/08)
The EdTA home office has streamlined and coordinated the policies, procedures, and guidelines that Thespian and Junior Thespian troupe directors need to effectively operate and organize their troupes. The changes in these documents affect all Thespian and Junior Thespian troupes, so troupe directors are encouraged to download and familiarize themselves with the following materials:
- The Thespian Troupe Handbook and Junior Thespian Troupe Handbook are the comprehensive guides to running a troupe. Each handbook features a table of contents and new and updated material, and explains and cross-references important information from all troupe governance documents.
- The Troupe Constitution Template has been revised with important new content. Every troupe must have a troupe constitution; otherwise, this document is the default troupe constitution.
- The FAQs address the most commonly asked questions from troupe directors about EdTA and ITS.
- The revised Official Thespian Point System and Official Junior Thespian Point System include a refreshed design, answers to frequently-asked questions, new point recommendations for attending theatre performances, and tables that summarize the ranking and rating systems for exceptional student members.
- The induction Ceremonies include suggestions for troupe directors on preparations for a ceremony. (Posted 3/5/08)
Thespians are smart, talented, energetic, good-looking… and generous. Just ask Joe Norton.
Norton, the associate director of education and outreach for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS who is also a member of the Educational Theatre Association board, released figures this week showing individual Thespians, Thespian troupes, and chapter organizations have contributed almost half a million dollars to BC/EFA since 2000. Norton said the Thespian Society raises more money for BC/EFA than any other academic or educational organization. The funds are used to support community-based AIDS services organizations around the country, and, through the Actors Fund of America, to provide direct services to entertainment industry professionals and performing artists who are dealing with AIDS and HIV-related health problems. The flow of dollars from young theatre students to BC/EFA began in 1999 when Cindy Louden and the Thespians at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania organized a fundraiser. By the end of 2000, troupes and chapter organizations in nine states had contributed more than $10,000. During 2007, more than $113,000 was raised in twenty-one states and at the International Thespian Festival. Total Thespian contributions to date stand at $470,045, and are expected to top the half-million-dollar mark sometime this spring. Among the state Thespian organizations, Florida has made the largest contribution by a wide margin, giving $168,404 since 2000. Florida Thespians organize regional and statewide campaigns and have topped their own fundraising records for each of the last three years. Other chapters in the top five: 2. Nevada, $67,208
3. Pennsylvania, $56,182
4. Georgia, $28,643
5. Ohio, $26,676 Las Vegas Academy, under the leadership of Thespian troupe director Glenn Edwards, consistently makes the largest contributions for a single school. “These efforts surpass my wildest dreams,” Norton said. In addition to the funds, which go directly into health care and support services, “the amount of AIDS awareness and community involvement surrounding BC/EFA campaigns in schools because of Thespian efforts is priceless, and cannot be named in numbers.” (Posted 2/28/08)
Three EdTA troupe directors were recognized for their contributions to the field of theatre education.
Patricia “Lee” Hitchler, a former Leadership Coach and former Kansas chapter director, was inducted into the Kansas Thespians Hall of Fame in a ceremony during the Kansas Thespian Conference. Hitchler is the troupe director of Troupe 5078 at Olathe East High School. Carlen Gilseth, who is the troupe director of Troupe 1053 at The Woodlands (Texas) High School and the Texas chapter director, was named the Texas Educational Theatre Association’s (TETA) 2008 Educator of the Year. In 2007 Gilseth’s school received an EdTA Outstanding School Award. Kerry Onxley, who is the artistic director of the Children’s Theatre Company (Troupe 5701) in Lake Charles, Louisiana, as well as an EdTA Leadership Coach, was inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Fame in recognition of his work in that state since 1995. “EdTA is always proud to learn of its members being recognized for their dedication to the field of theatre education,” says EdTA Executive Director Michael Peitz. “Lee, Carlen, and Kerry have devoted many years of service to their students, their schools, and their states. They are both most deserving of these honors.” (Updated 2/22/08)
With the 2008 presidential campaign in full-swing, candidates might want to add another issue to their already large repertoire of talking points—the importance of imagination in education.
According to a new national study conducted by Lake Research Partners, 30 percent of American voters are displeased with the current emphasis on “the basics” in the nations’ school systems and want to see more attention paid to subjects that stimulate students’ creativity. Nine in ten of the 1,000 people polled said that healthy imaginations in young people contribute significantly to a nation’s ability to compete in the global economy, with 88 percent of respondents expressing the view that arts education is an essential component toward developing that imagination. These feelings are likely to come out at the voting booths, the study suggests, with 56 percent of respondents saying they were more likely to vote for a candidate who supports more government funding for imagination-centered education, and 57 percent saying they would be much less likely to vote for a candidate who intends to slash such funding. Over half of those surveyed identified themselves as “swing” voters, or voters who do not have a strong party affiliation, a demographic some say could determine the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. “The data show a large population we call the ‘imagine nation’ are hungry for imagination in education and are going to take action accordingly—both in their local schools and at the voting booth, so that children are prepared for the world in which they will live,” said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners. These findings follow on the heels of a survey conducted by the Conference Board in 2006 in which three-fourths of the nation’s top business leaders said that creativity and innovation were among the top five skills likely to increase in importance for America’s high school graduates. In response to these studies, a coalition of national, state, and local organizations has formed to bring imagination-centered education to the forefront of learning. Members of this coalition, which includes representatives from the National Education Association, the National Association of Music Manufacturers, the International Music Products Association, the Ford Foundation, the George Gund Foundation and the Arts Education Partnership, are meeting with Congress and alerting state education leaders and boards to the study’s results. Richard J. Deasy, director of the Arts Education Partnership, has briefed Congressional staff on the study and called it the clearest statement of the American public’s support for arts education that he has ever witnessed. The sheer number of voters dissatisfied with public education’s test-focused curriculum is proving persuasive to legislators, he said, many of whom are preparing to vote on a reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind act. “I would hope that policy makers at every level, not just elected officials but education leaders, realize that the American public wants them to have an approach to learning in schools that makes stimulating the imaginative capacities of students a primary outcome. This study shows that voters believe that arts are essential to students becoming good citizens and innovators in the work place, and therefore we need to see more commitment on the part of policy makers to increasing the time devoted to arts instruction in schools. Our goal is to see a greater place for arts instruction in public schools and this information shows that this is what the public wants as well,” he said. Educational Theatre Association executive director Michael Peitz called the poll results encouraging. “Certainly theatre educators and other arts education advocates ought to pay attention to this poll. Any research that confirms an understanding of the value of imagination and creativity in our students’ learning is good news. Schools that cultivate thinking outside the box, whether in a theatre class or a science lab, are going to be critical to the success of this country’s twenty-first century workforce,” said Peitz. The study, conducted by phone in December, has a 3.1 percent margin of error. For more on the report, visit www.theimaginenation.net and www.theimaginenation.net/resources/
tinresources_casestatement.pdf. (Updated 2/6/08)
More than 251 Thespian troupes in thirty-five states collected 269,202 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; 14,821 pounds. Harvest Excellence Award, for greatest total collection by a first-time participant (troupes only): Troupe 1256, Oak Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio; 8,900 pounds. Community Spirit Award, for first Thespian troupe registered (that also met the donation verification deadline): Troupe 1903, New Smyrna Beach Senior High School, New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Abundant Harvest Award, for greatest one-year increase in total collections by a troupe. For increase by pounds: Troupe 4274, Grinnell High School, Grinnell, Iowa, 5,367-pound increase. For increase by percent: Troupe 6388, St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Greenville, South Carolina, 3,092% increase. Troupe team awards
Cornucopia Award, for most total weight collected by a team: Wichita Area Team, Wichita, Kansas, 9,369 pounds. Team members include: - Troupe 184, Derby Senior High School
- Troupe 695, Kapaun-Mt. Carmel Catholic High School
- Troupe 923, Wichita Heights High School
- Troupe 1820, Wichita Southeast High School
- Troupe 2661, Wichita Northwest High School
- Troupe 3540, Andover High School
- Troupe 3596, Maize 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
Chapter awards - Cornucopia Award, for most total weight collected by a chapter:
- Overall winner: Texas Thespian Chapter of EdTA, 36,208 pounds
- Division 1 (1–10 participating troupes): Virginia Thespians, 18,202 pounds
- Division 2 (11–20 participating troupes): Missouri State Thespians, 22,363 pounds
- Division 3 (21–30 participating troupes): Kansas Thespians, 30,910 pounds
Outstanding Commitment Award, for greatest percentage participation of active Thespian troupes: - Overall winner: Kansas Thespians, 42%
- Division 1 (1–10 participating troupes): Alabama Chapter of EdTA, 17%
- Division 2 (11–20 participating troupes): Missouri State Thespians, 14%
- Division 4 (31–40 participating troupes): Texas Thespian Chapter of EdTA, 9%
Abundant Harvest Award, for greatest one-year increase in total collections by a chapter. For increase by pounds: Ohio Educational Theatre Association, 11,734-pound increase. For increase by percent, EdTA Arkansas, 186% 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 941, Manhattan High School, Manhattan, Kansas
- Troupe 1065, Kentucky Country Day School, Louisville, Kentucky
- Troupe 1820, Wichita Southeast High School, Wichita, Kansas
- Troupe 2973, Eastwood High School, El Paso, Texas
- Troupe 5521, Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Alabama
- Troupe 6125, Desert Pines High School, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Troupe 6332, Amelia High School, Batavia, Ohio
- Troupe 6854, Tomah High School, Tomah, Wisconsin
- Troupe 88732, Our Lady of the Valley School, Birmingham, Alabama
- Troupe 88750, Kaffie Middle School, Corpus Christi, Texas
See the troupe and team totals page and chapter total pages for all the 2007 totals. (Posted 11/16/07) 
Rachel Evans.
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Rachel Evans, an assistant professor in the department of theatre at Kean University, has been elected to the EdTA Board of Directors. Evans was nominated by a committee headed by past-President Gail Burns and voted into office by EdTA members in attendance at the organization’s annual meeting, held during the EdTA Annual Conference in New York in September. Her three-year term on the board begins next August.
Evans teaches acting, creative drama, children’s theatre, and other theatre education courses. She also heads the university’s new K–12 theatre education certification program and hosts the New Jersey State Thespian Festival at Kean. Prior to joining the faculty at Kean, Evans was a high school theatre instructor at the School of Performing Arts in East Brunswick, New Jersey, where she was designated a 2003 Surdna Foundation Arts Teacher Fellow. She holds a B.F.A. in theatre performance from Hofstra University, an M.F.A. in directing from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a former AEA stage manager. Evans serves as a grant panel reviewer for the United States Department of Education and is chair for the theatre curriculum consortium for the New Jersey Department of Education. She is also a trained item writer and reviewer for the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards/Arts Consortium (SCASS Arts), a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers, and she has presented workshops at the EdTA conference for the past two years. Evans’s other interests and activities include researching theatre assessment issues, doing audio description for visually impaired patrons, costume design, and playwriting. During the summer of 2006, she was commissioned to write her first play for young audiences, Artie Pfeiffer and the Great Garden State. (Posted 10/11/07)
This fall EdTA is collaborating with the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) on the Ohio Critical Links Pilot Project. The AEP is a national coalition of arts, education, business, philanthropic, and government organizations that promotes the essential role of the arts in the learning and development of children.
The goal of this two-year project, which is based on AEP’s Critical Links, is to create local learning communities of educators who will actively measure the effectiveness of specific instructional practices and share these results with each other. Twelve theatre teachers selected from throughout Ohio will meet during the 2007-08 school year to form a learning community, participate in the Critical Links process, and receive training on adapting and facilitating the inquiry process within their school district or region. During the second year of the project, the trained teacher-facilitators will form their own learning communities comprising educators from other arts fields within their school or district. Training will be conducted by Dr. Pamela Paulson and Cheryll Ostrom, the creators of the Critical Links Inquiry Process. “This is an exciting and innovative approach to helping large numbers of theatre educators improve their instructional practice,” said Michael Peitz, EdTA executive director. “We think the Ohio pilot effort has great potential and we’ll look to replicate the model in other states.” Additional funding and in-kind support are provided by the Ohio Arts Council and the University of Cincinnati. (Posted 9/24/07) Back to top of page |