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October 2007
December 2007
The Educational Theatre Association recently announced the winners of many of its annual awards including the President’s Award, the Standing Ovation citation, and the Administrator’s Award.
The President’s Award, which recognizes an individual whose exceptional contributions have been an extraordinary benefit to the Association, the Governing Board, and/or volunteer leadership of EdTA, was given to Joe Norton, associate director of education and outreach at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Norton is also a member of the Governing Board. The Standing Ovation went to Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. in recognition of the company’s commitment to the area of technical theatre education. ETC has sponsored EdTA’s Professional Development Institutes on lighting at the International Thespian Festival and helped make a new Festival event, Tech Challenge, a reality. Three schools were named 2007 Outstanding Schools by EdTA. They are: Floyd Central High School in Floyds Knobs, Indiana; Indian River High School in Philadelphia, New York; and The Woodlands (Texas) High School. The Outstanding School Award is given to schools whose work exemplifies and promotes high standards of quality in educational theatre. Three principals were honored with Administrator’s Awards. Jane Baker of Shades Valley High School in Irondale, Alabama; Michael Kemp of Gainesville (Georgia) High School; and Jerry Wilks of Lincoln (Nebraska) Southwest High School were recognized for their exemplary support of educational theatre. Finally, the International Thespian Officer Scholarship was renamed the Jhon Marshall Scholarship in honor of the veteran theatre teacher and EdTA employee, who retired from his position at EdTA this July. (Posted 9/7/07)
If you happened to miss the version of Hairspray that hit the big screens this summer, fear not. You will have another chance to hear all about the adventures of sixties Baltimorean hip shaker Tracy Turnblad when the International Thespian Cast production of Hairspray: School Edition hits the main stage at next year’s Thespian Festival.
The forty-eight-member cast and crew was selected after a series of auditions and callbacks held at regional and chapter events around the country and at the 2007 Thespian Festival on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Under the direction of Vance Fulkerson of the University of Northern Colorado, students from seventeen different states will bring to life the story of Turnblad, whose heart and determination land her a coveted role on the local dance program, The Corny Collins Show. Those students will be flown to UNC in the spring for two long-weekend rehearsal sessions, as well as to UNL’s campus for a week’s worth of fine-tuning just prior to Festival. This is the Educational Theatre Association’s third International Thespian Cast production in collaboration with Music Theatre International. Thoroughly Modern Millie: School Edition was produced for the 2007 Thespian Festival and Ragtime: School Edition was featured at the 2005 Festival. For a complete Hairspray cast and crew list and further developments, visit the Hairspray page. (Updated 9/7/07)
The Children’s Theatre Foundation of America (CTFA) is calling for nominations for the first Reba R. Robertson Award, which recognizes the important work of secondary school theatre/drama and drama teachers in public schools throughout the United States.
The winner will receive $5,000 to expand their professional interests and $750 to their school district for enhancing their high school theatre/drama program, plus travel expenses to the CTFA Medallion Awards Event in July 2008. Nominees should be mid-career theatre or drama teachers who can demonstrate a broad influence on their school, community, state, region, and beyond. For more information on the nomination process, download the award PDF or contact Dr. Jo Beth Gonzalez at (419) 354-0100, ext. 420 or jgonzal@wcnet.org. The CTFA website is at www.childrenstheatrefouncation.org. Nominations to the award committee must be postmarked on or before December 15, 2007. (Posted 9/06/07) 
Lana Hagan. | 
Jay Jensen. | 
Ed Moon. | 
Janine West.
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The Educational Theatre Association will induct four theatre educators into its Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the 2007 EdTA Conference in New York City in September.
The 2007 inductees are: Lana Hagan, who started teaching theatre at Washington (Missouri) High School, which received the EdTA Outstanding School Award in 1995. She later joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she created a theatre education degree program. Hagan is one of EdTA’s first leadership coaches and served as the Missouri chapter director. Jay Jensen, called the “teacher of the stars” because many of his former students achieved success in the entertainment field, including Roy Firestone, Andy Garcia, Brett Ratner, and Mickey Rourke. Jensen donated millions of dollars to the University of Miami and was featured in the documentary Class Act. He passed away in early 2007 from cancer. Ed Moon, an English teacher who went on to head technical direction at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He developed a curriculum for both his school and district when Illinois mandated a fine arts graduation requirement, and went on to consult for other districts. Moon also served as the Illinois chapter director and designed the sets and lighting for EdTA’s first three national Thespian cast productions. Janine West, an original member of the Colorado State Thespian Board and later a Colorado chapter director. West also served as an EdTA territorial director, a member of the leadership development team, and most recently as a leadership coach. In addition to the Hall of Fame inductions, the Association’s Founders’ Award will be presented to longtime Dramatics contributor Jeffrey Sweet. (Updated 10/2/07)
Every year EdTA awards scholarships to a number of graduating seniors to recognize their talents and hard work in various areas of theatre, including theatre performance, playwriting, and theatre education. The awards range from $1,000 to $4,500.
This year’s scholarship recipients are: - Antonio Addeo, Harry S Truman High School, Troupe 5008, Levittown, Pennsylvania, $2,000
- Kelsey Arendt, Grinnell (Iowa) High School, Troupe 4274, $1,000
- Chad Baker, Beavercreek (Ohio) High School, Troupe 2807, $2,000
- Zachary Beck, St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Troupe 6388, Greenville, South Carolina, $1,000
- Ren Belcher, University Liggett School, Troupe 5253, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, $1,000
- Parker Couch, Gainesville (Georgia) High School, Troupe 2445, $1,000
- Amy Harpenau, Floyd Central High School, Troupe 1794, Floyds Knobs, Indiana, $1,400
- Kelly Higgins, Kellam High School, Troupe 2326, Virginia Beach, Virginia, $1,000
- Zairah Lopez-Montano, Liberty High School, Las Vegas, $1,000
- Jomanda Lynn Manglona, Marianas High School, Troupe 5374, Saipan, Marianas Islands, $1,000
- Katherine McGee, Pleasant Valley High School, Troupe 856, Bettendorf, Iowa, $2,500
- Spenser Morris, Dublin Scioto High School, Troupe 5440, Dublin, Ohio, $4,500
- Tyler Nelson, Del Sol High School, Troupe 6849, Las Vegas, $1,400
- Leah Watson, Denver School of the Arts, Troupe 5869, $1,000
To be considered for these scholarships, students submitted résumés and applications and were auditioned and interviewed by a panel of judges at the Thespian Festival. (Posted 8/16/07)
During a meeting at the 2007 International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska, the EdTA Governing Board approved several changes to the Association’s code of regulations (formerly known as its constitution).
Several changes affect Thespian troupes: starting with the 2008–2009 school year, troupes must maintain a roster of at least six Thespians to keep their active status. (This change does not require that troupes induct six new members each year, only that they keep their numbers at or above six to be considered active troupes.) Other troupe-related changes allow for the chartering of non-traditional troupes and prohibit hazing of Thespian inductees. One proposed change that was not adopted was the addition of a minimum grade-point average requirement for Thespian induction. The board also voted to expand its membership from six to eight, adding one elected and one appointed position, and made changes in the way elections are conducted. The board will now consist of a president, a vice president, three elected members, and three appointed positions. The board is also seeking to increase its diversity, establishing a list of criteria for director candidates to best achieve the Association’s strategic vision. A nominating committee, headed by EdTA past-President Gail Burns, will use these criteria in its search for a nominee for the 2008–2011 director position. Desirable qualifications for this candidate include collegiate teaching experience and involvement in theatre education advocacy at the state and/or national level. The nominating committee will also consider a variety of other demographic factors such as the age, gender, ethnicity, and the EdTA home region of the candidate. Other skill criteria currently utilized by the board include service as a troupe director, participation in EdTA student and professional events, past Association leadership experience, live theatre and film industry connections, not-for-profit experience, and fundraising and development experience and connections. The committee will announce the candidate it deems most suitable for the vacant elected position at the 2007 EdTA Annual Conference in New York City, where members with voting privileges will have a chance to approve the nomination. Within Article 8 of the new code there are provisions and a timeline for submitting names for nominations from the floor. The final versions of the policies can be downloaded from the links below. (Updated 8/27/07)
EdTA code of regulations
EdTA membership policy
EdTA conflicts of interest policy
EdTA conflicts of interest annual statement
EdTA chapter governance policy 
Paul David Leopoulos. |
The EdTA Governing Board has named Paul David Leopoulos, director of an Arkansas-based foundation devoted to supporting arts education, to a three-year term as a board member.
Leopoulos is executive director of the Thea Foundation, which distributes scholarships on the basis of artistic achievement and funds arts programs for Arkansas students and teachers. He and his wife Linda launched the foundation to honor the memory of their daughter Thea, who was killed in a car wreck in May 2001. The foundation’s mission is “to advocate the importance of art in the development of our youth through educational and promotional activities and to encourage individual participation in art through scholarship, partnership, and other programs.” “Paul brings an excellent background in development and his skills will be a fine complement to our board and asset to the future of the Association,” Executive Director Michael J. Peitz said. Leopoulos’s board term begins August 1. (Posted 7/17/07)
We recently received word that Mort Clark, a longtime friend of the International Thespian Society and the Educational Theatre Association and a globetrotting ambassador who helped connect theatre companies all over the world, passed away in January. He was seventy-eight and had been in failing health.
Clark received the EdTA Founders’ Award in 1984 and was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 1996. These honors recognized not only his contributions to the organization as a territorial director and a perennial workshop presenter at the International Thespian Festival and state Thespian conferences, but also his stature in the larger theatre world. A professor of theatre at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York, Clark traveled to theatre festivals all over the world as the vice president and North American representative on the council of the International Amateur Theatre Association, and as president of the American Community Theatre Association and a board member of its successor organization, AACT. At each event he would lead workshops—improv was his forte—and mail out flurries of postcards to friends in other latitudes. He delighted in bringing together theatre people from different cultural traditions. Among his many international honors and awards, he was presented the Chevalier Medal of Culture by Princess Caroline of Monaco, on behalf of her father, Prince Rainier, in 1993. After that he insisted, with a sparkle in his eye, on being addressed as “Sir Mort.” It was an indulgence his friends were pleased to grant. (Posted 6/6/07)
An EdTA judging committee has chosen four Doug Finney Festival Grant recipients for 2006–07. They are:
- Lucy Opal Ragland, Maurice J. McDonough High School, Troupe 303, Waldor, Maryland
- Brittany Sanson, McKinney (Texas) Boyd High School, Troupe 7052
- Emily Sigman, George Washington High School, Troupe 1621, Denver, Colorado
- Mi (Miller) L. Tai, Wichita (Kansas) Southeast High School, Troupe 1820
The 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 International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. 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 committee for helping to continue Finney’s legacy of service to theatre arts students. (Posted 3/20/07)
An EdTA judging committee has chosen the recipients for two 2006–07 Festival grants. They are:
- International Thespian Society Leadership Grant: Joseph Hunter, Neosho (Missouri) High School, Troupe 1770
- Ronald L. Longstreth International Thespian Festival Grant: Svenja Wiese, Big Sky High School, Troupe 3090, Missoula, Montana
This is the first year for the Festival grant, which 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. Wiese, who is an exchange student from Erftstadt, Germany, is interested in pursuing a career in American theatre. Someday she “would like to bring a German Thespian troupe to Festival.” Hunter is the 2006–07 Missouri ITS president and secretary for his troupe, as well as his school’s class president. 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 Festival. The grant covers the Festival registration fees. EdTA extends special thanks to the judging committee for its assistance in serving theatre arts students. (Posted 3/15/07)
The members of EdTA have chosen longtime Mississippi Thespian troupe director Debby Gibbs to be the organization’s next vice president, and, in two years, its president.
Gibbs is the troupe director at Tupelo High School; during her thirty-five-year career she served as Mississippi chapter director and also as EdTA trustee. She will serve as vice president of the governing board for two years beginning in August, and will begin a two-year term as president in August 2009. Robert Johnson won the race for the three-year board director seat. Johnson, who founded the Robert L. Johnson/Hector S. Cruz scholarship, served as an EdTA board trustee for over fifteen years and also as board president. His terms also begins in August. Carlen Gilseth won the only contested chapter director election, in Texas. Gilseth has served as the troupe director at The Woodlands High School for the past thirteen years. He was a member of the Texas Educational Theatre Association board from 2000–05 and is a member of the Texas Thespians’ executive board. This year ballots were sent out to 4,422 members who were eligible to vote; 489 ballots were mailed back properly and within the postmark deadline, the highest number of votes returned since 426 ballots were returned in the 2000 election. The results for the 2007 EdTA board and chapter director elections were tabulated by two Cincinnati area executives not associated with EdTA, with assistance from EdTA’s Web editor, Linda Hwang. The vote totals were: Gibbs, 268 votes, Patricia Santanello, 216 votes; Johnson, 282 votes, Yatesy Harvey, 206 votes; Gilseth, 59 votes, Anita Grant, 30 votes. (Posted 3/14/07)
EdTA members can now obtain additional liability insurance for directing theatre activities through a special cooperative program between EdTA and the National Federation of State High School Associations Speech, Debate and Theatre Association (NFHS SDTA).
The insurance policy, which is a benefit of membership in NFHS SDTA, provides liability insurance coverage up to $1 million for members while performing extracurricular duties, including travel and participation in speech tournaments and other school-sponsored speech, debate, and theatre activities. This coverage is supplemental, and takes effect after the primary insurance has been exhausted. The annual membership fee for NFHS SDTA is $20. “When a teacher considers the potential liability suits that come from supervising students, this additional liability insurance is a bargain,” explained EdTA Executive Director Michael Peitz. “It is well worth the small cost of joining NFHS SDTA. The huge Federation membership of athletic coaches and officials provides the buying power to make this inexpensive insurance available to theatre teachers. We are pleased to be able to bring this opportunity to our members.” For more information on the insurance coverage, visit www.BollingerNFHS.com or call (800) 526-1379. For additional information on joining NFHS SDTA, download this PDF or visit their website at www.nfhs.org. (Posted 2/21/07)
Lauren Gieseke is the winner of the first “What Broadway Means to Me” contest, which was held at the Junior Thespian Festival–East in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Gieseke attends Caddo Parish Talented Arts Program, Shreveport, Louisiana, and is a member of Junior Thespian Troupe 88742. Middle school students attending the festival had the weekend to write an essay about what Broadway means to them. Philip Katz, producing director at Camp Broadway, selected Gieseke’s essay from over forty entries. The prize: attending a five-day summer camp in New York City to work with Broadway professionals. Gieseke’s essay was a tribute to a theatre teacher who recently died, and how her enthusiasm and love of theatre lives on in her students. The annual contest is sponsored by EdTA and Camp Broadway, to explore how kids who live outside of the New York City area perceive Broadway. Next year two separate contests will be held at the 2008 Junior Thespian Festivals, which will be held March 7–9 at Dodson Middle School, Rancho Palo Verdes, California and J.S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, Augusta, Georgia. (Updated 5/2/07)
A feasibility study that will assess the potential for administering Advanced Placement (AP) exams in theatre and dance is being conducted by the College Board, the organization that owns and administers the AP Program.
The AP Program was developed to give high school students an opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school, with the potential to earn credit or advanced placement in college. According to the College Board, more than 1.3 million students nationally took 2.3 million AP Exams in 2006. The College Board currently offers thirty-seven AP courses in twenty-two subject areas. College Board Executive Director Trevor Packer made the following statement to members of a College Board advisory panel: “As requested by the Academic Assembly Council, the College Board is undertaking an analysis of the demand, need, sustainability, and potential for AP courses in theatre and in dance. This analysis will quantify demand and need within both secondary and higher education for such courses, the willingness among higher education institutions to provide college credit for such courses, the type of assessment that would be necessary to generate appropriate evidence for credit/placement decisions in higher education, and the professional development infrastructure needed to support the delivery of college-level theatre and dance instruction in secondary schools. This analysis, which will inform future discussions about the feasibility of adding such courses to the AP suite, is scheduled to be completed in time for review by the Arts Academic Advisory Committee meeting in spring 2007.” The effort gained new momentum in April 2006 when Lithgow submitted a position paper to the committee signed by EdTA Executive Director Michael Peitz; Steve Barberio, president of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE); and Karen Berman, president of the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). The position paper stated that “there is nearly universal agreement among theatre educators that an Advanced Placement exam in theatre is a timely and much-needed step in the promotion of quality secondary school theatre programs nationwide… Recent research on the connections between theatre education and literacy is compelling, and more and more schools are strengthening their departments. An Advanced Placement exam would contribute to the nationwide focus on arts education in general, and theatre education in particular.” Peitz called the AP feasibility study “exciting news to secondary theatre educators across the country. EdTA has worked for years to bring the need for an Advanced Placement theatre course to the College Board’s attention. This is the important first step toward bringing theatre education the validation of an AP Exam within the school curriculum and recognition for the value of theatre education in the lives of millions of students.” Lithgow said she is pleased that her work and the cooperation of the three major theatre education organizations has helped prompt serious consideration of an AP theatre offering. “This is an exciting time for those of us in theatre education,” she said. “An AP option in theatre history, literature, and performance would help propel theatre back into its rightful and historical role in education.” (Posted 2/20/07)
More than 255 Thespian troupes in thirty-seven states collected over 225,000 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; 10,526 pounds. Harvest Excellence Award, for greatest total collection by a first-time participant (troupes only): Troupe 5613, St. Clair High School, St. Clair, Michigan; 5,635 pounds. Community Spirit Award, for first Thespian troupe registered (that also met the donation verification deadline): Troupe 3871, Franklin County High School, Carnesville, Georgia. Abundant Harvest Award, for greatest one-year increase in total collections by a troupe. For increase by pounds: Troupe 1226, Southaven High School, Southaven, Mississippi, 4,149-pound increase. For increase by percent: Troupe 2973, Eastwood High School, El Paso, Texas, 680% increase. Troupe team awards
Cornucopia Award, for most total weight collected by a team: Wichita Area Thespians, Kansas, 8,195 pounds. Team members include: - Troupe 182, Wichita South High School
- Troupe 184, Derby Senior High School
- Troupe 695, Kapuan-Mt. Carmel Academy
- 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
- Troupe 6282, Andover Central High School
- Troupe 6542, Northeast Magnet High School
- Troupe 6544, Rose Hill High School
Community Spirit Award, for first team registered (that also met the donation verification deadline): Theatre Randolph, Huntsville, Alabama. Team members include: - Troupe 4590, Randolph School (Upper School)
- Troupe 88517, Randolph School (Middle School)
Chapter awards - Cornucopia Award, for most total weight collected by a chapter:
- Overall winner: Texas Thespian Chapter of EdTA, 33,117 pounds
- Division 1 (1–10 participating troupes): Virginia Thespians, 11,304 pounds
- Division 2 (11–20 participating troupes): Ohio Educational Theatre Association, 9,676 pounds
- Division 3 (21–30 participating troupes): Missouri State Thespians, 23,930 pounds
Outstanding Commitment Award, for greatest percentage participation of active Thespian troupes: - Overall winner: Kansas Thespians, 47%
- Division 1 (1–10 participating troupes): Montana Chapter of EdTA, 26%
- Division 2 (11–20 participating troupes): Georgia Thespians, 12%
- Division 3 (21–30 participating troupes): Missouri State Thespians, 18%
Abundant Harvest Award, for greatest one-year increase in total collections by a chapter. For increase by pounds: Missouri State Thespians, 10,337-pound increase. For increase by percent, Arizona Chapter of EdTA, 225% increase. Ten preregistered and participating troupes were randomly drawn to receive a gift certificate good for anything from the EdTA Resources and Thespian Gear and Honors Catalogs. This year’s winners are: - Troupe 75, Milwaukie High School, Milwaukie, Oregon
- Troupe 449, Woodbridge Senior High School, Woodbridge, Virginia
- Troupe 3596, Maize High School, Maize, Kansas
- Troupe 3604, McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
- Troupe 3833, Nixa High School, Nixa, Missouri
- Troupe 5073, Thomasville High School, Thomasville, Alabama
- Troupe 5113, Unity High School, Tolono, Illinois
- Troupe 6208, Great Bend High School, Great Bend, Kansas
- Troupe 6451, St. Lucie West Centennial High School, Port St. Lucie, Florida
- Troupe 6685, Olathe Northwest High School, Olathe, Kansas
See the troupe and team totals page and chapter total pages for all the 2006 totals. (Posted 11/20/06)
EdTA was featured as the “Spotlight Organization of the Week” in the November 13 episode of “Your Neighborhood Stage,” a national podcast (Internet radio show) on school, religious, and community theatre.
EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz was interviewed about the organization by the show’s co-hosts Rob Scardino and Chris Laning. Parts of the interview are included in Episode 1.25 of “Your Neighborhood Stage,” which was released with the entire interview on November 13. Both the show and the full interview can be downloaded or listened to online at www.NeighborhoodStage.com. “Your Neighborhood Stage” is the first and only podcast dedicated to the discussion of school, religious, and community theatre. The podcast, which originates in New Jersey, spotlights different theatre organizations, lists new shows available for local production, and highlights particular plays or musicals. For more information on “Your Neighborhood Stage,” visit the website at www.NeighborhoodStage.com, or contact Chris Laning (chris@neighborhoodstage.com or 206-350-7824). (Updated 12/5/06)  From left to right, Hall of Fame inductee Linda Wise’s successor, Hylan Scott, and her husband, Henry Wise, who accepted on her behalf; Craig Ihnen; Chris Bundy; and Glenn Edwards. |
Four veteran theatre educators were inducted into the Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the 2006 EdTA Conference in Denver in September.
The 2006 inductees are: Chris Bundy, whose career spans more than thirty years at five Indiana high schools, most recently Floyd Central High School in Floyds Knobs. Since 1982 Bundy’s students have performed eight shows on the Thespian Festival main stage. He has served as a member of the EdTA governing board and as Indiana chapter director. Glenn Edwards, who preceded Bundy at Floyd Central and now teaches at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. He has served EdTA as a state and territorial director, and has directed ten main stage shows for the Thespian Festival, including the 2005 national Thespian cast production of Ragtime. Craig Ihnen, executive director of the Iowa High School Speech Association, former teacher and director at Le Mars (Iowa) High School, and an EdTA leadership coach since 1999. Linda Wise, longtime theatre teacher at Woodward Academy Upper School in College Park, Georgia, who was inducted posthumously. In Wise’s obituary last January the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described her as the “reigning grande dame of high school theatre in metro Atlanta.” Accepting the posthumous award, Wise’s husband Henry brought many in the audience to tears with a tribute to his wife’s career. “I am the neglected spouse all these other fellows have been talking about,” he said. “And I wouldn’t trade a moment of it for anything.” The Association’s Founders’ Award was presented to Dr. Robert Strickland, a former teacher whose work as an administrator has energized arts education in Miami-Dade County Schools. (Posted 11/2/06)
A new benefit is under construction for EdTA members: exclusive access to an online library of high school and middle school drama lesson plans through the EdTA website. EdTA is currently accepting lesson plans from theatre instructors to build this library.
The downloadable plans and units will be listed by state, along with state standards. The plans and units will be reviewed and selected by a committee of EdTA members and staff. All lesson plans must be in electronic form, either as Microsoft Word documents or Adobe PDFs. Include the following information with the lesson plan: name of author, e-mail address of author, author’s address/city/state/zip code, and school name/city/state. The lesson plan document should include: lesson title, age group or grade level, objectives, overview, procedures or activities, materials and resources, state or national standards met by the lesson plan, whether the lesson plan can be adapted to a different age or grade, time period to complete the exercise, and assessment or evaluation. All material submitted to EdTA should be original work created by the person submitting the material, or have a grant of rights given by co-authors or other owners, or be in the public domain. E-mail a copy of your lesson plans or send any questions about this project to Linda Hwang at lhwang  edta.org. (Note: You will need to type this e-mail address into the message’s “To” field, since the address is not a link in order to help protect |