When the Curtain Fell: A Theatre Educator's Pandemic Story

Like a lot of theatre educators, the Covid-19 Pandemic forced me to be creative in new and imaginative ways. I can say that the pandemic changed me.  I’ve grown in ways I never could have anticipated.  And now, fifteen-plus months later, as I come up for air during my long -awaited summer break, I am just beginning to process what happened. Writing this is harder than I thought it would be partly because my stomach churns remembering what we had to do just to get through. I don’t really want to relive it. And it isn’t over. Despite appearances the threat of variants and vaccine inequities persist leaving us with a complicated relationship with masks and continued uncertainty about the future.  Yet, I feel a need to capture my story while it is still somewhat fresh. The time-warp of the 2020/2021 school year is real. The memory of it against the backdrop of a global pandemic, civil unrest and horrific loss is at once vivid and blurred.  I often heard the analogy that we were learning how to build the airplane while flying it.  This is an excellent metaphor for what we did in those early days.  The urgency, fear, anxiety and uncertainty that gripped the artistic community leveled the playing field. High School directors and professional theatre producers were all asking the same questions. And no one had the answers.  This was at once comforting and frightening.      

When we “went out” in March of 2020, my students and I were a couple of weeks away from opening our spring musical.  The set was in. The costumes were ready. The show was in great shape. After a last-minute flurry of activity and one final rehearsal to prepare for a potential delay in opening due to the rumored stay at home order, on March 14^th, 2020 the curtain fell. Like everyone else, I was in utter denial about how long our quarantine would actually be.  As the reality set in and our return-to-school date kept being pushed further out, I continued to hold on to the hope that our show would go on if not in April perhaps in May or June or July. I surveyed my cast and crew on their availability. I held brush up rehearsals over the computer and continued giving acting notes.      

And then unbelievably, we were told we would not be back until September at the earliest and no one knew exactly what school let alone theatre would look like.  I was urged to let the show go. No need to push a boulder up the mountain.  I melted down dissolving into uncontrollable sobbing.  Eventually my grief transformed into a new level of problem solving.  Disbelief, bordering on complete shock and intermittent panic set in as I desperately learned how to use Zoom.  I participated in every webinar available on how to produce theatre online.  I struggled with the limitations of music and singing over Zoom.  Like a warrior going in to battle against an unseen enemy, I plotted, planned and immersed myself in the unfamiliar landscape of a virtual world. With indefatigable energy I soldiered on determined that my students would not lose their spring musical.  

We arranged a drive-by costume pick up for the cast. No one was allowed out of their car. Masked and gloved my production team carefully deposited costumes and essential props into their trunks.  Our tech rehearsal shifted from a cue to cue in the theatre to designing virtual backgrounds on Zoom.  I adopted a new directorial language that included “hide non-speaking participants,” “gallery view,” “mute,” and when all else failed, “just duck out of the frame!” We did it. The show did go on however crudely and imperfect.  The bar was not exactly lowered. It was just a different bar.  And the fact that we did it despite all of the obstacles brought immense joy and satisfaction. While creativity, teamwork and passion inspired our “show must go on” attitude, I now know that something else less obvious and more profound was happening to me.  I was growing and learning. As my thirty-first year of teaching began in August of 2020, I felt like a first-year teacher. None of my experience had prepared me for what lay ahead. 

I was learning to let go of the idea that I had control over anything. 

Technology became my lifeline and my nemesis. Immersed in the world of online teaching, glued to a computer screen for hours, toggling from one screen to another, I learned to let go of frustration as my clumsy fingers navigated my virtual classroom.  I learned to accept lagging WIFI, audio issues, screen sharing, ghosting, and the imperfection of the process. I learned to slow down. I learned to be flexible.  I learned to be patient.  My vocabulary both expanded and reduced to a few repeated words and phrases: asynchronous, cohort, hybrid, blended plus, social distancing, streaming, resilience, pivot, unmute, please activate your camera and I don’t know! 

     

I learned to use new tools like Flip Grid and Microsoft Teams. Isolated and alone, in an eerily quiet, empty black box classroom, I tried with all my might to penetrate the distance to give my students at home an experience of theatre. Whether at their kitchen tables, in their garages or slumped on their beds, I asked my zombie-eyed, often depressed students, to stand up, move their bodies, warm up, and play games that forced them to connect.  Mental health check-ins, sparkle fingers in lieu of applause, collaborating in channels and break out rooms all became the new normal. 

 I learned how to conduct virtual auditions, virtual rehearsals, virtual Thespian meetings, virtual parent meetings and direct virtual performances.  I learned about virtual choirs. I learned how to stage socially distanced productions.  I learned that masks work better than face shields outside when the weather is cold because face shields fog up. I learned how to call camera cues for live-streamed performances. I learned what it feels like to finish a show and have a cast bow to no one and to be the only one in the theatre applauding. 

     

Yes, we produced a full season of shows that included a virtual murder mystery, a one act compilation of Shakespearean scenes and monologues in face shields outside under scorching sun in the midst of fires and smoke that caused us to delay the show a week. We performed a small-scale musical with a canned orchestra, singing in masks in freezing weather in a week of rain that caused us to move our opening night inside for a tiny, socially distanced audience. We streamed a radio show and we held a virtual Broadway Cares talent show that was in fact a technical train wreck. I learned humility. I learned perseverance.  

I learned that I love theatre even more than I realized. I learned that live theatre cannot be replaced. I learned to never take a live audience for granted ever again.  I learned that while I was not prepared for the pandemic, I was prepared to face it. 

The gift of age? The gift of perspective?  Perhaps. 

 What I know now that I didn’t know when the pandemic started was that my life journey had prepared me for this moment.  I was equipped to help my students get through it. That is an important lesson for us all. We bring our unique life experience with us in every circumstance. The obstacles, challenges, loss, grief, pain and suffering are our teacher. The pandemic robbed the class of 2020 and 2021 of many milestones. But, the gift in the experience is perspective. When they face unknown challenges in the future they, too, will be prepared.  Above all,  I learned what Theatre on Purpose truly means.  And now, so do my students. 

 

A Theatre Educator's Pledge

As a theatre educator, I am asking myself a lot of questions right now.  This is a time for deep introspection and hard truths. It is a time to challenge systems of oppression in all forms and to work for justice and equality. This is a time to assess white privilege and to define what is meant by anti-racist. It is a time for painful learning.  It is a time for change. It is a time for transformation.  It  is a  time for truth. I am asking myself where I have been complicit in perpetuating the status quo.  I am looking in the mirror to see my own unrecognized biases. I am seeking to educate myself so that I can be a positive example for my students.  

As a Theatre on Purpose practitioner,  I have been committed to giving students a voice through the arts. I have always believed that theatre is transformative because it offers students both a window and a mirror to see the world. Theatre is a window through which we can see others and thereby grow in understanding, empathy and knowledge. Theatre is a mirror because it allows us to see ourselves and reflect on our own reality, motivations and actions. 

Arthur Miller said, "I regard theater as a serious business, one that makes or should make man more human, which is to say, less alone."  I have always been moved by this quote. I agree, theatre is serious business. As a theatre educator and practitioner I can make a difference by exposing my students to diverse cultures and experiences while delving into the historic contexts across time and place.

In IB Theatre, the aim is to "develop internationally minded people who, recognizing common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world."  I embrace this philosophy but am asking how it can go further.

Language and words matter.  Here is my pledge:

         As a theatre educator,
         I pledge to listen more.
         I pledge to educate myself on race, white privilege and oppression.
         I pledge to pay more attention to the stories we tell on stage and the plays we read in class.
         I pledge to offer my students the opportunity to use their voices to make our world a
         a better place.  
         I pledge to maintain a theatre program that is a safe, judgement-free space for students to
         belong.
         I pledge to engage students in meaningful, impactful, purpose-driven artistic projects that
         directly tackle difficult topics about race, identity, Anti-Semitism, harassment,
         and oppression.
         I pledge to maintain a spirit of goodwill.
         I pledge to resolve conflict.
         I pledge not to use violence in thought, word or deed.
         I pledge to work with others to build a world that is more loving, compassionate and just.
         I pledge to seek first to understand.
         I pledge to be more courageous.
         I pledge to use theatre on purpose.
       
         Theatre on Purpose - Now more than ever.
       

       
       
       

I Ain't Down Yet...But...

I find myself struggling during this open-ended time of waiting during the Pandemic of COVID-19.  I'm a highly organized person. As a director and theatre educator, schedules, deadlines and calendars rule.  I am also a problem solver.  I don't give up easily.  In high school, I was Molly in The Unsinkable Molly Brown.  My mantra is "I ain't down yet." But right now all bets are off. What happens when the show can't go on?

I remember a line from the play, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, the true story that bears witness to the children interned in Terezin during the Holocaust.  Irena, the teacher who inspires and motivates her students to write poetry and draw pictures about their experience, says to young Raja, "waiting days are long days."

These are long days.  I am waiting, like everyone, for this to be over. But that is not likely to happen any time soon.  Given the reality, what does that mean for my students who have rehearsed and were ready to perform their spring musical, Into the Woods in April?  At what point do I holler uncle?
I'm walking a fine line between tenacity and insanity.

We are not returning to school for the rest of the year. I have given up on the notion that we will be able to perform for a live audience. So what choices are left?   I've envisioned everything from the actors coming back when it is safe - maybe late summer  or even over Thanksgiving - performing with clear face shields. The cast members could apply their makeup, do their hair, dress in costume and warm up at home.  But is that even feasible?

There are a million dominoes. The set is installed but nothing has been teched. No light cues have been programmed.  Does this make sense? Or would we be better off figuring out a way to do an audio recording of the cast?  These students deserve some kind of "finished product," don't they?
Or is this just another casualty of COVID-19.  Another loss for the class of 2020?

I don't know. Will the answers come? At some point will the answer be obvious? Will it be dictated to me? Somebody, anybody, tell me what to do!?

Unwinding the show will have its own set of complications - set, props, costume returns. Negotiating contracts. Retrieving musical scripts and scores. What else?  I don't know what I don't know.
But what will the emotional toll be on those kids?

Waiting to mount the show some time in the future without any idea of when that might be seems unreasonable. Reassembling a cast that would then include graduates,  reinstalling the set, re-assembling the costumes.... at what expense? Is that even possible?

I always say, "safety first." This is the ultimate, "heads up!" call.
We cannot do the show until it is safe to do so.  That line is clear.
How long to hold on to a full scale production is not so clear. When do you cut your losses, regroup and create something lasting in a different way?

Waiting days are indeed long days.  I ain't down yet...but it's feeling like the iceberg is on the horizon.
I'm willing to row. But where is the life boat?

From Football to Theatre: A Lesson on Great Coaching

I just listened to a new podcast episode entitled Flying Coach With Steve Kerr & Pete Carroll: Two Champions on Mentors, Philosophies and Why They Coach on The Ringer NFL Show.  Why would a high school theatre educator be the least bit interested in listening to a sports oriented podcast? Well, truth be known, I'm a huge Pete Carroll fan but more than that, I am an avid student of great coaching.  I'm fascinated by how coaches motivate their teams to win game after game.  I am wildly curious about what it takes to have a championship mentality.

 I love college football and (full disclosure) I am one of four USC alumni in our family so USC football has always been a favorite fall pastime. Over the years, I've observed differing coaching styles on display along the sidelines of college football games; the stern-faced authoritarian,  the clipboard-throwing bully and the exuberant enthusiast. Pete Carroll falls into the latter category.

When I saw that there was to be a podcast interview with Pete Carroll about his philosophy of coaching, I had to tune in.  Never a big NFL fan, once Pete left USC and joined the Seattle Seahawks, I suddenly cared about the Super Bowl.  Pete Carroll's energy, focus, and enthusiasm is effervescent. Watching Pete on the sidelines, chomping his gum is pure fun. He loves what he does. His passion is evident. His intensity is palpable.  His positive spirit is infectious.

Now, forty-years in, Pete Carroll's personal charisma combined with his skill, daring and determination are legendary.

Here are my five takeaways on coaching from Flying Coach With Steve Kerr & Pete Carroll: Two Champions on Mentors, Philosophies and Why They Coach  that can be applied to high school theatre directors:

1. Be authentic: It's not all about the "X's and O's" of play calling. Translated for theatre - it's not just about the blocking.  Bring yourself, your passion, your unique approach to directing and trust yourself.

2. Be consistent: I couldn't agree more. In high school theatre, consistency provides clarity of communication and expectation. This is not easy because there is always the exception to the rule. Theatre educators need to be aware, intentional and fair. Five minutes early is on time for everyone!

3. Have a philosophy: This falls right in line with my belief in the Theatre on Purpose approach to teaching. Know why you are in educational theatre. It's not something to "fall back on." It's a calling.

4. Do the hard work: Training, discipline and developing the tools necessary to create theatre are imperative. It takes practice, rehearsal, and self-discipline. Theatre, like football, requires a team effort. Not everyone can be the quarterback. But without the kicker or receiver there isn't a team. Technicians, stage crew, and the ensemble are equally important as the leading actor.

5. Make sound choices: This one is personal. Life-work balance. To thine own self be true. Not always an easy thing to achieve, but regret is real so think about the choices you make along the way.

I once heard that Pete Carroll would tell his team to  "go out there and do it better than you've ever done it before." I have quoted that "Pete Carrollism"  many times to my students. You've got to show up ready to perform; seasoned, healthy and focused.  The simple notion of doing something better than you've ever done before is a straight forward and clear directive.

And that's how we should live our lives, too, isn't it? Each day, shouldn't we be striving for excellence? Each day shouldn't we be trying to be the best version of ourselves?

I appreciate great coaching in educational theatre and recognize that it is all about the process. As I always say, if the process has integrity, the product will have integrity.

Theatre on Purpose is student-centered, nurturing, disciplined, passionate, authentic and above all, joyful!

Into the Woods and Through the Fear, You Have to Take The Journey

My spring musical, Into the Woods, scheduled to open April 1st is postponed.  This April Fools' is no joke. Sets abandoned, costumes hanging on their racks, wigs sitting idly on their styrofoam heads in front of makeup mirrors all waiting for somebody to call "places."

Technology has allowed me access to my cast. But when you're trying to rehearse Parts 1 - 9 of the prologue of Into the Woods on Zoom from 56 remote locations, let's just say, it doesn't work.
Wifi signals vary. Lags in transmission play havoc with Sondheim's already complex rhythms creating a cacophony more dissonant than the score itself.

Anyone who knows me, knows that Into the Woods is my favorite musical. But as the Meme going around theatre circles says, "When I said I wanted life to be more like a musical, I didn't mean Act II of Into the Woods."  Eerily on point. Equally chilling was my choice of our 19/20 season theme - Courage.  Irony? Premonition? Intuition? Coincidence? Bad luck? You pick.

"No more questions. Please. No more tests....comes the day you say what for... just no more!" 

The drama we are living will no doubt result in great art.  YouTube is already bursting with creativity.  I've always said, theatre people are the most generous of human beings. With no lights and no stage, they are finding ways to reach out to support the community of out of work performers, writers, directors and most notably, young theatre students through multiple social media platforms.

It will be left to this generation of emerging theatre artists to tell the story of "how it all happened."
An unseen, microscopic giant has come into our midst.
Through our social isolation, we are conversely coming together out of responsibility to the community.  "Careful, no one acts alone."  

As a theatre educator, I am reminding myself every day as I strive to keep my cast inspired, hopeful and connected through tablets, iPhones and computers, "Careful the things you say. Children will listen."

It may be "Hard to see the light now. Just don't let it go. Things will come out right now. We can make it so. Someone is on your side. No one is alone."

Hal Prince - An Appreciation

Last night the lights dimmed on Broadway. This morning, we should all be planning our next creative project. The legendary theatre director and producer, Hal Prince, famously went to work the next day after the opening of every show, flop or a hit, and began working on his next big idea.

 I'll admit that news of Hal Prince's  passing hit me harder than I would have expected. I never had the privilege of meeting the man. I can't say that I thought all that much about him on a daily basis. The fact that he was responsible for many of the Broadway musicals I grew up with, listened to, performed in and directed was not uppermost on my mind. But this morning, as I sat down to write this post,  I couldn't stop thinking about how Hal Prince impacted my creative life.  Fiddler on the Roof, Company, Follies, West Side Story, Evita, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Phantom of the Opera  - just a few of the astonishing musicals he helped create in the twentieth century - are the reason I love the theatre so much. Company and Follies were part of the sound track of my college theatre days. They imprinted on my creative brain. Each starkly different in style, they were something entirely different from anything I'd ever seen before. 

There is no describing the importance that Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story have played in my life. I've directed and performed in each of them twice. Both of these masterpieces rate among my favorite shows of all time.

I'm old enough to have seen Patty Lapone as Evita and I can still remember the utter thrill I felt as she belted out "Don't Cry for me Argentina." But the staging is what struck me the most about the show. It was the first musical I'd ever seen that incorporated film projection.  When the movie reel wound to a stop in the opening scene and the chorus of mourners began to process,  I was mesmerized.
 Phantom of the Opera ushered in the era of the visual and technical spectacle. For just one moment, remember the first time you experienced the chandelier falling. Hal Prince was a master of theatrical storytelling.

I am deeply grateful to have come of age in the twentieth century at a time when  musical theatre entered the modern age.

The legacy of Hal Prince has permeated my life in surprising ways.  But what I think I appreciate most about this artistic genius, is that he loved the craft so much that he never gave up. He just kept working. To me that is the epitome of the creative personality. Purpose-driven work is life-giving, energizing, passionate and essential.  I simply cannot imagine my life without the musicals Hal Prince produced. Period.

From everything I've read about Hal Prince, and I think I've devoured virtually everything written since news of his passing broke, he trusted his instincts and had confidence in his vision. There is a lesson in that.  Fearless, bold, larger than life, this legendary theatrical giant may have left this earth, but we will carry on inspired by and grateful for what he left us.

Now get back to work.

Where Do You Begin? Take It From The T.O.P.

T.O.P. is a philosophy of educational theatre that is a content-driven, process-oriented approach that may do one or all of the following:

1. Use theatre arts as a means for ensemble participants to more deeply discover who they are through writing, developing, and performing original material around a particular theme.

2. Use theatre arts as a way to raise consciousness about societal issues for pre-determined audiences.

3. Use the gifts and talents of the ensemble participants in the creation and performance of the finished product. There is usually no outside casting of the finished material.

4. Use an organic, experimental approach to the development of the project.

How do you begin?

Know your purpose:  It's a process.  Know who you want to work with and what your goal is. (Teenagers? Older Adults? Children?) Remember Shakespeare said, "To Thine Own Self Be True." If you don't like working with kids then don't.  Stay with your passion. This is intense, intimate work that requires an investment of time, courage, energy, and risk. As a T.O.P. facilitator, you must have the commitment to the purpose and a passion for the work.

Know your audience:  It's a product. Know who you are creating the material for - specific population, demographic, community?

Students as Collaborators: This work is not directed by you.  This work is highly organic and requires letting go of control.  You may start with a theme but the process of developing the content is collaborative.  There is an art to facilitating the process and knowing what the boundaries are but let the students take the lead. 

Anchors: As the facilitator you are also part of the collaborative process. You may have a vision and there may be certain anchor points you want included in the finished product.  You may identify certain material, poetry, music, news stories, historic events or visual metaphors that will help shape the piece of theatre you are devising. This is not a free wheeling, completely unstructured process. Rather, there are seeds of inspiration that you plant within the ensemble. 

Theatrical Storytelling Styles:  Is the piece you are devising non-linear? Is it a collage? Will you employ a particular style? Genre? What will serve the purpose? Perhaps the piece is didactic in nature lending itself to a Brechtian approach.  Perhaps you are creating something that would best be expressed through physical movement.  Having students explore different genres, styles, practitioners and processes will ignite their imagination and invite creative exploration.

Time:  Give yourself the necessary time to experiment.  Eventually the piece needs to be solidified. However I always tell students, "You can't fake a process." If the process has integrity, the product will have integrity.

Controlled Chaos: Be comfortable with the messiness of the creative process. Remember you are starting from nothing. No script, no blocking, no roadmap. However, I recommend that the stage manager keep rehearsal reports so that there is a record of where you have left off and where you need to pick up at the next rehearsal.   

Intended Impact: Your compass is the desired impact you want to have on the audience. What do you want to be the take away from their experience? 

 Trust: Above all trust and keep going.  There will be setbacks. There will be doubts. There will be confusion.  There will be conflict. There will be breakthroughs. There will be discoveries. There will be exhilarating moments. There will be satisfaction. There will be fulfillment.

Reflect: Theatre on Purpose teaches a way of working that applies not only to theatre but to any creative endeavor.  I believe that one of the most important aspects of T.O.P. is what students learn about themselves.

At the end of the process, I always have students do a reflection on their own process of collaboration.  By holding a mirror up to themselves, they see how they work, how they deal with obstacles and how they communicate with others. 

There is comfort in coming to know one's self.  Theatre on Purpose provides a way for students to understand themselves, to recognize their gifts and contribution to the whole and to be confident in who they are. 

A Theatre on Purpose practitioner understands that the goal is not the product. It is the process. 

T.O.P. Needs Assessment and Planning Tool

As a Theatre on Purpose practitioner it is time to start thinking about your intentions for the upcoming school year.  Remember, Theatre on Purpose is the opposite of theatre by accident! I shared this needs assessment tool with participants in my T.O.P. workshop at the International Thespian Festival. I hope it will help theatre educators make purpose-driven choices!

TAKE IT FROM THE T.O.P. NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING TOOL

Amy Luskey-Barth, MPC

“A vision without a task is but a dream. A task without a vision is drudgery. A vision and a task is the hope of the world.” From a church in Sussex, England.

1. What specific skills and talents do you possess that you can use in your theatre program?

2. We have the greatest impact when we are in touch with our gifts and in an environment that fosters those gifts and passions. What projects, subjects, and activities would you like to introduce in to your program?

3. In teaching, who we are is often a far greater example than what we do.   What are some qualities, personality traits and life experiences that make you YOU that can benefit your students?

4. Are there challenges you currently face that may be impacting your teaching? Are there issues that need clarification, refining or restructuring in your current job structure to make you a more effective teacher?

5. What is your purpose as a theatre educator? (In one sentence)

6. What needs do your students have that you believe you could better serve?

7. What kind of team, additional resources,  structures or support do you need to better serve your students?

8. What additional training, professional development , networking, or artistic outlets would make you a more impactful theatre educator?

9.  To whom  can you turn  as a mentor, guide, or advisor?

10. What is your vision for growth of your theatre program?

11. What can you let go of? 

copyright 2017 

A Week of Hope

I have been taking students to the International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln since 1995. People who don't understand why I'd spend a week of my increasingly shorter summer in hot, humid Lincoln give me looks that say, "I'm so sorry" or "how awful." It's hard to explain why living in a dorm with a bunch of teenagers, staying up until 1:00 a.m. for bed check at curfew, eating meals in the cafeteria, and walking miles across campus in blistering heat, on  blistering feet is one of the most enjoyable weeks of my vacation.

Years ago, I read a book by Jean M. Auel called Clan of the Cave Bear.  While I don't recall a great deal about the story, I do remember the impact that the idea of a clan had on me.  According to Webster's dictionary,  one of the definitions of  a clan is a group of people with a strong, common interest.  For theatre students and teachers, being at the International Thespian Festival is like finding one's clan.  This clan is energetic, passionate, generous, kind, helpful, creative, serious-minded, skilled, and accepting. For over twenty years, I have found this to be true.  For as much change as there has been since I first started going to the International Thespian Festival in 1995 (I'm not sure how we managed without cell phones, texting, and Guidebook apps) the essence of the experience has remained exactly the same - students, teachers, guest artists coming together in a massive celebration of educational theatre.

For anyone who has lost hope in the next generation, there is no need to despair. The 2017 International Thespian Festival,  bursting at the seams with over 4,000 theatre artists, proved to me again that our future is bright.  It is a privilege to spend a week where hope is alive and well. We witness remarkable performances by talented young actors, listen to new plays and musicals developed by high school students, laugh together at improvisation and cry together as topics such as teen suicide and gun violence are tackled by emerging theatre artists finding their voices.

Spend a week with this clan, and cynicism melts away. I am more convinced than ever that theatre is one of the most powerful and transformative tools we have as human beings to affect positive  change in our world . Empowering students by giving them the  opportunity to come together with other working artists is affirming, encouraging, and inspiring.

I highly recommend that anyone new to educational theatre, spend a week in Lincoln with this Educational Theatre "clan."  You will come back knowing that your work is not only a noble profession but a calling. What you do matters not only to your students, but to our world.   What greater example of Theatre on Purpose can there be?

It's the Little Things

I have often been asked what differentiates a good production from a great one. There are many things that elevate a show to greatness of course. But I believe every element of a great production can be reduced to these two principles: attention to detail and finding the moments.

In educational theatre, directors are forced to wear many hats often leading them to feeling overwhelmed.  The nuances can be missed and artistic choices can take a back seat to the bigger demands of the job.  After all, getting a group of emotionally-charged adolescents focused and working together as a team while mounting a full scale production on a tight budget is a tall order. 

But the things that bring a show to the next level are also the fun things that bring about satisfaction with the end product and leave an audience recognizing the difference but not being able to pinpoint exactly what it was that made it so.  

So for what its worth, here are my top ten ways to take your show to the next level: 

1. Pick good material. It will never betray you.

2. Know the style of your show and honor it. Keep it consistent throughout. Beware of modern   casualness creeping in to body language and diction. 

3. If the script inherently calls for a dialect - use it.  Some plays are written with a rhythm and cadence that is driven by regional, ethnic, or cultural dialects. Guys and Dolls without the "Runyonese" loses the humor and kills the punchline.  Fiddler on the Roof  without the Yiddish inflection loses the melody.  "Right? Of Course right!"

4. Pay attention to punctuation...especially ellipses...

5. Analyze the text with your actors. There is nothing worse than students not understanding what they are saying or why they are doing what they are doing. The "aha" moment when a character's motivation becomes clear to the actor is thrilling. I have been known to take hours working over just a few lines in order for my actors to understand every word and subtext before getting them on their feet. If done well, a scene will practically block itself.  I'm a big fan of the  Atlantic Theatre Company's Practical Handbook for the Actor technique myself.

6.  Pay attention to pacing. Know when to pick up the tempo and when to slow it down. Know when to pause. Let the moment happen. Don't rush it. 

7.  Create interesting stage pictures that communicate the tension, emotion, atmosphere or meaning  of the moment. 

8.  Beware of cleverness for cleverness sake. Don't give in to the cheap laugh or clap trap. Schtick is schtick. Leave to the stand ups.

9. Whatever the budget, put the money where they can see it. Production values are important. Know how fabric works under light. Understand color, texture, line, and form. Don't let an actor go on stage looking bad. Shoes make the costume. Sorry. I know character shoes are the standard go-to for most musicals. Attention to detail in shoes not only gives the show a "look" - it will help your actors get in to character.  The old adage, accessories make the outfit is as true in costuming as in real life.

10. Remember it's a process. Young actors need to season. It takes time.

The Lessons Of Terezin

ISTA FESTIVAL Art at the HeART 

Day One March 10, 2016

I just walked down the hall from my room in the Park Hotel in Terezin to find all of my students congregated in a common area with other students from around the world staying in this hotel - laughing, talking, and playing games. The life energy was in itself inspiring. In one brief instant, I knew why we were here, why I had spent ten months planning this trip, and why I believe travel is the best teacher. Boundaries, boarders, hatred, distrust, fear, ignorance disappear when people form personal relationships and that is what is happening at this very moment down the hall from my room. 

Terezin is a gloomy, somewhat eerie place. I was here ten years ago and never imagined I would be back actually staying in the town – a former ghetto for the Jews awaiting transport to Auschwitz. The last time I was in Terezin, I was alone. I took myself on a side trip from Prague and experienced the power and heartache of a story that has stayed alive for one reason – Art. Much like Anne Frank’s diary, the artwork and poetry that was produced in this gray stoned fortress has kept the brief lives of the young children and teenager who were held here alive in the hearts and minds of all who have had the privilege of coming to Terezin or reading the compilation of the stories in “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” 

Tonight, as laughter and joy echo down the hallway of this rather grim, sparse hotel – of which we are the only guests – I imagine the laughter of the children over seventy years ago in the midst of the horror of the Holocaust, here in Terezin with their teachers encouraging them to draw, paint, sing, and write their stories  – and I imagine in some way, their spirit and the spirit of the place  are one with us. Past and present came  together tonight through the laughter of young people.  My heart is full of gratitude knowing that ten years ago, I was alone here. Tonight, I am here with sixteen students passing on the lessons of Terezin.  And so our journey begins

Day Two March 11, 2016

Hard to know where or how to begin to fully capture the experiences of today. We began the day in a ballroom of the Memorial Hotel where  ISTA artists began working with the students theatrically using aspects of life in the ghetto of Terezin as the starting point. Under the harshest of conditions, art thrived in Terezin. In one exercise, a student was selected as a musical conductor and the rest of the group was divided in half. One half of the group created a chorus. The other half waited to step in as one by one members of the chorus were tapped on the shoulder slowly falling to the floor symbolizing the people who died or were taken away by transport. The chorus continued with a constant flow of people stepping in and others falling to the floor.  Then at one point, the conductor was tapped and he fell to the floor. And the singing continued.  This is an example of how theatre can bring history to life in a way that other mediums cannot.

Art was a form of resistance during the Holocaust. Cultural resistance. In Terezin, the Jews created operas, musical compositions, artwork, poetry and stories. Much of what was done was in secret, hidden from the Nazis. While in Terezin, an underground newspaper was created by some young boys as a means of communicating with one another. To simulate this, the school groups were encouraged to devise a secret method of communicating while here and to create some form of artistic work in secret. 

The group then was split into ensembles to begin the process of working together to develop a piece of theatre based on their experience in Terezin.  The students in the ensemble I observed were blindfolded before entering the space. While trust exercises are common in theatre, this took on a very different context in light of the Holocaust. The students followed each other, blindly moving slowly  into an unfamiliar room – many grasping for hands of complete strangers for safety and security. It was a powerful and visceral experience.  The group then created a series of living images or tableaux depicting life before the ghetto, being torn apart, and triumphant defiance. Finally, the ISTA artist asked each student to consider why they came to Terezin and to respond with three words.

A bit about the town itself –

The hotel we are staying in once housed the SS officers. Terezin is essentially a ghost town. The ISTA students and teachers are the only guests in the Park hotel. The town is eerily quiet. There are only 2000 residents of Terezin. The buildings are mostly vacant and the square barracks and buildings are all the same height. The Memorial Hotel where much of our ensemble work is being done is also empty. It was built with the hope of bringing some tourism and conferences to the town, but it failed. Now, like the other buildings, it is a haunting place. It feels as if we are the only people here.

 Unlike other concentration camps or labor camps, the entire town of Terezin was taken over by the Nazis as a ghetto for the Jews. But there is another aspect to the dark and sad history of this place. The Nazis used Terezin as propaganda. They “allowed” the Jews to be “self- governing.”  They even made a propaganda film depicting life in Terezin as a “spa” – and a safe place for the Jews. The Red Cross visited the ghetto and, much like visiting  a movie set, things appeared good on the surface when in fact, faucets had no running water, and people were coerced to say that life was fine in Terezin. Even the musicians were used as a propaganda tool – showing that Terezin was a cultural center for Jews.  

Today, we walked over five miles across nearly every inch of this place. Terezin’s history precedes WWII. It was built as a fortress by Emperor Josef II and was named for his wife Maria Theresa – hence Theresenstadt (Terezin). During WWII, the fortress was used by the Nazis as a prison for political prisoners. There is a huge crematorium which was only built after the Nazis ran out of space to bury the bodies of the dead. The ashes were placed in individual urns as another way of showing that they were treating the Jews well. But toward the end of the war, they wanted to dispose of any evidence and had the cremains thrown into the Elbe river.  We visited the fortress, crematorium, and heard  story after story of the cruel, inhumane treatment of the Jews in Terezin. Our guide’s family was among the victims of Terezin  - as thousands died of diseases caused by the lack of hygiene.

The students listened, respectfully and were visibly moved. Finally, after the long, cold walk through the town, we returned to the hotel for dinner.

The evening session brought everything together, as the students in eight separate groups, imagined they were opening one of the boxes of ashes before they were thrown into the Elbe. Each group then created a series of silent, imagined scenes depicting the five most significant events of that person’s life. It was performed by the entire group as a memorial to those who died in Terezin.

The result, as one student stated as we circled up to debrief, was the “single most powerful theatrical performance she had ever seen.”  We all agreed. Each of our students then had the opportunity to process out loud the most significant take away from the day.  Each shared  thoughtful and insightful  responses.  I know that the experience we are having here will work in them for the rest of their lives.

We were the last to leave the Memorial Hotel after our reflection on the day.  As we left the large ballroom, we closed the door behind us and walked the dark, bleak streets back to our hotel. And again, the life energy of our students filled the place with joy. I told our students that God is found in the joy of our lives – so while this is a heavy and sad history, they have the gift of life so celebrate that with one another. And so, they did.

 Day Three March 12, 2016

“We are so few now it is better to learn it from someone who was there. It is necessary that I come here.” Doris, A Survivor

Today we had an incredibly inspirational experience as the entire ISTA group met and had the opportunity to interview a survivor of Terezin.  Now 89 years old, she was a young girl who, as she said, spent four birthdays in Terezin from 13 years to 19 years.  Her mother died in Terezin from disease. Her father was transported to the east and perished at Auschwitz. Her brother, five years older than she, survived Auschwitz but she didn’t know that until after the liberation.

Terezin was liberated by the Russians. While they were in many ways the savior of the Jews in this part of the world, they soon dominated it through the political oppression of Communism. Czechoslovakia was officially under Communist rule from 1948 – 1989 and the history of Terezin was suppressed. Terezin was returned to its original function as a military garrison. Not until the Velvet Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 did the story of Terezin begin to emerge.

“How could the clever Germans follow this evil. I still do not understand this,” Doris said.  “But in Terezin, everything was not bad. Especially for young people. The old died – many of hopelessness.”

When asked if she had heard of or knew about the other camps, she said “We didn’t know anything. It was only after the war we found out what happened to our people.”

They were permitted to bring to Terezin 50 kg of personal belongings in a suitcase. Her family was among the first transports to Terezin and she does not know why they were that “lucky.”

She lived in the Hamburg barracks with her mother. Her father and brother lived in the Sudeten barracks. The poor German Jews paid large sums of money to come to Terezin – thinking it was a “spa.”

They had high hopes when the Red Cross visited the town. The Nazis hid all people who were “not looking good” from the Red Cross. After the Red Cross left, they had little hope.

It was easier for young, strong people who could work. She tended the sheep and said the sheep saved her life.  Her first love was a Gendarme. He disallowed her from taking the train to Auschwitz with her father and intervened once to save him by getting him off the transport. He went on the next transport and he couldn’t do anything about it.  She took care of the sheep which provided clothing and food for the guards. Over her life time she collected 500 sheep figurines.

When asked if she knew that the artwork was being hidden she said, “no, it was secret. It would cost them their lives.”

Our students asked many questions including what dreams she had after the war. She was afraid of bicycles because the guards who rode bikes beat people. It was not easy. “It took a long while to be normal again.” She has one son who married an Indian woman and she has two grandchildren who are half Indian. She even made a joke about how her mixed race family defied Hitler!

She was factual. Unemotional. Non-religious though she said she believes in doing good deeds and has committed her life to this.

When asked after she was liberated, what she felt and what she had missed the most she said one word: “Freedom.”

“I hope you will have a good life. I listen to the radio and there is nothing positive.”

This is learning at its deepest level. Experiential, site specific, historical and creative.  This is Theatre On Purpose.

 Day Four March 13, 2016

Today was the day that all of the creative work and preparation done in the ensembles and in our whole group was woven into a complete piece of theatre. The process of devising original work begins with a starting point. Terezin provided a site specific starting point and the individual experiences of the students’ response to what happened here provided a deep and rich context for exploration and development. Through a variety of processes which included physical theatre, text, music, voice and imagery, students worked in four separate ensemble groups led by ISTA artists from around the world. Each night, all of the ensembles were brought together to explore some aspect of their experience from the stories of Terezin.  As one of the artists said, “Your creative self doesn’t know where it wants to go.” The magic happens as the ensembles collaborate and build on various ideas. Each student was asked to reflect on what they saw, what they heard, and what they felt as they toured the ghetto and museum filled with the drawings and poetry of the children of Terezin. From these personal responses, the theatre storytelling begins to take shape.  As a theatre educator, this is the most exciting kind of work to produce and to experience. The layering process occurs as each element of theatre storytelling is added to the process. I witnessed our students doing some incredible work with respect, integrity, commitment, and vision. Each ensemble had to identify the theme of their piece, what each of them wanted to accomplish  individually, and what impact they hoped the piece would have on the audience.  

On this final day of development, the four ensembles worked separately for three hours to create their piece. Then all four ensembles were brought together and the Artistic Director, Deborah Kidd, asked each ensemble to identify two people who knew their piece really well. To my astonishment (but not really) our Talon Theatre students were the representatives from every group! On the International stage, among eighty students, SM students stood out. It was this group who determined the order of the ensemble pieces so that the story had a cohesiveness. Keep in mind, none of the individual ensembles had seen each other’s piece so the shaping of the entire collage happened only at this point – one half an hour before the performance.

Deborah then anchored these four separate ensemble pieces with two whole group performances developed during the evening sessions. The opening set the tone by showing the five key moments in the life of one person who perished from Terezin. The closing piece was the original musical composition developed by the students . “Believe in Me” became the repeated phrase. Deborah worked the group through the transitions and the audience moved around the space to view the approximately 30 minute piece. There were moments of hope, moments of being torn apart, moments of resistance, moments of joy, moments of love all depicted through the lens of life in Terezin.  The question posed at the end of the last ensemble’s piece connected the past with the present – “What Happens Next?” The echoes of the Holocaust, its lessons, the examination of power and oppression continues to be relevant in our world. For these young teenagers, the question of “What happens next” is real….

The final sharing was profound, moving, and powerful.

We have been in another world – in an 18^th century walled military garrison and former Jewish Ghetto, walking the halls where Nazi SS once walked and learning about the life, art, and culture that thrived despite horrendous conditions. The town of Terezin has some signs of life, with 2000 residents -  but mostly it is a town of desolate streets and block after block of large, vacant, haunting buildings where the artwork was hidden away until after WWII.  Artworks are still being discovered to this day.

This is the environment in which theatre students from around the world have been living for four intensely emotional days.  This is the place from which they will continue to tell the story. Terezin has taught them to stand up against persecution and oppression. Terezin has taught them the power of artistic expression. For the children of Terezin, art was essential to survival.  I believe It is essential to our own. 

Terezin has taught me that art matters and I vow never to stop fighting for its rightful and essential place in our educational system. 

Art saves lives. For anyone who doubts this truth, go to Terezin.

Terezin. Never Forget.