Sweet, sweet summertime: a chance for educators to kick back, relax, and celebrate another great school year. While teachers from every walk of life deserve a chance to bask in the summer sunshine, now is also a great time to get organized for the year ahead.
No matter the theatre program you’re managing, having a few things checked off your list before students return to class will make the start of the year that much sweeter. On The Stage presents a few manageable to-do items to tackle this summer.
Being the best teacher you can be means taking care of yourself – so make sure you’re allowing ample time to recharge this summer. After another whirlwind year, you deserved it!
Alongside your relaxation, have a solo school year post-mortem. Reflect on the year, your shows, your curriculum, and your students’ growth. Ask yourself a few launch-pad questions to help you set goals for next year. Questions like:
An excellent educator is consistently honing their craft – so why shouldn’t you? Consider heading to theatre education workshops to learn more about your passion and how to better share it with your students.
Additionally, consider joining a community theatre production for the summer or even an improv class. Visit and enjoy other theatrical productions, and return to the roots of your love for theatre. With that added passion and skill, you will better serve your students the following school year.
Nothing is more exciting than starting a new school year with fresh costumes and props, even if they’re refurbished or given a good scrub!
So – head into the abyss that is your costume and prop closet, and get to organizing! Determine what props can be reused and which should be tossed. Sort your costumes and decide which pieces have seen better days and which need a nice dry clean or new stitching. If you have the funds, now is a great time to order additional stock for the year ahead.
If you’re in the organizing groove, consider creating a master inventory list to keep track of everything you’ve got for upcoming productions. Bonus points if you color-coat or otherwise organize your items for easy storage and use!
As a theatre educator, you are often held to certain standards when creating a curriculum for your students. The last thing you want to do is fall short!
Thus, summertime is a great chance to evaluate your curriculum critically to confirm that you’re hitting the benchmarks your school or district requires. For example – perhaps you’re required to hit on subject matter outside acting, dancing, or singing – like writing, producing, designing, or directing. Maybe you need to highlight certain playwrights or authors each semester or perform certain pieces. No matter the requirements, studying those guidelines can help you mold your curriculum into an interactive, organized, and dynamic lesson plan.
We could go on and on about how educational theatre programs need more funding – but you already know that, don’t you? Despite that obvious fact, you should know exactly how much money you have in your arsenal for the year ahead before you start planning any major curriculum components.
Looking at the hard numbers of your budget this summer – and not when school is already in session – will help you determine the types of shows you can do, the complexity of your curriculum, and the quality of set pieces and costuming. If you’ve seen a bump in your budget, you can also consider planning a field trip for your class the following year.
Maybe you didn’t see the ticket sales numbers you wanted last school year. Perhaps you want to appeal to more students within your school system. No matter the reason, reviewing your marketing and advertising efforts can help you reach your goals and make necessary changes. After all, once the school year begins, you’ll have little time to design and disseminate marketing materials like posters, programs, social media posts, and other advertising efforts.
Sit down solo or with your designated student marketing team to discuss ways to appeal to more folks and achieve sold-out performances. You can pre-plan social media content, poster designs, or general marketing strategies to ensure you see more people signing up for your classes and more people in seats for opening night.
If you are involved in educational theatre, it’s a safe assumption that your bandwidth is probably already maxed out. Luckily, partnering with On The Stage can help you accomplish all your goals for this school year and beyond without breaking the bank or overwhelming your staff.
OTS’s all-in-one technology platform is built for educational theatre programs. It is flexible enough to support students uniquely at every level of education—from universities to high schools to elementary schools and everything in between.
A few of the many benefits of OTS’s suite for educational theatre include:
No matter your students’ theatre level or age, On The Stage presents the resources you need to help your group excel and create shows that will make a lasting impression. If you’re ready to elevate your program, book a personalized demo today.