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Curtains Close on TIOSM 2021

3/31/2021

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By: STO Karis Klammer, Montgomery HS, Troupe 5986
and STO Gabriel Brock, Goose Creek Memorial HS, Troupe 8132


March 2021 was exciting! Theatre in Our Schools Month has been a fantastic success! Schools from all corners of the state participated in TIOSM festivities; thespians participated in challenges and activities posted on the Texas Thespian socials, advertised shows, and supported other troupes. Not to mention all of the advocacy that was done by thespians this month. 

Over the past 31 days, thespians across the state succeeded in implementing every part of A.R.T.S (A - Advertise, R - Reach Out, T - Teach, S - Social Media) into their advocacy. Every single troupe has made Texas Thespians proud. They took these four simple letters and brought awareness to their departments and theatre as a whole in the state. 

Our goal for March was to get TIOSM declared in 10 cities. However, we did not get 10. We absolutely blew our goal out of the water! Theatre in Our Schools Month was declared in 31 CITIES ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS!! 
 
So now you must be thinking “what can I do with all this information I’ve learned this month?” Even though the curtains are closing on Theatre in Our Schools Month 2021, the lessons you’ve learned this month have equipped you to continue the spirit of TIOS month for the rest of the school year and beyond that! Continue to support other troupes and the arts in your community, continue to create, and most importantly continue to advocate for theatre arts and everything that makes your program what it is. Yearn to leave your troupe and theatre in your community better off than when you first star.  

March 2021 has been one of the most successful Theatre in Our Schools Months ever! Your work exceeded every expectation. You have raised awareness about the impact of theatre education, drew attention to the need for more theatre access for all students, and supported school theatre programs in need. Even though the curtains are closing on TIOSM 2021, thank you to everyone who contributed to making this the best Theatre in our Schools Month we could ask for! 

Stay Tuned,
Your 2020 and 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers
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Connecting with the ARTS

3/31/2021

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By: STO Gabriel Brock, Goose Creek Memorial High School, Troupe 8132; STO Talya Hammerman Ridge Point High School, Troupe 7678; STO Folarin Oyeleye Foster High school Troupe 7961

We have reached the final week for Theatre In Our Schools Month! While the moment may be bitter-sweet, seeing as we are coming to a close on the month, hopefully, you’ve enjoyed these past three weeks advertising, reaching out, and teaching. This week, we’re focusing on social media and its relationship to theatre. Social Media is an ever-important aspect of theatre culture, and it ties in the other three points of ARTS:

Advertising 
  • Provides more ways of advertising your shows and troupe events
  • Interactive and always to a diverse audience
  • Advocate at the personal, troupe, school, and even state/national levels.
  • Showcases theatre to the new generation of young thespians

Reaching Out
  • Provides thespians with an outlet with other thespians and troupes and building a local theatre network
  • It makes communicating with representatives, legislators, theatre professionals, and others involved in the arts easier.
  • A great way of advocating to a broader audience
  • It is interactive; you can comment on/support other troupes, connect with local troupes/alumni, and so much more!

Teaching
  • It helps provide a wider spread of educational resources (such as articles or anecdotes from industry professionals) to those who may not have access to them locally.
  • Create and share not only theatre educational videos but recordings of monologues, scenes from plays/musicals.
  • Diversifies the education thespians receive by exposing them to multiple ideas, stories, circumstances, etc.
  • Social media has created an outlet for the arts to be better distributed, allowing students to learn more about the arts from younger ages, allowing them to develop their potential.  

Challenges
  • Utilize social media and the skills you’ve learned over the past month and complete these four challenges;
  • Post 5 emojis that describe your current show on your social media story and see who can guess it right! 
  • Repost graphics promoting shows happening in your community. If no performances are happening at the moment, you can repost anything theatre-related.
  • Comment on five theatre socials media pages (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
  • Create a Graphic for your troupe and share it with us by tagging @TexasThespians on on any platform.
    
Have a phenomenal rest of your Theatre In Our Schools Month, and continue to use the skills you’ve learned over the past three weeks throughout the rest of the school. Hope to see you all again next year!

Sincerely,
Your 2020 & 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers
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Go Teach!

3/17/2021

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By: STO Piper Daniell, Midway High School, Troupe 4770, and STO Gentry Phillips, Springtown High School, Troupe 1494

​Texas Thespians proved time and time again that theatre not only serves as a means for thespians to embrace their creative selves but also proved to be a place where everyone is involved. Whether we are techies, directors, or actors, we all have a place to teach others about what we do in theatre and about how that has shaped us as people. 
For Theatre In Our Schools Month, Texas Thespians shared an acronym many of us can easily relate to: A.R.T.S. 
This week is Teach! For so many of us, theatre has been our safe place and an area where we feel free to be ourselves. However, many thespians don’t realize what theatre taught them until they stop to reflect. Not only does theatre teach us about ourselves, but being in theatre and advocating it allows every thespian to teach others about the importance of the arts. Below are some statements from STO’s about what theatre taught them, along with what it has taught our wonderful director, Nicole Morgan.

STO: Campbell Lemons, Chair
What is something theatre has taught you about yourself?: Theatre taught me to trust myself even if I am unsure of the outcome and to always take the opportunities that come up.
How has theatre impacted the way you work with others?: It helped me to better understand different ways of thinking creatively and bettered me as a performer, leader and person.
How has what you’ve learned in theatre impacted you outside of the theatre?:The main thing I have taken away from theatre is how to advocate. Not just advocating for the arts, but advocating for myself. Advocating for yourself is something that I have relied on throughout the college application process and more.

STO: Annie Bailey
What is something theatre has taught you about yourself?: I learned that I struggle with eye contact but I have gotten much better at doing it and not feeling uncomfortable.
How has theatre impacted the way you work with others?: I am empathetic and more apt to consider what motivates the actions of others rather than rushing to be upset over small things. 
How has what you’ve learned in theatre impacted you outside of the theatre?:
I have learned lots about time management and public speaking skills. I say a lot less “ums” than I used to. 

STO: Elisa Pedraz Sanchez 
What is something theatre has taught you about yourself?: Theatre taught me that I am stronger and more confident than I think. It takes a lot of courage and training to stand up in front of a crowd and perform and before I joined theatre I never thought I would be able to do something like that someday. Theatre taught me how to be confident in my own skin and rock all of the things that make me different. It also made me a stronger person because of all the people I was surrounded by and all of the challenges I went through to get to this place. 
How has theatre impacted the way you work with others?: Absolutely! Before doing theatre I HATED doing any kind of team work activities but theatre taught me that I can't do everything alone. Like with shows, it takes a whole team to put on the show and it would be impossible for one person to do that by themselves. Theatre taught me how to collaborate with my peers, how to express my ideas better and how to listen to other people's ideas. Theatre impacted my work ethic positively!
How has what you’ve learned in theatre impacted you outside of the theatre?:Theatre in general taught me how to be more confident and that is something that is absolutely necessary in the real world because that is the way you portray yourself. It taught me how to be true to myself and how to fight for the things I believe in even if the path might be rocky. It made a huge impact in my life by teaching me there is always beauty even in the darkest places.

Thespian Board Director: Nicole Morgan
What is something theatre has taught you about yourself?: Perseverance 
How has theatre impacted the way you work with others?: I learned to listen more.
How has what you’ve learned in theatre impacted you outside of the theatre?:It gives me confidence to tackle the problems that will arise and know that I can do things as needed.

No matter what theatre taught you, always remember how much we can teach others through the work of the arts. With March being Theatre In Our Schools Month, take every opportunity to better educate others about the significance of the fine arts and how it enriches our lives.

Go teach!
You 2020 & 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers
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Your Guide to Reaching Out

3/10/2021

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By: STO Brenna Kenney, Rouse High School, Troupe 7679

​   It is week 2 of the greatest month of the year, Theatre In Our Schools Month! We have loved celebrating this month with you all and we can’t wait to MARCH into this second week! As you know, last week we dived into advertising, the first part of the acronym A.R.T.S.! This week, we are reaching out! There are many different ways to reach out, in your school, community, and even state level!

Reaching out in your School
Advocating in your school is one of the most simple ways to begin your advocacy journey! You can put up signs around your school to advertise shows, support other organizations by going to sports games or showcases, advertising your shows and activities through announcements, posting on social media, and so much more! All of these ideas can bring awareness to your department and the benefits of theatre in your school!

Reaching out in your Community
Once we are recognized in our schools, the next step we can take is advocating in our communities. This doesn’t mean parading down the streets of your town in full costume and makeup, but asking to advertise in local businesses, write newspaper articles, invite influential people to your shows, or volunteer to do community service. These ideas only scratch the surface of how you can gain support from your community, and we can’t wait to see more of your ideas!

Reaching out on the State Level
This may sound daunting, we get it, but it is not as scary as it sounds! Advocating on the state level brings a greater awareness to all the hard work, time, and energy we put into this thing we love so much: theatre! Reaching out on the state level can look like keeping open lines of communication with elected officials, or even getting Theatre In Our Schools Month declared in your city/town, so we can gain a better stepping stone moving up to the state level. This is one of the most important steps on our journey to advocacy in our state and we would love for you all to join us!

  We can not wait to see how your troupe reaches out! Stay tuned for more advocacy tips and tricks throughout the month of March, and REACH OUT to us on social media!

Happy Theatre In Our Schools Month, 
Your 2020 & 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers
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Admire? Adopt? No, Advertise!

3/3/2021

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By: STO Lia Graham, Texas High School, Troupe 2526

That’s Right! You guessed it. We’re talking about the A in ARTS advertising! There are so many ways to advertise for your theatre and events, so let’s get started!

There’s no one way that's better. All advertising is good advertising. Whether through your school newspaper, radio, posters or flyers, simply spreading the word is enough. With that being said, it’s your turn! Find new inventive ways to advertise your show. Reach out to your school and community personally. Need some ideas to get the creativity flowing? We have you covered! 

  1. Hand out flyers at a busy store. 
  2. Hold a meet and greet with the cast. 
  3. Contact local radio stations. See if they’ll advertise your show on air.
  4. Write to administrators and/or janitorial staff inviting them to your show. 
  5. Ask for your show information to be announced on your school’s news services.
  6. Have a social media drawing for free show tickets or a signed poster.

If you need more ideas, check out our “Advertise” video on Instagram! This is your time to put your leadership skills to the test. If you feel your troupe’s advertisement falls flat, CHANGE IT! You have the power to push ideas into action for the better of your troupe. Step up and make the change.

We believe in you,
Your 2020 & 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers
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Marching into TIOSM

3/1/2021

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By: STO Lia Graham, Texas High School, Troupe 2526

The time has come for (drum roll please) THEATRE IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH! It’s the one time of year when schools have a reason to shine the spotlight on theatre and hopefully find ways to incorporate theatre in core classes. This month, we’re focusing on the A.R.T.S. (obviously). 

A- Advertise 
R- Reach out 
T- Teach
S- Social Media

Sound familiar? If you attended leadership day or our advocacy workshop you may have been introduced to A.R.T.S. We will be diving into this acronym over the next 30 days providing your troupe and you with ideas, tips, and activities to grow your advocacy skills and spread the benefits of theatre! 

Add a little bit of spice…

We have prizes!! Below, you will see the first ever Theatre in our Schools Month Bingo! Each square has a fun activity for you to do throughout the month of March, and bring your troupe together to complete challenges to increase participation. Depending on how many rows you complete, you could win gift cards, Texas Thespians Merch, and most importantly, Ducks!! 

Take our ideas and make them your own. Take independence to make this year the best Theatre in our Schools month ever! Stay updated with A.R.T.S on our blog and social media. Let the advocating begin!

See you soon! 
Your 2020 & 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers
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Theatre In Our Schools 2020... Wrap Up!

3/31/2020

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By: STO Jarrett Stewart, Sunnyvale HS, Troupe 7532

Hello Texas Thespians! As many of you know, this past month theatre students across the country celebrated Theatre In Our Schools Month; an entire month dedicated to theatre students supporting each other, raising awareness about the impact of theatre education, and drawing attention to the importance of all students having access to educational theatre. As this month comes to a close we wanted to share 3 major takeaways from Theatre in Our Schools Month that you can take into the rest of the year.


  1. Connect With Your Administrators. You are going to want the support of your administrators to grow your theatre program, here are a few ideas that can help them feel connected to your program.
    1. Show them what you’re doing at rehearsal. If your department has a twitter, post rehearsal updates with pictures and tag your administrators. If your school does not typically use twitter you could also have your president or director email your admins a small paragraph about how rehearsals are going (Don’t forget to attach pictures!).
    2. Personally invite them to shows. If you go to a smaller school, you may be able to walk up to your admins in the hallway and ask them to come see your show, but if not, you can always email them an invitation. If you are going to email an invitation, make sure to send it a few weeks in advance, as it may take your administrators a while to get around to reading your email. 
    3. Thank your administrators. Whether it is for coming to a show, or just for being supportive of your program, you should always thank your administrators. A great way to do this is to have your troupe make cards at one of your meetings, nothing makes someone feel more appreciated than handwritten cards!
  2. Support other Theatre Programs. As thespians, we can’t expect anyone to support us if we do not support each other. Be sure to follow troupes from surrounding schools so that you can stay updated on when they are putting on shows. 
  3. Contact Your Representative. Getting March declared as Theatre in Our Schools on a statewide level is one of the STO’s biggest goals this year, but we can’t do this without the statewide support of every thespian, here are three steps you can take to make sure TIOSM is a topic on the Texas Legislature's table this year.
    1. Find out who your representative is. Using This link you can enter your address to find out who represents you. Each Texas resident has both a Texas senator and Texas house representative, we recommend contacting each of them.
    2. Write out a letter or email to your representatives. Be sure you include facts on how theatre education supports students' academics (Grades, Test scores, Etc.). You can find statistics to use Here, and explain why getting TIOSM declared is important to theatre students. Expect a letter template from the STO’s to come out in the next few months.
    3. If you are able to get a meeting, prepare! Make sure you have a packet with all the statistics and information you may need. It may be nerve wracking, but relax. You are just going to be sitting down, talking about what you are passionate about, Theatre!
Thank you all so much for an amazing Theatre in Our Schools Month. As we transition into the rest of our year, we don’t want to leave everything we’ve learned behind, always keep advocating for the arts, no matter what month it is. If every thespian does these three things, The rest of the year is going to be great for Texas Thespians. 

Keep it up,
Your 2020 Texas State Thespian Officers!


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It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

3/2/2018

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Hey Kids! It’s a new March! The first and only one of 2018! And I’m very sure that we all know what that means….

THEATRE IN OUR SCHOOLS!

Woooooooooooo! A whole month of advocating sounds absolutely fantastic, and just what we need to keep advancing educational theatre all around the state, or at least it feels that way until you stop to think about all that advocating and how exactly you’re going to do it…. 

Don’t worry, we all can feel like that sometimes. Fighting for the cause can be a daunting task, and when you try to tackle it head on without a plan, you can get a little lost. FEAR NOT, however, because we’re here to do the best we can to help you keep that fighting spirit!

The first step is to give you guys the tools for advocating, so keep up with the blog during March to get some nice and easy ways to spread awareness and love for educational theatre. See, I’ll start us off!
IDEA #1:
One of the cool things about educational theatre is that one of it’s many uses is to.. You know… educate! So take the initiative to spread some amazing and kind of weird facts about theatre around your school! Maybe your school has an announcements broadcast, get it on there! Or Maybe find an empty space on the wall to tape them up daily for all passerby to see!

Here’s a couple facts to get you started:
DID YOU KNOW THAT...
1. ‘Theatre’ comes from a Greek verb meaning ‘to behold’
2. Shakespeare's Globe is the only building in London allowed to have a thatched roof since the Great Fire in 1666
3. Two seats are permanently bolted open at the Palace Theatre for the theatre ghosts to sit in
4. William Shakespeare once had to play Lady Macbeth when Hal Berridge, the boy playing her, died suddenly
5. Walt Disney World, Florida, has a record 1.2 million costumes in its theatrical wardrobes
6. Theatre has a longstanding history in America. The first theatre here was built in Virginia in 1716, 60 years before the Declaration of Independence
7. When Shakespeare’s Globe burned down in 1613, the one casualty was a man whose breeches caught fire; they were put out with a bottle of ale.
8. Thespis is the man first credited with the role of an actor, he stepped forward from the greek chorus to portray a character (giving us the name thespians!)
9. In May 1849 the Astor Place riot broke out in New York and it was caused by two actors arguing over who was better at performing Shakespeare.
10. The word ‘tragedy’ comes from a Greek expression translating roughly to ‘goat song’
11. Ancient Greek audiences stamped their feet rather than clapping their hands to applaud
12. The oldest play still in existence is The Persians by Aeschylus, written in 472 BC.
13. World Theatre Day has been held on March 27 every year since 1962 when it was the opening day of the “Theatre of Nations” season in Paris.
14. The original concept for West Side Story was East Side Story where a Jew and a Catholic fall in love.
15. Saying "Break A Leg" in the theatre didn't start until the 1920s.
16. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic The Phantom of the Opera is the longest running Broadway show of all time.

Best of luck, and remember - ADVOCATE AND APPRECIATE

Please be sure to tell us all about your ways of advocating by posting about it and tagging us or contacting us directly!


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