You’ve probably heard of the International Thespian Association. After all, 2.4 million high school kids have been inducted into the program since 1929 (and I know several of you out there right now are saying, “I was a Thespian!”).

The core activity of the Association is performance festivals around the country, which if you haven’t attended, you should find your way into one. I went to my first last year to see this show performed by high school students, and I was just blown away by the talent, the energy, and the excitement about the theater. It made me realize how bright our art form’s future is.

While you may have heard of the Thespians, you may NOT have heard of its parent org, The Educational Theater Association, which provides educational opportunities for teachers, scholarships for students, and so much more. I had the pleasure of keynoting a conference for them years before and I remember thinking, “I can’t tell who is more excited about the theater . . . the students at their festivals, or these unbelievable educators.”

Thankfully, the EdTA is leading the charge on what happens with school theater programs as schools get back to their business in the fall (fingers crossed) while the world continues to battle COVID-19.

And being the leaders they are, they put together an extensive guide and handbook called, “Recommendations for Reopening School Theater Programs” . . . and they’ve generously allowed me to share it here . . . for free . . . whether you’re a member of the EdTA or not. Because they believe that anything they can do to help encourage more (and safe!) theater just helps make the world a better place.

Whether you’re in theater ed or not, you should read it. It’s one of the most comprehensive guidebooks I’ve seen about theater in a COVID-19 world . . . and we can all learn from it. I know I did. (Oh, and you can bet I’m working on getting them to speak about this at my conference this fall!)

Speak thanks to James Palmarini, Director of Educational Policy, and Julie Cohen Theobald, Executive Director, for their leadership and allowing me to share this doc. And if you want to support the EdTA as a thank you for the guide, you can do that here. I just did.

– – – – –

FROM THE EdTA RE: THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REOPENING SCHOOL THEATRE PROGRAMS GUIDE   

The EdTA Recommendations guide is intended to serve as a support resource to help theatre teachers and administrators decide what is safely possible for their school and students—including in-person and virtual performance, curriculum, instruction, and resources. It is not a prescriptive document in which all suggested protocols are expected to be followed by every school in every state. Rather, it focuses on these three fundamental questions:

1. How can you deliver instruction while adhering to social distancing?
2. How can you adapt instruction for virtual teaching and learning?
3. How can the social and emotional support that live theatre experiences provide be transferred to online learning environments?

Access the guide here: Recommendations for Reopening School Theatre Programs.

– – – – –

Interested in hearing more about safety in the theater in a COVID-19 atmosphere? Click here to access an exclusive video conversation about this issue and two more top concerns for theatermakers in today’s climate.