POLICIES

Drama Club Policies and Information

Goals - The goal of Drama Club at CES is to provide each child with a positive theatrical experience. We believe that at this age, the child’s experience in the theater should focus on the skills of singing, dancing and acting to the best of their ability. We also believe that there should be a strong emphasis on the cooperative nature of performing.

Behavioral Expectations – All children will be expected to participate in a positive and respectful manner with each other, the coaches, and all materials and equipment. Kids are expected to remain supervised in the gym by coaching staff until picked up by a parent or guardian by 5:15 pm in the gym. Leaving practice to: wander the hallways, go to the playground, or to go to the library is not only unsafe, it is not allowed. We will follow a “1, 2, 3” warning system for problems arising in drama club. The first warning will entail a private conversation between coach and student that will clearly describe the behavior that must change. The second warning will also entail a private conversation but will include a phone call home to parents letting you know that this will be the second (and final) warning. The third issue will not be a warning, but an agreement between coach and parent that the child is no longer motivated enough to participate in drama club and will be asked not to return. These decisions will be made at the discretion of the head coach with a goal towards identifying early on whatever may be contributing to the problem for that child and supporting continued success in the program.

Practices and Performances - Practice and performances will be held at Calais School in the gym. Practice will run from after school to 5:15 pm every Monday afternoon. Parents are responsible for transportation to and from practice and to and from performance. Please be prompt at pickup as the gym will need to be available for Basketball starting in November and our coaches often have other commitments. Remember please that the Drama Program is not being facilitated by the school, so changes to your child's schedule/pickups must be communicated to one of the coaches. Each child should bring a filled water bottle to each practice and performance. We will provide the school with a copy of our roster to allow your child to stay after school. You do not need to send a bus note after the first week. Changes to your child's schedule should be communicated to the coaches. As we approach performance dates, there will be a few mandatory, extra practices. Those extra practices will be communicated as soon as possible.

Costumes, Staging and Props – Costumes are the responsibility of each family. Ideally, we hope there would be no need to purchase expensive costumes and we plan for and encourage families to work together to outfit all from dressup boxes, old wardrobes, and the Salvation Army. In an effort to keep the cost to families low, your $15 registration fee is only enough to cover the cost of script rentals, music, cd’s and paint. We will rely heavily on the generosity of families in time and/or money for additional items.

Performance Selections – Choosing performance pieces is a subjective process. The decisions are based on several factors: rental cost, musical choices, directing staff availability, and ability to costume with some ease. We’ve written some pieces in the past and can be open to ideas from one and all for up to the first two weeks of practice. Ultimately, the decision will be made by the current directing staff.

Music Selections – Choosing musical numbers, is also a subjective process. The deciding factors are: if musical rental is available with script rental, cost and availability of karaoke versions, ability to adapt the lyrics for appropriate content, and “good” fit with performance selection. We’re open to suggestions within the first month of practice. Ultimately, the decision will be made by the current directing staff.

Tryouts –

Grades 1 thru 3 - This is an introductory co-ed program for any child in the first, second or third grade. We are excited about working with the kids and take our coaching responsibilities seriously. Our coaching philosophy is simple. We want every child to have fun. Throughout the season, we will lead by example in teaching the kids the fundamentals of Drama. A couple of our main objectives will be to promote a positive team atmosphere and help the kids believe in themselves while learning theater basics. The basics will emphasize stage presence (projection, confidence, movement), singing, acting, and dancing. Children will be cast at the discretion of the directors based on the performance of the first few practices, and/or past performances. Please keep in mind that while it may sound easy to do, placing the right child in the right role is quite challenging.

Grades 4 thru 6 - Casting Approach

We will consider several factors to determine roles for each child. These include:

• Skill – acting, singing, movement, projection
• A positive attitude (being a good sport)
• Past experience
• Commitment
• Ability to show you can play nicely with others

All of these are important aspects of successful theatrical experiences. We will be considering each child’s abilities in these areas over the course of the next few weeks as well as at tryouts. It is important to hold a day of tryouts so that children get used to this universal method of casting. It also allows the directors to hear and see children individually. On this day, we will ask each child to perform a song and a few lines from the play. Parents can help their child prepare for tryouts by practicing the song and lines that have come.

These are a few thoughts for parents and students that we consider when making casting decisions. It may be helpful to discuss these with your child before and after the casting decisions are announced. Hopefully, it will help with whatever emotional response may happen at your house!

Casting 101

Sometimes parents, and students, ask how we arrive at our casting decisions for these elementary school productions. During practice and auditions we observe the students and ask:

1. Does the student read with a voice that projects volume?
2. Does the student read with expression and interpretation?
3. Is the student able to sing on pitch and in tone?
4. Can the student follow the music while singing or dancing?
5. Does the student exhibit a willingness to try different parts?
6. Are they willing to be team players?
7. Can the student take direction as to different ways of reading lines and interpreting the parts?
8. Does the student have experience with Drama Club?
9. Is the student willing to commit to the time for rehearsal and practice at home?

A few more details about the decision process…

If we have worked with a student before, we will try to think about the past experiences the child has had in drama club. For example, a student who may have recently played a villain may be cast as a hero, to give that child another aspect of theater and acting. If a child recently played a leading role where they may not have had to be part of the ensemble, we may give them an ensemble role to get them acquainted with that type of acting. We also think about our past experience with the child: did the child follow directions in the past? Show interpretive skill? Participate willingly with the group? We do also consider especially with older students that they deserve a chance to shine before moving on to U32. If the student is new to us, we have to lean a bit more on their audition, reading and interpretive skills.

With students at this age and skill level, we basically think of them as all equal in acting skill. A few kids may stand out as natural talents, but in most cases it is more beneficial at this point in their theatrical education to give them a variety of roles to play and experience. So, while most kids equate "getting the lead" with "I'm talented" and getting a smaller part as "I'm not good enough", what we are really trying to do is mix things up for them so that by the time they get to middle school and high school, if they are still participating in theater, they will have experienced enough different types of roles to find their niche and understand their own capabilities and talents.

We ask students to be open to any role they might receive. On the day of the tryouts, we will be asking the students to tell us only if they do not wish to be considered for a lead role.

The bottom line is, every person is important, and the play cannot proceed without every actor taking part. We urge you to encourage your child to try to understand that just because they may not have gotten what they wanted; there is still value in participating in the experience. They may just have the best time ever and learn something about themselves in the process.

Posting Results - We will post our casting decisions online at www.calaisdramaclub.blogspot.com . We encourage students to review casting decisions in private at home with the support of their families rather than at school or with friends. No matter the role, there are often unpredictable and emotional reactions that can be made worse when acted out in public. With that in mind, it's also important to remember that the Drama Club at Calais is not a school function but rather is associated with the Calais Recreation Association. So any questions or concerns should be directed to the drama coaches (not teachers) and if the issue is not resolved you can request to meet with the CRA board.