Biggest Hurdles in the Middle-School Classroom and How to Overcome them
The question you're answering.
Login to flag as inappropriate
What are the biggest obstacles to putting on a musical in your school? Sometimes it's the budget, sometimes it is just finding the time. But other times, it might be getting support from other teachers or even the principal. The good news is that once you do put on a show, everyone sees the value in having done it. It is one of the few projects where students work collaboratively, as do teachers and staff. Also, it's a rare opportunity to get a pat on the back from the parents, PTA and prinicpal (who gets credit if a child does well in math? The child, of course!). So overcoming those initial obstacles is worth the effort. Any suggestions as to what they are and how to deal with them?
1 Answer
The biggest obstacle in my middle school would be the location. We perform in our school cafeteria (as I am sure most of you do) and that presents all sorts of challenges. I taught high school theatre previously and was used to a large stage, with wing space, fly space, etc. Now having to 'scale back' my set design and just the simple matter of fitting 100 middle schoolers on a cafeteria stage...that is tough! The cafeteria also presents many challenges, as to booking the space for rehearsal and the odd acoustics of performing in a location where sound bounces off all the walls! Fortunately, I work at a school that is completely supported by the administration and the theatre student's parents. We are in the midst of our Seussical Jr. run and have raised over $5000 due to interest and several awesome fundraisers. I even took the suggestion to have our principal appear in our musical as a Wickersham as a fundraiser, which was received whole-heartedly. I would suggest that as a director, you have to be able to pump up the interest in your show. All too often, we hear of "oh it's just a middle school show". I don't believe that philosopy---the middle school students need to have a professional experience and as directors, it is our responsibility to generate interest and provide them with the best experience possible!