My creative team and I decided to produce Seussical, Jr for my "swan song" show. Not because it was a favorite of mine, or even a burning desire. I'd never seen it, I just know that it existed and hadn't done too well on B'way. I'd been told by other drama teachers/directors that is was just FUN to do. Good enough for me.
So we did it. And we did it freakishly well! Much of the time you know what kind of production you have. A good one. A great one. A show. And thats all I thought we had....was a show. But it was ok...we really were having fun and it would be over one way or another.
People would ask how it was going, and my reply would be: it's going. And then it was our first big "putting it all together" rehearsal -- not really a run through, certainly NOT a dress rehearsal -- just a working on all the little things we hadn't had time for. This rehearsal is usually filled with yelling and anxiety and stress. Not so. We finished early. My nearly 100 7th and 8th graders were cooperative and hard working. Hmmm...maybe we had more than a "show".
Then we had our first dress rehearsal. And, oh my! We had a good show. A really good show. By performance time we had a GREAT show. Probably one of the best I've produced for the middle school. And one of the best things: it was SO incredibly evident how much FUN they were all having. It was really beautiful. And many people remarked on seeing how much fun the kids were having. I was so proud of them and happy for them.
It didn't suck for me either: to have so much of what I "preach" show up live in front of sold out audiences!
It was a nice way to say goodbye to the my middle school home of 15 years.
Showing posts with label Seussical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seussical. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
I've been a bad, bad, blog girl.
I know, I should be ashamed of myself for ignoring this for so long. Of course, I haven't actually TOLD anyone about this blog....so who the heck cares.
So...what has happened since FEB? Well, as a drama teacher, the play I told you about (the one in competetion?) made it all the way to state finals!!! FINALS. Only 14 out of over 120 make it to state finals. I was incredibly proud and happy for my students. They'd worked incredibly hard and taken so many risks...they truly deserved it. Along the way, my cast and crew won many wonderful individual awards and great public kudos. We had students from other rounds of competition come BACK to see us perform at States because they loved the show so much. I'd met other students that HEARD about our show (the one about coming out of the closet) and came to see it.
Sadly, at states, the judges were less postive. But the audience loved it: we were the only school to be entirely "sold out" and to recieve a standing ovation from the ENTIRE 1,500 seat audience. It was a joy. And the other school worthy comment: I was FINALLY moved from my 15 year stint as the middle school drama teacher to the coveted post of HIGH SCHOOL Drama Teacher. Sounds silly perhaps, but I'd been waiting forever for this to happen. Of course the biggest obstacle was the man already IN that job. STOP....that didn't sound right. I ADORED the man that was also an obstacle, and I didn't take anything away from him, he simply and finally RETIRED.
Getting the school to turn over the job to me was not simple at all. Or maybe it was. All I know, is that after working for the school for FIFTEEN FREAKING YEARS, I had to jump through hoops unknown to mortal man. A resume???? Didn't they KNOW what I'd been doing? Still seems RIDICULOUS to me. I had to interview, I was observed, and basically, I felt as though "they" were dangling a carrot in front of me: all year. Could this totally been in my head? Certainly. Am I paranoid? To a certain extent. Was the job mine all along but they needed to follow all of the "proper channels"? Very likely.
But none of that actually matters: because they FINALLY offered me the job! OY. Now the work begins. I'm going from teaching 2 classes I've been teaching for 15 years to teaching SIX classes I've never taught before. And two of them are academic writing classes. Craziness.
So...what has happened since FEB? Well, as a drama teacher, the play I told you about (the one in competetion?) made it all the way to state finals!!! FINALS. Only 14 out of over 120 make it to state finals. I was incredibly proud and happy for my students. They'd worked incredibly hard and taken so many risks...they truly deserved it. Along the way, my cast and crew won many wonderful individual awards and great public kudos. We had students from other rounds of competition come BACK to see us perform at States because they loved the show so much. I'd met other students that HEARD about our show (the one about coming out of the closet) and came to see it.
Sadly, at states, the judges were less postive. But the audience loved it: we were the only school to be entirely "sold out" and to recieve a standing ovation from the ENTIRE 1,500 seat audience. It was a joy. And the other school worthy comment: I was FINALLY moved from my 15 year stint as the middle school drama teacher to the coveted post of HIGH SCHOOL Drama Teacher. Sounds silly perhaps, but I'd been waiting forever for this to happen. Of course the biggest obstacle was the man already IN that job. STOP....that didn't sound right. I ADORED the man that was also an obstacle, and I didn't take anything away from him, he simply and finally RETIRED.
Getting the school to turn over the job to me was not simple at all. Or maybe it was. All I know, is that after working for the school for FIFTEEN FREAKING YEARS, I had to jump through hoops unknown to mortal man. A resume???? Didn't they KNOW what I'd been doing? Still seems RIDICULOUS to me. I had to interview, I was observed, and basically, I felt as though "they" were dangling a carrot in front of me: all year. Could this totally been in my head? Certainly. Am I paranoid? To a certain extent. Was the job mine all along but they needed to follow all of the "proper channels"? Very likely.
But none of that actually matters: because they FINALLY offered me the job! OY. Now the work begins. I'm going from teaching 2 classes I've been teaching for 15 years to teaching SIX classes I've never taught before. And two of them are academic writing classes. Craziness.
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