TETA Board of Directors
President-Elect
In my small home town of Yantis, TX, we were only given a small opportunity for fine arts courses in our path to graduation. Thank goodness for TETA. Through the power of the members of our organization in that small district, even our middle school science teacher was able to gain enough knowledge and confidence to take on the responsibility of directing our high school UIL Conference A One-Act Play. Had it not been for this opportunity, I would certainly never seen the stages or have had the experiences I’ve been fortunate enough to have in my academic theatre career. This is one of the many reasons that I was so very honored when asked to assume the responsibility and role of President-Elect for TETA. It is my desire to work steadfastly to ensure the progression, strength and integrity of our organization in the coming years alongside our many talented members, while being able to give back a part of what TETA has given to me over the years.
That being said, I’m fairly certain that the immediate focus now is probably shifting to UIL One-Act Play festivals, contest preparation and planning, planning, planning at the secondary level. I wish you the best in preparation and performance of your shows. There is one often forgotten item that I would also encourage you to keep in mind as you prepare for your upcoming contests that many of us tend to let fall by the wayside… the hidden opportunity for recruitment. While we are feverishly scurrying to reserve buses, acquire that final hand prop and prepare for contests, our district administrators across the state are already looking ahead to the fall semester and to the “numbers”. Please let this be a perfect opportunity for you to promote your program while also staging some of your finest theatrical performances. What a beautiful way to introduce your elementary and middle school students to the wonders of theatre than to invite them to your contest performances! I realize that many of you do this already, but it merits mentioning as many of us may not be thinking of the next chapter of our program with the current UIL OAP so very much in the immediate focus. I would encourage you to get as many of those invitations out for your upcoming shows in order to introduce prospective students to your program and help them cast a vision for themselves in your department. I say this, because it was the very way I was invited into the world of theatre for the first time. Had I not been invited in third grade to watch “the big kids” in our small high school perform Of Mice and Men in the confines of our gymnasium/makeshift stage, I never would been hooked into the magic and moments that can be created through theatre arts – and perhaps, never had the will or curiosity to take the stage myself.
Without some of our focus being placed on the next crop of thespians in the wings, we occassionally fall victim to those drops in numbers and it can certainly take a toll on our class sizes in the coming year. So, as you are working tirelessly to finalize your touches on your One-Act Play, musical or even spring show(s), don’t forget to make time for recruiting. The performances and students you are directing today may be the biggest unrealized motivation for new students moving up into your program. With this in mind, may you have an excellent spring semester and I look forward to seeing many of your shows as the months roll forward. Break a leg!