WOW!! What a Heritage!!

In the fall of 1977, I started teaching high school theatre, speech and English at Perryton High School. TETA had been in existence for 26 years. Since before I was born, people who understand the value of theatre in the lives of young people and who revere the art form, itself, have given their time, their talents and their energies to this organization. Why? It is and always has been the people who shared their gifts as artists so generously with each of us.

My junior and senior students at Perryton were always talking about Mr. Rambo, a previous theatre arts teacher. At the time, the name had no meaning to me. But once I joined TETA, I discovered the importance of that name and learned that I had followed someone who would be prominent in carrying on the values and goals of TETA. In that first year, I had the honor and terror of competing in the Regional One-Act Play contest with Jerry Worsham. Wow!! And later in my career, I would have the joy of learning from Jerry and his students at TheatreFest. His teaching philosophy would so influence me that I would dedicate my dissertation to him. So even before I formally joined and participated in TETA, I was being pulled toward it by people who supported it.

My first TheatreFest experience occurred in 1984 in San Antonio, Texas in the snow and ice at the Menger Hotel. Lou Lindsey was responsible for my first foray into TETA, and I am forever grateful. In that first experience, I got to personally know and learn from Lynn Murray, Ruth Denney, Rachel Mattox and Marion Castleberry. And then I learned that Curtis Pope, my graduate chair at East Texas State was an early founder of TETA. WOW!! Everybody was involved in this thing!! I left that first convention vowing to never miss another one.

My directing philosophy changed because of the great workshops I attended at TheatreFest. I grew as an artist and a teacher. I would go back to my students every year with classroom techniques and ideas for teaching acting. One of the most memorable came when Barbara Barrie was teaching Uta Hagen’s methods for discovery in rehearsal and I watched two young students from Southwest Texas State perform a Sam Shepard scene with intensity and vitality and eagerness to learn. Much later in a discussion with friends, Kelly Russell would tell me that he and Paula Rodriguez were the two students. WOW!! I remember being moved almost to tears when Polly Holiday of “kiss my grits” fame spoke at our annual banquet about the power of theatre for moving others. And watching Ruth Denney’s production about teaching, which was performed by her UT pre-service teachers including one, young Travis Poe, made me laugh and feel such pride in my chosen profession. I learned so much from Lou Ida Marsh about revering and cherishing my art and teaching my students to do the same. I have been so blessed by my association with TETA.

Every year I couldn’t wait to go and see my friends and talk shop!! It was like a revival. I gained so much just from visiting with colleagues like Larry Prease, who made me laugh and gave me such encouragement. Later, seeing Gloria McLuckie, who was an undergraduate when I was a graduate student at East Texas State and being so proud of her and the work she did with kids, encouraged me to continue to work and grow. Having conversations about theatre and art and teaching with folks who I admired and loved because we shared our love for theatre and for kids also encouraged me. Isn’t that who we are?

As time nears for TheatreFest, I am excited about what I will learn from the folks in the workshops I will give and attend and from the conversations I will have with old and new friends like Larry Cure, David Crawford, Lyndie Davis and Patricia Cowden and Sara Schochler and Jenae Glanton as well as Billy and Annie Dragoo and crazy Scott Allen. Colleagues with whom I have competed like Missey Head and David Stevens will make me smile and laugh. And I will watch with wonder the work that Missey Head and Jerry Ivins, Darve and Gena Lea Smith and K’Lynn Childress and so many others will do behind the scenes so that we may learn and grow and be.

I wrote this piece because I want to remind us of our purpose. This is my heritage and I know I have missed folks, but these are a few of those who have and do encourage me in my chosen field. And I encourage you to ask someone if you don’t recognize a name I mentioned. My heritage is strong because of the people who make up the organization. Who forms your heritage in TETA?

We come together to celebrate our love of theatre, to learn from one another and to give back to those who first gave to us. The Texas Educational Theatre Association is a gift and we must cherish it, nurture it and support it. We have gone through a trying and crushing time in our history, but we can make sure it was a mere bump in the road if we commit once again to each other and our students at every level. Please share your love of TETA with your administration and your colleagues. We have such an opportunity to learn from one another at whatever level we are practicing our art. The kindergarten teacher can remind us of the joy of imagination in a young child while the university professor can share the dedication of the young artist about to share their talents with the world. We are in the business of education and we are bound by our love and belief in our art at whatever level we participate. So come and be renewed and cherish the heritage and the future of OUR organization, the Texas Educational Theatre Association.

Terri L. Castleberry, Ed.D

TETA CAPS Chair