Resources for Theatre Educators Working in a School Setting
More Theatre, Less Drama
Live, online and published help to save you time
and sanity while creating theatre in a school setting.
Wanna be less stressed?
Are you...
Overwhelmed by all you have to do? Feel like you're all alone?
Facing curriculum gaps in your training?
Under-prepared for the vast scope of your responsibilities?
Loving the theatre and kids but not the drama of the parents, administrators, paperwork?
We can help!
More Theatre, Less Drama
Resources for Theatre Educators
Live, online and published help to save you time
and sanity while creating theatre in a school setting.
Wanna be less stressed?
Are you...
Overwhelmed by all you have to do? Feel like you're all alone?
Facing curriculum gaps in your training?
Under-prepared for the vast scope of your responsibilities?
Loving the theatre and kids but not the drama of the parents, administrators, paperwork?
We can help!
Educational Stages can take some of that weight off your shoulders by :
* Anticipating the problems and issues you'll encounter in your classes and productions
* Offering direct feedback and a group forum for discussing your trials and triumphs
* Providing guest artist services as teacher, adjudicator, evaluator
* Sharing incidents that educate, inspire and amuse "from the trenches"
* Creating the framework for a website or blog for your department
* Making available dozens of customizable templates for class and production use
* Demonstrating how to organize your field trips, expenses, supplies, events, etc.
Anticipating the problems and issues you're likely to encounter throughout the year, in your classes and productions.
Offering direct feedback and a group forum for discussing your trials and triumphs.
Providing guest artist services as teacher, adjudicator, evaluator
Sharing incidents that educate, inspire and amuse "from the trenches"
Creating the framework for a website or blog for your department
Making available dozens of customizable templates for class and production use
Demonstrating how to organize your field trips, expenses, supplies, events, etc.
Getting to Know Me
★ 35 years as a theatre educator,
small school in London & large school in Wash DC area, gr. 7-12
★ 200 shows...3000 students
★ Never lost money on a show
★ Co-author of textbook, state standards, Program of Studies, auditorium safety manual
★ Successful parent Booster groups
★ Toured to competitions, NYC and Scotland Fringe
★ Serves on Governing Board of Cappies, Int'l
★ Colleague Assistance Program partner
★ Now retired, ready and available to give back
The Plan
Act 1. Confer about your situation - where and who you teach; type of school; issues that need attention.
Act 2. Decide how we can best help you and a figure out a timeline that works for you.
Act 3. Activate our plan and follow up to see that it bears fruit.
Services We Can Provide
Theatre Blog
Program evaluation
Drama Website creation
Competition adjudication
Student-teacher observation
Mentoring of new theatre teachers
Workshops in acting, directing, tech, etc
Guest speaker for Theatre Education classes
Mentor's manual - Real-World Theatre Education
Basic info, lessons,Teaching Tech You Never Learned
Curator of Facebook group "Theatre Teachers Conspiracy"
Organizer, trainer, referee and judge for improv competitions
Molly R. on Real-World
Theatre Education
From Theatre to Drama to Teaching to Theatre Educator -- My Story
My love of theatre started early, watching Mom do community theatre shows, finally getting involved in 8th grade at summer camp, and continuing on through high school and college. During the year I taught drama in religious school and summers worked as drama specialist at an ovenight camp where I was a counselor. As I was getting certified to teach, I got hired for an English and Theatre job at a small American private school, TASIS England, outside London. What a great opportunity...and what a crisis! My acting and directing experience didn't prepare me for being "the expert" at all the technical theatre, both hard and soft, nor the administraviaparts of being a one-person department. I managed - and learned a lot the hard way - and then headed off to graduate school to fill in those gaps.
I was in a small directing program, but took every technical theatre course offered at The Catholic University of Amereica, and
my goodness that paid off when I took a position at a very large public school in northern Virginia, where I was the 4th drama teacher they'd had that year (!!)...but I stayed for several decades. During that time, we went through multiple principals and administrators; changed from a 6 to 7 perioed day; changed to Block Scheduling; survived a 3-year building renovation; became an IB (International Baccalaureate) school; and three revisions of our curriculum, the Program of Studies. I also lobbied our school system to include Technical Theatre classes, and eventually they did!
Never very good at saying No...(can you relate?)...I added many program pieces to my classes and basic show schedule over the years: a summer drama camp; Booster group; ITS troupe; TheatreSports improv tournaments; student-diected short plays; State theatre conference; Folger Student Shakespeare Festival; four tours to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; and participation in The CAPPIES (like the Tonys for HS) , including directing their big Awards Gala annually at the Kennedy Center (except, of course, in 2020....).
As retirement loomed, I didn't want my skill set and hard-won experience, my challenges and my successes, to just drift away, so I co-authored a
book of all those things we come up against that no one prepares you for - things like casting blowback; getting kicked out of your rehearsal space; combining levels of theatre students; competing with other electives teachers for enrollment, etc. And now that I have the time, I want to keep my hand in by offering my services to whichever colleagues will find them of value.
We work crazy hard, but we don't have to do it alone.
Let me help you
Decrease the pressure you feel
Watch your program grow and get recognition
Raise the bar for production standards
Work smarter instead of harder
A Free eBook for you - Teaching Leadership
Whether you're training or in the thick of it, you know that strong student leadership will make for a stronger theatre program.
But how to build crew chiefs and staff that "get it"? This free eBook will begin to show you the way! Enjoy!
Fill out this form, and the book will be emailed to you right away! (If in Spam, move to Inbox!)
And finally...What others have to say
"Chip Rome is an asset to the FCPS Theatre Arts community. He is knowledgeable, innovative, dependable and a pleasure to work with. ...See More
...creating a successful Theatre Arts curriculum on the secondary level, building use and student safety, Technical Theatre, creating and sustaining an extracurricular Theatre Arts program, collaborating with booster organizations, developing and maintaining budgets and adhering to financial policies and procedures, communication with parents and community members, community outreach and proven student achievement and success both in the classroom and on the stage"
- Tara Taylor, Theatre Specialist, Fine Arts Department, Office of Instructional Services, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia
"Working with Chip Rome at Educational Stages was such a helpful experience. As a first-year teacher, I was quickly understanding all of the small but .... See More
...important facets that the job of theatre director entailed. Chip worked me through a lot of those details with a calm, patient, and understanding demeanor that left me feeling empowered. He also listened to my many crazy artistic choices and gave me helpful feedback to make those choices a reality.
- R.S., M.S.Ed, Theatre Teacher and Director, Herndon High School, Herndon, Virginia
"Chip hosted a one-night "TheatreSports 101" for my friends and me...two hours of hilarious and inspiring theatre games. It was scary in the very best way, and ... See More
...we were sad when the evening ended -- so much fun! We talk about it often, how as adults we don't PLAY with our friends, how we no longer do things that scare us, and how having a safe environment is such a gift. We're looking forward to the next time!"
- Jessica Bouchard, Vancouver, B.C.
Praise for Rome and Dillard's mentoring manual
Real-World Theatre Education
"This is a nuts and bolts handbook that will walk an educator through the academic year, preparing them for both curricular and extra-curricular demands. It's more...See More
...than just a checklist. It is a reality check in the best possible way; an honest, thorough guide to growing a successful theatre education program."
- Mary Lechter, Head of Theatre Education, George Mason University
"I enjoyed how the book is broken up into seasons (autumn, winter, spring, summer) so that the content is more manageable and you get to experience the journey of what a year in the life of an educator entails...See More
Helpful topics include how to handle administration, casting, classroom management, etc. If you are entering the world of theatre education, then this book is what you need to assist you in feeling prepared and what to expect. It's truly a must have."
Molly R., Middle School Theatre Teacher
"This book gives you plenty when it comes to the little things, such as how to handle administration, field trip procedures, and angry parents. What I used the most really is...See More
...the Appendices in the back that offer a multitude of example forms ranging from production contracts to rehearsal schedules. There is so much information in this book but everything is layed out so simply. Absolute must buy for new teachers."
- Phillip R., High School Theatre Teacher
Organizations we've worked with include:
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