School theatre programs are faced with a range of issues—from finding funding and resources to produce shows, to sourcing relevant and useful professional development for educators. At the 2024 Theatre Education Conference (TEC), Natalie Roig-Mcknight’s session, ‘Create Strong Community Partnerships for School Districts,’ explores how Montgomery Public Schools has made headway with both.
EdTA caught up with her to learn more about their partnership with the local Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) and how it’s impacting Thespians, educators, and potentially the future of theatre in Montgomery.
Empowering Montgomery Arts Educators
While Montgomery always had a strong background in the arts, shifting priorities and initiatives saw a decline in the success of these programs. However, with the addition of a new superintendent, a renewed focus allowed Roig-Mcknight to step into a leadership role as the fine arts specialist for the Montgomery Public School District, a position that hasn’t been a part of the system for some time.
“Our state went through a lot of accountability changes, and when I started this program, we really didn’t have any partners,” she said. “In my mind, if we’re all in this for the same reason—the community and our students—everyone has an investment.” That initial strategy led to a partnership with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival focused on providing professional development and support for theatre educators.
Today, the partnership has evolved to include opportunities for students to attend theatre productions, perform at the Shakespeare Festival, and for educators to get hands-on training with artists in the company, particularly with their theatre tech needs.
Building the Ideal Community Partnership
Although Roig-Mcknight acknowledges that the partnership has been a fortuitous success, much of the development and growth has stemmed from continued communication and a strategic approach. Some of the strategies they’ve used to guide the partnership include:
Get specific with your expectations and goals.
When conversations first started with theatre educators in Montgomery, there were often plenty of ideas, but not always a clear path on what to do with them. When Roig-Mcknight first approached the Shakespeare Festival asking for help, their first question was “what are the issues?”
One thing administrators noted as an area of concern was a lack of productions. While educators were working through their curriculum and developing one-act performance pieces, a full production was sometimes difficult to tackle.
Making this the end goal allowed the teaching artists from ASF to have a focused plan on what to tackle with educators. For the first year, this often meant backwards lesson-planning and developing resources and learning opportunities that worked the educators through every step of production planning. “Prior to this, we had maybe two or three [shows]. Now at least over 60% of all our programs have a showcase,” she said. “I want all of them to have musicals at some point, but I know it takes steps.”
Understand teacher needs and school limitations.
The biggest priority for the partnership was teacher support and growth. Throughout the process, feedback and dialogue with educators became essential for finding learning opportunities. With a diverse group of educators—some veterans and some novice—touching on all the aspects of theatre production has been key.
“[ASF] actually allows the actors or guest directors to come in and help the teacher. So the teacher’s not only seeing the instruction, but also co-teaching and helping in that collaboration,” she said. “It’s turning into a nice way not only for the students to get experience with a director, but then also the teacher is able to see, ‘Okay, I have the education experience, they have the directing expertise.’ It’s good to have both in the same room at the same time.”
Additionally, tailoring these learning opportunities to schools and their budgets has been key. “When we talked about having costumes and hair, they wanted it on a budget. The worst part about theatre is the lack of funding…they make pearls and diamonds out of rocks,” Roig-Mcknight said. “Federal and state money limits us as to what we can purchase and how we can purchase it. So they geared a lot of the professional development on how to do stuff on a budget.”
Expand equitable student experiences.
Another focus for Roig-Mcknight has also been ensuring the theatre experiences are equitable for all students. Early on, she noticed many of the places reaching out for partnerships kept focusing on magnet schools specifically, with one partner even saying they felt the magnet students would be better behaved.
Today, students not only attend shows, but also meet with actors, costume designers, and directors to ask questions and learn more about the industry. Not only has it created a more welcoming environment for students, but it has also introduced them to opportunities they may not have even realized existed before.
Find opportunities for mutual benefit.
Although the partnership has been instrumental in improving theatre education in Montgomery, it’s also allowed ASF to play the long game. One of the things many of the potential partners mentioned when discussions started was how they were lacking people certified or qualified to work for them—particularly in tech roles.
“There’s so many more jobs that come with learning or being in a theatre class and so really and truly, we’re wanting to prepare them, so we don’t lose jobs in the future,” she said. “A lot of times our schools are not equipped with sound, lighting, or even a backstage space, but these local stages are industry-standard locations where the kids can have experiences that are more enriching.”
So, whether it’s future technical staffers, actors, or patrons for their shows, the partnership is poised to have a lasting impact on the Montgomery theatre scene.
Making It Happen in Your School District
For Roig-Mcknight, a top-down approach has been instrumental for the success of the program, especially with support from an arts-focused superintendent. Of course, all schools, districts, and administrations are different, but that doesn’t mean you find opportunities even without the support of your school’s leadership.
“I like the analogy of throwing pasta on to the wall to see what sticks. In all seriousness, I’m one of those people where I’m going to give anyone an opportunity to help my students and my teachers,” she said. “To teach a child takes more than just the teachers, more than just the district, more than just the parents. It takes that community, and if we’re all invested in our community and the betterment of it, then we need to invest in the kids.”
