A Message from EdTA Education Manager Cory Wilkerson
March of 2020 marked a watershed change in theatre education. Suddenly educators were faced with the challenge of moving an art form centered in collaborative work into a virtual environment, and some districts are already making plans to continue virtual teaching into the Fall. Now is the time to gather up lessons learned, to plan for the future, and to find creative ways to teach and support students as emerging artists in a new art form. With this in mind, EdTA has redesigned our professional learning offerings through Theatre Educator Pro to support you, now and in the future, with three categories of webinars from now through August including:
– five “Do It Now” webinars in May and June supporting teachers of all age groups, offered over the next six weeks and focused on sharing the best practices emerging from what we have learned about teaching online to help you end the year with a bang;
– four “Master Class” webinars in July and August, focused on your own personal creative growth;
– “Weekly Green Room” sessions with an open-mic format provide a place to discuss what is on your mind. These informal conversations provide you with a virtual teachers’ break room and will be hosted by Education Manager Cory Wilkerson and Chapter and Communities Director Maryann Fiala. Weekly green room sessions will be held every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Our first session will focus on the question “What is working for you right now and what are you planning for the Fall?” To access the “Weekly Green Room” log on to our Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/95528337671?pwd=RlJvNG53TldjZE45U0VXK1JQMElLQT09
The Do It Now webinar line-up for May and June includes:
To access the webinars, just log on to the webinar section of your online learning center – Theatre Educator Pro and sign up for any and all that interest you. Watch for more surprises to come throughout June as we add to the list. Link: https://learn.schooltheatre.org/webinars
May 19, 7:30 p.m. Eastern – Teaching Theatre Online Through Games
Theatre educators Jill Panyard and Debra Macut demonstrate teaching games online with their Middle School students. Lessons learned can be applied to all age groups.
May 21,7:30 p.m. Eastern – Creating an Elementary Curriculum with Jennifer Ridgway
Maryland theatre educator Jennifer Ridgway takes you on a tour of her online learning tools while sharing tips for creating and teaching an elementary curriculum – either online or in person. Webinar attendees will receive a year’s long curriculum map and lesson plans.
May 26, 7:30 p.m. Eastern – Improve Your Improv with Joanna Chilcoat Fellows
Learn techniques for teaching improv online by participating in an online improv classroom. Cameras required, faces and voices needed for this collaborative webinar. Great for high school or middle school classrooms. Great for high school or middle school classrooms.
May 28, 7:30 p.m. Eastern – Pivoting Toward Creativity with Ken Skrzesz
Participants will identify emotional distress related to current daily life and uplift those feelings through the creative process. Bring your favorite pen, pencil, and journal, along with the courage to dig deep and respond creatively. Produced through the generosity of the Maryland State Arts Council, with Ken Skrzesz, Executive Director, Maryland State Arts Council. Free to the public.
June 1, 7:30 p.m. Eastern – Story Drama with Joshua Rashon Streeter
Story Drama turns literature into an exciting jumping off point for creative dramatics; learn how story based theatre makes a perfect vehicle for engaging young children in virtual learning environments.
June 5, 4:00 p.m. Eastern – Zoom Tales: Teaching Performance Online with Brian Jennings
High school theatre educator Brian Jennings shares what he has learned about teaching performance online, how his students’ have embraced this as a creative challenge and what this means for fall planning; includes strategies for Zoom and Google based tools.
Master Class Webinars – take some time in July and August just for you. To access the webinars, just log on to the webinar section of your online learning center, Theatre Educator Pro, and sign up for any and all that interest you.
July 21, 4:00 p.m. Eastern – Teaching Acting with the Chekhov Technique with Jeffrey Kaplan
What you need to know about the newest (old) technique with Jeffrey Kaplan, Manhattanville College.
July 28, 4:00p.m. Eastern – Color Your Stage with Jorge Arroyo
Lighting designer Jorge Arroyo teaches the use of color for stage lighting.
August 6, 4:00 p.m. Eastern – Shakespeare x Hip Hop with Devon Glover, the Sonnet Man
Finding your voice through hip hop! Devon Glover methods for teaching scriptwriting by connecting to Shakespeare with hip hop.
August 20, 7:30 p.m. Eastern – Directing Musical Theatre with Kristi Fuller and Brian Curl
Learn master tips for directing musical theatre with high school students.
