What can we do to raise interest in our drama program?

Question

at my school, drama gets the back burner after EVERYTHING else... we dont get funding for anything, it all comes out of our own pockets and the royalties come out of our directors pocket... then we need guys constantly! we were gonna do tom sawyer with it revied so much that we only needed 5 guys and we couldn't get them! in a school of over 400 students and after dropping down to teh 8th grade boys for help.. we only ended up with 4 guys.. adn we had to beg one of them!

yet, we have more females than we'll ever need and none of us are suitable for pretending to be a man (physically, we all either have to large chests or to high of voices) and its insane!!! when we try to do fundraisers were sure will get money, we loose money! We have no auditorium or stage at all, we practice in the old gym (built in the 50's) that used to be the middle school gym, but now is for the cheerleaders to practice and for us to share.. but they REFUSE to let us move their stuff, so we have no room!!

Answer 1

You have my sympathies. Building a theatre program in a school without that tradition is tough!

Suggestions:
1) Start small. Maybe Tom Sawyer is too much for your group right now until your group gains some stability. Go to www.findaplay.com for an advanced script search engine that lets you filter by cast size, # of male vs female roles, genre, etc. Many (most?) school theatre programs have more girls than guys. Hey, that's why Steel Magnolias was written! (Kidding--only kidding.)

2) Visit the Theatre in Our Schools webpage at http://www.aate.com/tios.asp
This site is dedicated to helping theatre programs gain visibility and support within a school community.

3) Let some adults help you. Ask parents. And teachers are often glad to assist IF you ask for something very specific: "Can anyone make us a costume for X character?" "Could you sell concessions at one intermission of our play?" "Would you bring 10 students during one class period to see our show on Y day?" "Does anybody play piano who would be willing to rehearse with us this week after school?" etc.

4) Practice and perform in a classroom if need be. My students do! Or find a cool space elsewhere in the school--not a stage, but perhaps a fire escape? A courtyard? A shaded pavilion? In the theatre world, plays performed in alternative spaces are called "site-specific performances." This is not considered lame but instead very progressive and creative.

5) Be patient and persevere. The fact is that the arts are miserably funded out in the real world, too--not just in schools. Yes, that makes it tough to get the work done. Many of us pay for stuff out-of-pocket even as working theatre professionals. We think that makes us TOUGH and DETERMINED, not pathetic and struggling! Your scrappiness and resourcefulness now will serve you well if/when you take your theatre skills out into the world beyond your school.

6) Take heart! You can do it! If you and your friends have stuck with theatre despite all those headaches, then clearly you find something rewarding about it. Try to focus on those moments and don't let the challenges get you down.

Answer 2

I have heard of several towns where the local Community Theatre sets aside one of it's show slots each season for the exclusive use of high school students. The students pick what show to do, and the Community Theatre provides a director, the materials for set building (students build the sets) and a venue in which to perform.
This doesn't address the issue of attracting guys, so perhaps to start, you could do girl-heavy shows such as Nunsense, Vanities or Steel Magnolias. By the time you're ready, maybe a class or two of boys secure in their masculinity will show up and be ready to provice some depth to your organization.

Answer 3

Have you tried a dinner or dessert theatre?

Every time I've included food, I've sold out my show and made money.

Also starting small is a good idea. Pick a show that has a ton of girls (like The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall) and is a lot of fun.

Try doing a children's theatre production and take it to the elementary schools and the library. (How about Charlotte's Web?) Then get the newspaper to write an article about what you are doing.

Find local vendors to donate to your show, via advertising and dontations. Or have a silent auction to raise money for your drama program via donations given in the community.

Try finding a place outside the school to perform.

Another idea is to find a local coffee house and have a "showcase" of scenes and monologues and even musical numbers. Cut a deal with the coffee place, that if they open up for you after hours, they can sell to your attenders and you can use the place for free.

Sell tickets at a reasonable price and save what comes in for your "real" show.

We had a local restaurant donate pies for our fund raising show. We sang songs, and served coffee and pie (all donated) and sold tickets for $8 each. We sold out.

Answer 4

This other person can inhabit your same body because that is what we do when we create personas around our spirit. We start to believe that we are the straight A student, who is popular, cute and has loads of friends, or the pimply, nerd, who walks the halls looking at the floor. We become these people fully, and they are not us at all, only impostors. We are pure divine love, god and goddess, manifested in human form.

Answer 5

Ok...crazy CRAZY idea here...but it sounds as if you've tried everything "normal" already :) ... but what if you put on skits or songs seemingly impromtu on campus? Perhaps my exsessive YouTubing is beginning to take its toll on me, but this clip called "Reach - A Lecture Musical" is one of the most hilarious clips on YouTube. It is not advisable to pull this stunt in high school without consent of the director and teachers. :) But...it certainly got ALL of the students attention. :) If you want to see it, the link is: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3SwhzFsuvQc

So maybe I'm a bit off the deep end. :) But see if perhaps you would be allowed to put on short skits/songs/monologues in the cafeteria during lunch. It would be a definite "eye catcher" to entertain fellow students during lunch. :) At the end you could invite people to join the drama program, and assure them they wouldn't have to perform in the cafeteria. ;)

On another thought, organizing a karaoke event might bring out the wanna-be singers from the woodwork. You could even play it up as being akin to the ridiculously popular High School Musical (it wouldn't be a bad idea to have that karaoke CD handy, too).

Good luck! :)

Answer 6

Try beginning a COMMUNITY THEATER. Carefully lay out a plan and practices. Might be a good idea.