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Photos Courtesy of Utah Shakespearean Festival<br />
Hands-on workshops are important components for teachers who become members of UCATT.<br />
According to Peter Avery, director of theatre for the<br />
NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special<br />
Projects, 18 schools participated in the Broadway Junior<br />
program last year, with three or four joining the fold each<br />
year since its inception. For the first year that schools<br />
are accepted into the program, they typically mount a<br />
Broadway Junior version of Once on This Island or Annie.<br />
“Great stories and very doable shows,” says Avery.<br />
“The Shubert-MTI-DOE program means a great deal to<br />
us, particularly in terms of its long-term sustainability,”<br />
says Cohen. “We donate the materials to the participating<br />
schools in order to lower any hurdles they face in putting on<br />
a show. We learned that there are often unforeseen logistical<br />
hurdles—including keeping the school open later, requiring<br />
building staff stay overtime to clean up after rehearsals and<br />
performances, and transportation costs—and there are<br />
financial hurdles. Where we can help is providing the show<br />
itself and eliminating some of the production cost. By doing<br />
that, hopefully we’re developing future customers and<br />
doing some good for these school communities as well.”<br />
With this program, students learn theatrical skills while<br />
building an ensemble culminating in a performance as their<br />
schools lay the foundation for a theatre education program.<br />
“This is one of those nice triangulations where the school,<br />
the NYC Department of Education and the cultural community<br />
partner to recognize the importance of theatre education<br />
for these kids,” explains Avery. “The teachers really<br />
become committed. There’s a visceral relationship that<br />
develops between the teachers and students; each see each<br />
other in a different light, which is quite powerful.”<br />
Utah Advisory Council for Theatre Teachers<br />
As difficult as it is to create self-sustaining theatre programs<br />
in the urban classroom, it’s even more challenging<br />
when they’re in rural, isolated areas. With this in mind,<br />
Phaidra Atkinson, a drama teacher based in Salt Lake<br />
City, Utah, formed the Utah Advisory Council for Theatre<br />
Teachers (UACTT), a member organization designed to<br />
create a support system and provide mentoring for drama<br />
educators in the state.<br />
Because of its history of offering strong educational outreach,<br />
which includes an annual high school Shakespeare<br />
competition, the Utah Shakespearean Festival was asked<br />
by UACTT to be on its board. As a result of its involvement<br />
with UACTT, Utah Shakespearean Festival has been very<br />
active in developing and overseeing training programs that<br />
www.stage-directions.com •October 2010 33