2.12 A Conversation with Gai Jones

Speaker 1: 0:09

Hello everyone and welcome at the talks . I'm Jimmy Christman your host and this is at Season 2 Episode 12 of the podcast that talks is a podcast for theater teachers and theater education students.

Speaker 2: 0:25

Each week I bring you stories and interviews from experience K12 theater teachers current theater education majors and professors of theater education that will warm your hearts renew your faith and teaching and provide resources to better your practice in your theater classroom.

Speaker 3: 0:38

Thank you so much for listening and checking out this week's episode of a really great episode for you featuring Gaye Jones had a wonderful chat with her and she is a very busy woman . She in conjunction with her her her teaching partner out in California . Krista. Carson OH HI. HAVE A FANTASTIC theater teacher boot camp that they host in the summers and that's where I came across gay Jones . But then I realize she's also a very accomplished author and just so happens to be the president of the Educational Theater Association. So surprise to me . But it was a fantastic find on my part in my research and I really enjoyed chatting with her.

Speaker 1: 1:20

Hope you enjoyed my conversation with her and you get a lot out of it. My conversation with Gaye Jones.

Speaker 4: 1:29

Well I'm excited to welcome to talks Gail Jones who has she's done many things in her long wonderful career she's the founder of the Carol California youth theater . She taught theater at Eldorado high school play since California for 34 years. She's an author . She is the current president of the board of directors for EDTA. Sergei welcome. Thank you. Tell us a little bit about maybe maybe the abridged Cliff's Notes version of kind of your journey to where you are now.

Speaker 5: 2:01

Oh my goodness I started a little tiny town called Chickasha Oklahoma . And my mother was I think ahead of her time because she let me go to Mrs. A B Morgan who was so fancy could she had moved to Chickasha from New York City because her husband was a conductor on the Red Rock Rock Island Railroad . And I got to her stay . And on Mrs. A.B. Morgan's Persian rug once a week and do monologues a little did I know at that time was private coaching . But it was all on one and that was in the fifth grade . So I grew up kind of doing that . And then when I was in high school I began to work for Mrs. Morgan and typed scripts on an old manual typewriter . And by the time I graduated from high school I probably had one hundred and fifty two minute monologues . OK . So then went to college and majored in a specialized degree B.A. in speech and drama and a small small liberal arts college in Oklahoma and decided I really wanted to be a cruise director on a ship. So I wrote to Godard lines which was predecessor princess and said How do I become a cruise director . And I realized this was from Oklahoma and they gave great career advisers had moved closer to the ocean and I thought well that's cool . I go to California . And by that time my former middle school principal had gone back to the classroom in California . And so he got me a job teaching English and Speech and Drama in middle school in Fullerton California right next door to him . And I taught there for four years before I went to El Dorado High School. So that's the short abbreviated story.

Speaker 6: 3:43

Well tell me a little bit about your your program there . Eldorado because I know you taught thousands of students and you you you did tons of productions a little bit about your program there and how you built up.

Speaker 5: 3:56

Well I had a choice of going to that high school or to another high school and at Eldorado I wouldn't be the one . One woman show so to speak and the other would have been assistant . So it shows Eldorado it's a new school . It it only had two theater teachers one of which was let go four of her conduct . But anyway so I went in and taught Speech Drama debate in English and theater and within the first two years I had full theater because it empowered those students gave them the chance to be members of the honorary spin society of 2 1 9 9 and built the program. So then we had full theater a plus Drama Club which had about 100 kids in it and the thespian officers ran all of those beatings that ran the curriculum for that and planning and then plus the thespians which had about oh between 30 and 50 and we would do festivals everything was tied to curriculum . Now I must say because everyone prepared that festival mature. And some went on to the festivals and some did what I call an evening with their parents or whatever performance. So I think that's it. We we really did a lot of things we then took part in like the California chapter chapter of thespians and that due to cater for mainstage show at then called Muncie Indiana at Ball State and took a main stage show . And so it just progressed with the empowering of the students some became chapter director students in California where they got to serve the NCO student thespian officers and got to help with the state . And we just developed from then that was the program .

Speaker 4: 5:51

Well tell me a little bit more about your involvement with thespians I know you were you were very involved in California and now even on the national level with EDTA . What did this means mean for you and your students and if there's a teacher.

Speaker 5: 6:05

Grant That's what it's meant for us . Honor is equivalent to the National Honor Society and it's equivalent to any kind of what I call CTE the student component because it honors those students who have excelled in theater. Now we can not only are are we guided by the national chapter or International chapter now but we also wrote our own local chapter charter and our bylaws which meant students had to participate in two shows a year and had to do a little bit of tech at acting or vice versa a little bit of acting and tech. So we went from there and having probably we started out with two shows a year . One in the fall of one in the spring and then we progressed to adding three shows one of which was a children's theater meant for theater for youth in which we invited all the elementary schools and we went from there to what I call the thespian play and that was the last play this season . And it was one of those where I really didn't care if I made that much money because I wanted to honor the seniors the outgoing seniors . So we kind of just kept edging up from 2 to 3 to 4 finally had a full season of five shows plus class productions. So I think that's kind of it . Then we like us that we took students to the state conference in which they got to mount show which were viewed by all of California chapters . And I think that's it. And then we took like as a way to one international show .

Speaker 4: 7:55

So tell us a little bit about your involvement now with as the president of the board of directors .

Speaker 5: 8:02

Moving through that they went before educational theater became Educational Theater . We went through various rebranding as it became a it became easy A and finally set and think there was another E.T.. So we moved away from that into educational theater so Asian now within that scheme . I moved from being chapter director of what was territory director in which I kind of kept tabs on California Oregon Washington and maybe I think maybe Nevada and Arizona and talked with teachers there and helped them plan programs and thespians and their chapter used to be called state conferences . But now chapter conferences. Then from there EDTA decided to have four regions and I became region one director which meant I oversaw not only those in the Territory but went from Clare to Wyoming down in New Mexico to Hawaii because we had a chapter in Hawaii as well so over so I saw those with three other regional director actors and help programming and helped do like a regional conference for those who couldn't travel to the national. So I just worked on those for a while and then became interested in running for the board because I was I see how this program and how thespians can help teachers even the teachers in a rural community or small school with one class is just a benefit to honor students I think . But also we've been very instrumental for instance in California to help get a theater credential back because there has been no theater or dance credential in the state of California since the 70s because of a clerical error . So we've been working since then along with what's called CETA which is California educational Theater Association to reinstitute that credential and we finally got the bill passed and now we're moving through the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to make it happen with the higher ed and universities . So along with that running for the board because I could see how being on that board empowered teachers and empowered artists who came in to teach and guests artists and alumni because now in the arts means we have over two point four million alumni who have gone through the system . And once you become a band member you become to be on for life . So that's where we get our two point four million . Now maybe on the local chapter you might have a clause in it that if a student doesn't attend something then their membership is maybe not revoked but held on a kind of ordinary vocation until they reinstate and if they so worked with the board as a board member and then ran for vice president and have served for two years as vice president and now on July 1st became president of this wonderful association Well congratulations and I appreciate all the work you're doing with that.

Speaker 6: 11:19

Sure . I found you through I believe it was a tech theater Facebook group and then I found out about your theater teacher boot camp that you do with Kristin Carson.

Speaker 4: 11:33

Can you tell me a little bit more about that experience. I am really sad I'm not be able to come this summer but I am looking to bring a small group of students with me next summer to check that out. So tell us about that .

Speaker 5: 11:45

It's wonderful . KRISTIN CARSON El High who has been troop director and theater instructor at Claremont High School after moving to Hemet from him. Chris and I have served on the California Board together brought her on when I came to director and then we've served on the international board together of EDTA and Kristen. I looked at each other one day and said you know there's not really an intensive for teachers or new teachers or preserved seizures that can come for two days . And first of all we have a curriculum that goes through teacher theater there as the instructor theater is the advocate theater teacher as a mover and shaker but also a theater and teacher as a learner . So we divide it into four components . And what we came up with is an intensive it is two days it starts. Actually we do it next Thursday and Friday starting at 9:00 in the morning and ending at five thirty and then we all go to dinner and there's local hotel local nearby but is held at Claremont High School which keeps the costs down because you can get the faculty dining room for free . Thank goodness so that we pass on that freedom to the enrollees . And what we do is we involve all of our curriculum but we also address each one of the delegates create the curriculum as well . Anything they need if they need help in setting up a after school program we do that if they need help in kind of getting advocacy for their program we help with that . And the nice thing about it is that first of all we connect we connect everyone. We have probably 15 enrolled right now and they're from all over the nation and they come in and they share things in common . They also share things that are unique to their programs and we will brainstorm on answers . And the lovely thing about it is everyone goes out with a flash drive of curriculum which will probably equal two years worth of curriculum and ideas for any kind of program. So with a new teacher it's exciting because they're overwhelmed . But first of all they have this flash drive and they have a connection to us as well because then we will stay on as mentors throughout the year and then for the veteran teachers we have a couple of people that have come back at least two or three times because each time we address the same topics but with innovations at theater and particularly with the 21st century skills we keep learning and we keep working on moving our profession forward and they will come back with not only learning from us but learning from their peer teachers . So that's it . We're looking forward to two days of really active learning and on their feet and experimenting and discussion and talking over trials and tribulations but also joy.

Speaker 6: 14:46

So I think well how exciting to have a place to come together and just share those ideas and then constantly educate yourselves and continue to better what you do in your classroom . So that sounds awesome . Where can people go to find out information about that.

Speaker 5: 15:01

Actually you can email me and I will give you an email Gee I dot J O N E S at SBC global dot net and I can send the flyer at. I don't know if they can make it by this Thursday or Friday but we'll keep it like yours and keep it on tap for next year.

Speaker 6: 15:18

Wonderful . Thank you. I I know you have written several books . I have one of them sitting in front of me right now . Actually I bought that a couple months ago to break a leg . Tips and truisms for a theater teacher I am highly recommend that for my students but I also raising the curtain on the way so I can check that out . But tell me a little bit about your experience as an author and what books you have that Peter teachers can use .

Speaker 5: 15:44

The very first book I wrote was raising the curtain and after a lot of rejection letters . But perfection learning did pick it up had a wonderful editor lovely graphics fun graphics is really kind of fun . And the thing that I hear the most that people have stood on theater education Web site is that it saved their lives the first year of their teaching because it literally has two years of curriculum . You take it nice and slow . It's divided into beginning level and then there's an advanced level . So if you want to take that and use it very user friendly lot of handouts a lot of assessment sheets . So that's one . Then a friend of mine and I wrote curtain going up . Is that the first . Yeah . Break a leg is the other one . Curtain going up is the tips and truism is that right. Yeah . The tip of centrism are things that we've gathered like you will have an administrator that questions your choice of material and it gives kind of tips on how to circumvent that because I had an administrator that totally would not let me do a certain show and it happened to be that one of my students father worked with the ACLU so basically I just said Look students we can't do this play because the principal said no he didn't want it . So the kids empower themselves and wore blue armbands to the pep rally blue signifying the color of the drama this play service playbook . And then they started this campaign and got the we're close enough to L.A. because I taught in Orange County got the L.A. Times involved who sent a reporter who interviewed me who then interviewed the playwright who said well this is certainly fitting because this play is about small talent ignorance and it looks like it is playing out . And eventually we were allowed to do the play and at the end of the year this is kind of a power story that the Prince of Bel was transferred to another school so we felt somewhat vindicated but that's the kind of thing in the book that I play out and it kind of lay out for you and let it play out is empowering the students to help because they're your advocate as well so that's what kind of a fun book . It's every tip that every truism gives in the very beginning on ways to get a standing ovation or at least applause and one of which is and include Spall children the smaller the better and include a dog who can do tricks on command because that will get you no matter what the other one is trying to do is empower and bring on old people and if they can tap dance it's even more powerful . So things like that those those are just fun . My fellow author was a teacher and an art teacher as well so she illustrated . Then I moved on to another one called the student actor prepares acting for life and that's published through intellect publishing intellect books . I think it's intellect books may be intellect publishing but it's more of a work book for advanced students because it will give you time to go through a Meisner chapter or it will give you time to go through Mamet chapter and it's electronic as well so the student it can be loaded to the Chrome books or whatever the district is using and the student can fill it out as they go along . The final one is another self published because I'm involved in community theater here in Ohio California and it's another one of those which are tip centralism for community theater such as you will find and I love community theater . Let me say this because I've been directing for them for 20 years and I love directing energy a racial plays in which they're adults to play adults and kids to play kids or sometimes for instance right now I'm doing a kid's version of Annie in which we have ages 6 through 14 and it's a shortened version like MTI writes but it will have things like sometimes in community theater there's more drama offstage than there is on stage because we're all doing it out of our spare time and we see something and we are passionate and we react so sometimes the emails are just flying because of whatever happened at the community theater. But it's a lovely lovely thing to do and get involved in particularly when you're empowering students in community theater because we had for instance this year at the local high school . Six of the top top students in not only valedictorian but Arts Arts students etc. 60 of them had grown up in community theater in town . So we see the fruits of our labor and community .

Speaker 6: 20:51

So those are the four so I have four books out right now I love the tips and truisms for the theater teacher to break a leg because it's it it's this this small wonderful little book with so much wisdom and food for thought . And I plan on using it in my my freshman methods class this year as even just because they're short little one liners of things just to think about and for us theater teachers at nothing in this book surprises us who live and breathe this but for for someone just coming into the field there may not be things to think about . And so I'm going to use them as discussion points to kind of start class this year so I appreciate all you've done.

Speaker 5: 21:35

I love it . You know the one thing that's nice about that book is that it has some of those one liners can be used as journal topics the bell ringers and sit them down and let them talk about it or let them journal it or whatever . There's one in there called a theater teacher is is out of a book called The theater teacher is written by a former chairman of the department Cal State Florida and it just outlines everything a theater teacher does and when we start through it and we live it we understand that a theater teacher is a counselor and a theater teacher provides a reason sometimes for kids to come to school . Maybe it's a reason for kids to stay in school and I know all of all of us in theater have witnessed a theater class or a theater production saving kids lives . You know it's a reason for them being a reason for them to be accountable to other students for that collaboration and communicate and creatively think. And it's a world in which sometimes they find success there that they don't find success elsewhere or they find success there and they do find success elsewhere. So I think it's like you said it's kind of a pithy little book with a lot of sayings and hopefully find something valuable out of it no matter whether the first year teacher or the veteran teacher.

Speaker 6: 22:55

Absolutely absolutely. Well speaking of what you just said what do you see as the greatest need in students right now and what can we use leader teachers do to help meet the that's really a good question .

Speaker 5: 23:08

I'm fine. And let me preface this by I just came off a mountain top of 9000 feet at Camp Bravo which I've taught for twenty four years and it's a one week summer process theater camp . It's not a product . The founders said we don't want to start a dance for Grandma camp. They come in and they take process like the this year . This week they took dance in which they learn styles but they also got a product in the sense that they wanted to finish . No. They took musical theater in which they learned the elements of musical theater but in groups they wrote a short piece and they composed it and they did the lyrics. So that was musical theater. They also took what we call collaborative theater games in which they worked as a team making sure that they had a goal oriented oriented product in the sense of helping them through a web spider web without letting them touch and supporting their fellow person. They also took acting and it is what I would call the real acting kind of thing . They did a lot of miser and they did a lot of sadness Lawsky in the sense of exposing them to that because they they really haven't had that maybe in their classes .

Speaker 7: 24:30

I did what's called Virtual theater in which they set up family units in a community a mythical community . And so there are within a group we maybe have seven families of maybe three to four people and one time they get to play a students ages 5 through 17 . So these are high school kids . So they get to kind of revert back to a five year old or they get to play an adult now I play the adult 18 through as old as they want to be able to walk. They get to play those the first time and each student or each adult is given a positive trait and a negative trait which guides them through lives . And then finally they are given a fate which is age appropriate to their character . And the phage is basically their objective . So they have to go through tactics they have to go through obstacles to make that objective happen. Now they draw it so no one else sees what their fates are nor what their traits. They have to play their traits . They have to make their fate come true.

Speaker 5: 25:46

I'm getting to a point they just can't draw the piece of paper and say oh mom I'm going to break my leg in a minute. No they have to make it happen . So they're in a it's really kind of a playground and flat area in which they can take their chairs and set up family units and interact within the family and then go down to the playground as children they draw occupation. So there might be a camp director there could be an art as there could be a police one there could be an EMT . So I set it up in the sense of community and they let it play out . Now one time they play kids the next time they play adults . So each one of them has an experience of being a mother or a father or of a of a challenging child. And many of them come back and say well I'm not ready for adulthood or children are having children which is their fate their parents become very happy. So my point is this collaborative creation and the communication and support because now we're seeing a lot of students who are transgender and who are going through gender reassignment and who want to be called . And as we ask them what pronoun would you like and what name would you like and some of them come to this camp . I'm trying a new name you know trying a name of a different gender . And the students are taught to respect that and to come back with an open mind of what some students are going through right now . And I think that's become more open now just a law as as well as having a gender neutral bathrooms on campus. I think we all need to look at that. So that's the main thing. Now have I found students that are different in the sense of theater. Probably not . They still like to do a character they love to do a character that makes people laugh . They love to put on costumes and those of those technical people love to create the world of the technical aspects . So that's a good question . Jeremy I'm not sure that his students in theater have changed but I'm going to say students overall have changed with their identities . So I think that's quite important and I think theater is a safe place for that.

Speaker 6: 28:02

GREENE I agree . Well you've prompted me to ask kind of a follow up to that is what do you see as the greatest need in theater teachers now .

Speaker 7: 28:12

To be to be willing to integrate it's it is a discrete discipline but I think the more we work with other teachers and embrace stem along with steam I think we really need to reach out to those teachers to say you know this student is a student of life.

Speaker 5: 28:34

Theater is one aspect for them in which they excel. So let me help guide that student so he excels in other other classes as well. The other thing that I'm finding really interesting because I'm hired each year at a charter school it's an elementary charter school and it's of their focus is arts and global studies and they've written into the curriculum for every fifth grader to experience a musical . So every year under the auspices of the elementary school I will go and teach six weeks of drama just to get the basics when one day a week . And then along with me a musical director a choreographer a vocal director will go in and we do auditions right along with the teachers the teachers that are in the classroom and they experience a musical every student is cast . It doesn't necessarily mean that every student is wonderful but every student goes through the process. They have parents who are volunteers part of their charter school volunteer hours . That will that will manage the technical aspects of the costumes and set and props . But the students are learned to embrace those those parents but also thank those parents of prolifically because I think the sooner that we get particularly in elementary the elementary . Whether it's an elementary or a at theater teacher what the the elementary teacher who knows theater I think is a blessing because they can then approach all the subjects within theater . So I think that's one thing is that we need more elementary theater teachers .

Speaker 7: 30:21

The other one is working with students on the Middle School in which they're able to teach the wheel or whatever process is set up but understand that they will have students that are as in love with theater as we are and maybe teach them that this is a place of being an audience member as well and understanding how important it is to honor those onstage. So I think the middle school theater teacher has a real challenge at time and then like I said theater in high school is not necessarily about the winning we love to bring home trophies because we know that administrators love big trophies. I had a band teacher that would take him to a band marching down the parade route and come back with a huge six foot trophy and I would say you know how many bands were there and he said two and I said OK in theater we tend not to do huge trophies but we also know administrators love it. So my point is yes let students take part in those things. Win or lose . Making sure that the adjudication is a sound assessment that you can come back and say look our students achieve superiors all along the way or we need to work on this part but we will do it.

Speaker 5: 31:43

So I think it's balancing the idea of winning in theater along with the curriculum which is also life curriculum but then engaging with the other teachers . We're not isolated our best resources some time or the custodians at school because they know our program as well as we do . And the other thing I'm going to say for us is that I think it's really important that we stick with a schedule that if rehearsal is to be finished by 8:00 that we are walking out the door locking it and the students are in the car or parents are waiting at 8:00. We sometimes think if we just have another 30 minutes or an hour and I am reminded well so is that these students have other things in their lives such as family and and other studies . So I think that's very important and the final thing is teachers need to take time to go to conferences and learn . The teachers need to listen to podcasts such as this . They need to understand that it's OK to cancel a rehearsal. The students love it. You do too and you're re educated and re energized coming back from a conference and it validates what you're doing. I think as well . And putting on wonderful productions the student may not be the next Broadway star but they're on their way to becoming an appreciator of theater and they're going to bring their own kids to the theater and others and those kids will be enriched. So that was a long answer but I think I think we have challenges . I think we need to understand that we are part of their learning but we're a vital part of the student's learning very very well.

Speaker 4: 33:39

What with your work with your wonderful long career you know you have probably hundreds of thousands of stories that you could share . Is there one or two that really jump out in your mind that make you laugh any time you think about it or horror stories or something that impacted you as a teacher or a person.

Speaker 5: 33:57

We always have the students story of of not making it to performance and having to substitute someone in and feeling that this is not going to work or sitting in the audience of a production of you can't take it with you and watching the cast skip the two pages that explains the title and thinking This audience has no idea what this is about or looking back at the light booth and watching a student who is just executed . The hue in the dividers in which the character buddy drowns and you don't have real water but it's all a lighting effect and seeing that smile on that student's face is just ran those lights and then a couple Lily that finally which came to mind. I have a student who choreographed his first Broadway show the band's visit and this guy is maybe 30 but he took a picture of himself on the Tonys stage a selfie in which he says you know this is my first . This is my first nominated Tony . Being choreographer . So that was exciting the final thing which just recently happened . Is a group of alarms from nineteen seventy two to eighty two. Who are all professionals in their own right . One just retired as being costume coordinator for d the Disney in the entire Zealand . The other is a cabaret singer the other with his with his wife had the number one murder mystery show it are active in Vegas . A fourth one is a CPA . OK they got together and they said what if we bring back the entire cast of Fiddler on the roof . That they did in 1972. Now they realize their retirement age . OK . They tried to get everyone back but that didn't work out . So then they extended it from eighty two to ninety two . And they said well let's just do a retrospective let's do songs from each show that we did . Now that seemed more that seemed like they could do it because then they could reach out to a myriad of theater professionals and many came in some ways . One was a opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera. One was a finance writer hadn't sung since high school . Another writes little legislating it was a lawyer for the California legislating . So they came back and they invited me to come back and direct. So I came in for one night actually one whole day and put it on its feet . And we also had at the local high school which is wonderful . This works wonderfully well. The student who took my place was my former student teacher. Then she had become a teacher at Eldorado high school . When the mandate came down that you would have 20 to 1 in English class . So they hired her immediately. So along the way she was not only a former student a former student teacher now she was a co teacher. So I said I said Would you like to choreograph it . She said yes . So once I was ready to retire I said you're ready and she's out. No I'm not. I said sure you're go because my husband retired early I retired early . So we left and left the area which is a really good idea theater. Retired teachers should leave the area and not be a presence unless you're invited back . But so this teacher who is a former student teacher also got the theater for free so they had a venue which was free. So they made it a benefit . They made it a benefit for one of the alumni sons for cystic fibrosis because he passed away . He was there and passed away so it made it a benefit for that . But then we also made it a benefit for educational Theater Association . We brought students on from Eldorado musical theater class gave them all T-shirts and made it a benefit for them as well. So it was a tri pronged benefit . They raised enough money that every body substantially got some of it . But the idea of their gathering together as 50 and 60 year olds doing that focused circle before the performance then performing and coming off and celebrating that they still had it so to speak even though they may not have performed . So it happens to be an article in this month's teaching theater EDTA . Is called believe because that's what they're their alumni benefit was called belief and because they believe they could do it they believed in theater and they believe in student. So just see that multi generation. One final thing on this list . We had one student who was a high school student who got to sing the role in Once Upon a Mattress that her mother sang and her mother was in the audience so that continuation of you know it's about something that we passed down from teacher to student when they become adults from adults to two children. So those are the things that come to mind when you ask that question .

Speaker 6: 39:32

I a couple before. Two years before I left teaching high school and to move to higher education I was the 10th anniversary of of our of our school . We have been open 10 years and our principal wanted to do a Big Ten Year yearlong celebration of 10 years . And we my musical theater class we put together a review of kind of like the greatest hits from our first 10 years of musicals and we had all the production photos projected on the background and you know from the original production with the new cars performing and and I invited alumni back for free tickets come see the show be a part of it come take pictures with us . And also had them send in videos kind of telling where they were and what kind of what theater meant to them and where they are now and that was the preshow was just this video of this collection of interviews with them and it was just the coolest thing because I would be able to share stories of what happened in this production with the current kids and then when that kid would come to the show that my current kids were run up oh my gosh you're Christie I do Mr. Chrisman said you did this and this and so that whole feeling of tradition and passing down and kind of the legacy of what we do is really really important . And that's really cool that you had the opportunity to do that. Oh you . What is the two more questions for you What What's a resource that you currently use or used regularly other than your own works .

Speaker 5: 41:04

That is a must have for teachers that's really good question . A basic drama projects is just that is basic drama projects but it does have suitable suitable classroom outline for teachers . So that's really good . When I get into recommending for students I mean I recommend . True and false . By David Mamet because basically he says Forget everything you've learned . Hit the mark and do your memorize your lines . You know boy those are the two that come to mind the one by . What's the other one called. It's a kind of an overview of theater. I'll think of it because he served with me on the board. It's out of Florida and it is . I think it's beyond theater or something like that any kind of book that gives you a retrospective . You know what I'm finding now although is there more and more lessons to be learned from online communities with EDTA for instance we have an online community which has over 3000 members and the nice thing particularly for Priest service teacher or one who's new is you post a question and you receive 50 answers and it happens within two days . So sometimes people would say you know I need to play with five men and three women . And sure enough somebody will have it . Or there was one today that said I'm writing curriculum for handouts that I can give to my potential stage manager and potential lighting designer potential student director said I know I could create it but who does someone have a model already and I know that this person will receive numerous responses . So when you ask about books I think I'm moving more toward online discussions because someone will say I need a really good textbook . And many people will respond to it. So that's kind of a not not an answer but an answer because I think now we're moving into the digital age on what can work.

Speaker 7: 43:23

The other thing is if teachers become CTE . Career Tech . Add teachers there's a different credential but it's under America it's under arts media and entertainment because with CTE if the programs are written with the CTE curriculum and your CTE you certified teacher then your district is eligible for federal funds .

Speaker 5: 43:50

And is that a saving grace for teachers that may be only have three classes with the principal well under and the administrators will understand this will get us funds for teaching acting for the camera which wasn't even heard of like 10 years ago. The other one which is really big if you're at IAB school International Baccalaureate and IBF Theatre's rigorous is more philosophy but they have projects to do but the entire school has to adopt the IP program. So I think those are our three main pathways right now . And that is IP and CTE and then the generalist theater education person and who I hate to say it and usually small communities you're everything . You're the tech director you're the stagecraft teacher or you're the acting teacher and you probably have multiple levels beginning middle and advanced so you really have and we know this you have as many as 5 to 6 preparations to do the more well-rounded the teacher the better . In today's world I think . Now I know we're on our way to Washington D.C. this weekend actually next week to lobby for arts and hopefully it will become a thing that every school needs an arts pathway . We would love it to be theater but we also know no visual arts and music and dance. Those are our compatriots in this world of arts performing arts and visual arts .

Speaker 6: 45:38

Okay. You've already given us tons of wonderful words of wisdom but do you have any just kind of parting ones for new teachers coming into the field or or even better when veteran ones that just need a boost right now.

Speaker 5: 45:52

First thing that came to mind Jimmy and I so appreciate doing this and I hope that someone cleans a little bit of wisdom out of it. Here's my work. Do people go home . OK . Students will graduate . You have your family that should be sticking around forever. I arranged with a coach teacher or hired in an alarm . Had enough money with the boosters club. That's one thing . Get it parents boosters club that will do your outreach and development for you so you become an agenda item on their curriculum and they're on their list so you don't have to come in and run it . Let them do it but get your parent boosters I as a mother had a teacher who would come in and was affiliated and had the training and certified by the district to handle what I call Saturday work day Saturday work day. If you want to come in and build says because you really just don't have the time let somebody else come in. I left and went to my own daughter's swim meets . So I saw them every swim meet that I could get to age 7 through college and university . And what haven't got their scholarship through swimming . But my idea is love your students . Let them go . They will say bye. Let them sign the stage four on their last performance with chalk or whatever because it's painted black and you can certainly mop it up but let them do that kind of thing let them make their wills and then keep in touch . Go to their things. Oh yeah . Please go to their performances or whatever they have . But remember they're moving on you have a family hopefully . Or if you want to have a family have a family but go home let them go home at a reasonable hour . So those are my final words of wisdom or go home and it makes your parents understand everything you have your administrator is another one whether you love it or not let your administrator read the scripts so that they can fill out front load any kind of question they've read it or if they gave it to the assistant administrator read someone in the building and administrative building read your script. So protect yourself and protect your students.

Speaker 8: 48:23

Yeah well good. Thank you so much for talking with me today . I know you've got again. We've got a wonderful busy summer and I wish you all the best with it and all the 8000 things you have your fingers in right now . But thank you for taking time to talk with me and I learned something and I hope my listeners will too . So thank you so much Jimmy.

Speaker 5: 48:41

It was a pleasure to get to meet you . We've e-mailed and talked by e-mail but sometime hopefully I'll be in it EDTA event and we meet in person.

Speaker 9: 48:50

Absolutely . Absolutely. You take care of your kids are lucky.

Speaker 10: 48:55

Oh thank you . I appreciate that . Thank you so much. You take care of it. I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Gaye Jones .

Speaker 11: 49:04

I had a fantastic time talking with her and learning from her many years of experience and her wisdom and I have checked out several of her books and I encourage you to do the same as well. Those are all the list of all those books is on my Web site w w w Duff that talks dot com where you can go to this episode in particular and you can see her suggested resources as well as a list of her her publications that are out there that you can also check out as well that I highly recommend. So thank you Gaye for talking with me. Thank you for all that you're contributing to educational theater right now and what you have done for many many years. Thank you thank you . Thank you . And thank you for listening. I really appreciate you taking the time out. I know many of you are on vacation right now this week as it is Thanksgiving or fall break for for many folks and I hope you are eating some really good food and spending some time with family and friends and maybe doing a little shopping but taking some time for you to take care of you if you get a chance check us out on social media. I am all over the place on social media . We've got Twitter find us at theater Ed talks on tumblr that talks about Tumblr dot com Facebook find the Fed talks group Instagram Fed talks podcast and of course the Web site w w w dot Fed talks dot com . You can always e-mail me if that talks podcast at G.M. dot com. I look forward to hearing from all of you if you have suggestions for making the show better if you have suggestions for ideas and topics that you want to hear talked about on the show or if you'd like to be a guest . Please reach out to me and let me know that I would love to chat with you and and capture your stories and share those with with whole podcast world is out there . Speaking of podcast you can find us on all your podcast providers on Apple podcast on iTunes Google podcasts Google Play Spotify Stitcher any pod and tune in go on those subs subscribe to us rate US reviews and share those with us theater educators in your life what you think benefit from what we do here on the show .

Speaker 1: 51:06

Check out the Web site again for all of our archives of our past episodes as well as all those resources from all the teachers who've been on the show. Thank you so much to Joel Hamlin and Joshua Schuster for the use of your original music magnetized and flip the record . And thank you for listening.

Speaker 12: 51:22

I hope you enjoy your break and take care of yourselves . Enjoy the rest of this week. Check this out next week for another great interview. Take care.