Drama Teachers: Performing at an Out of Country Festival

The Drama Teacher Podcast

Episode 184: Drama Teachers: Performing at an Out of Country Theatre Festival Middle school drama teacher Alyson Brown thinks travel is a vital part of her program. She and her students recently represented the USA at the World Festival of Children’s Theatre in Japan. Listen in to hear about her experience traveling to the other side of the world with 55 people AND a production! Show Notes Clarke Drama Website Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama Teacher Resource Company. I’m Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 184 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode184. Today, we’re going on a little trip. You might want to pack a bag. It’s going to be a big trip. We are going to the other side of the world. With us, we are taking Teacher Alyson Brown because she took her production of The Jungle Book to the World Festival of Children’s Theatre in Japan. That’s right – middle school students in Japan. Alyson travels regularly with her middle school students and I think that this is going to be an awesome conversation where we find out why and how. Well, we know the where – Japan – and we know who – Alyson and her middle school students – and what – a production. So, let’s get into that. Why does she do it and how does she do it? Great questions! I know! It’s like I wrote them! Let’s get to it! LINDSAY: Hello everybody! I am here with Alyson Brown. Hello, Alyson! ALYSON: Hi! LINDSAY: First off, can you tell everybody where in the world you are? ALYSON: Well, I teach in Lexington, Massachusetts. I’m currently in Chelmsford. I live about twenty minutes out of Lexington and I teach at Lexington, Mass. at Clarke Middle School. LINDSAY: Awesome. How long have you been a teacher? ALYSON: Ha! LINDSAY: She says it with a laugh! ALYSON: I’ve been teaching at Clarke for 23 years. LINDSAY: Oh, wow! Wow! ALYSON: And, at middle school, I’m a full-time Drama teacher. LINDSAY: Wow! We’re just going to segue just a little bit. You’ve been a full-time middle school Drama teacher for 23 years? ALYSON: Correct. LINDSAY: First of all, I think that’s pretty awesome that not only was it available 23 years ago but that it maintains to this day. How has it changed for you? Is it still going strong? Have you gone through administrations that don’t quite see eye to eye? How has it been 23 years later? ALYSON: Well, it’s interesting. I replaced somebody who had been there for many, many years. So, they’ve had a full-time Drama teacher in my school. We have two middle schools in Lexington and both have full-time Drama teachers. Yes, you’re right, I have gone through administrations that we don’t see eye to eye. But my current administration are incredibly supportive. We are currently in the middle of a big renovation and they are building a Drama room just for me and I’ve been working with the architects and helping to design the space so that it works for my program. They’re very supportive. LINDSAY: That’s so exciting! What kind of spaces have you been working in to date? ALYSON: Well, it’s a band/orchestra/drama room. It’s been hard because, you know, drama tends to be messy when we’re building shows, for example. So, then I have to move things out of the way so that band can have their practice. You know, music stands are everywhere and chairs are everywhere so it does make it challenging – the space itself. But the new space, I will have all to myself with storage there, too. LINDSAY: You must be, like, it’s Christmas! ALYSON: It’s so exciting. I get to pick out the furniture and I keep thinking, “They’ve got to realize I teach Drama,” you know?