1 2018-19 DIRECTOR S HANDBOOK Welcome! The Spotlight Education 2018-2019 Director s Handbook provides the most up-to-date information about Spotlight Education, including processes, fees, deadlines and key events occurring across the 2018-2019 season. The content is intended for theatre directors and their creative teams at both current and prospective Spotlight schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 About Spotlight Education...2 Spotlight Education Contacts...3 Connect With Us...3 Who Can Participate?...4 Application Process...4 School Orientation Meeting...5 Primary And Secondary Contacts...5 Student Liaison...6 Production Assessment...6 Community Engagement Award...8 Triple Threat Award...9 Theatre Educator Award...9 Spotlight Showcase...9 Masterclasses...11 Critical Review...11 Event Submissions...12 About Hennepin Theatre Trust...12 ABOUT SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION Hennepin Theatre Trust is committed to making a positive impact in the community by enriching student s lives through performing arts education. As the Trust s premier education program, Spotlight Education supports and honors Minnesota high school students and programs focused on musical theatre, and engages students in more than 95 schools annually throughout the state. Spotlight Education partners with schools to support and honor students by providing valuable educational and professional performance experiences. Spotlight Education adds capacity to arts programs through visiting teaching artists, a variety of masterclasses, and performance opportunities. At Hennepin Theatre Trust we are proud to walk alongside schools and support the educators who are creating safe places for students to learn, grow, and connect. PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT Through the Production Assessment process, Spotlight sends trained theatre professionals and educators to watch and assess participating school s musical theatre productions. The Production Assessment is an educational tool to encourage, inspire and enhance Spotlight school s musical theatre programs and strengthen the skills of student artists onstage and offstage. SHOWCASE Spotlight Showcase is a professionally-produced, two-night event highlighting the hard work and talent of the students, teachers, families and community members that are part of the vibrant high school musical theatre community in Minnesota. Both nights of Showcase feature a variety of performances, including technical students and orchestra. Every Spotlight school has the opportunity to include students in this yearly celebration.
MASTERCLASSES Masterclasses give Spotlight schools the opportunity to supplement and enhance their own musical theatre curriculum by gaining insights and inspiration from local and touring theatre professionals. Topics include audition technique, singing technique, movement, orchestra, technical theatre, dance and more. CRITICAL REVIEW Critical Review prepares and gives Spotlight students the opportunity to review professional musical theater productions, teaching them written communication skills, as well as critical and creative thinking. Students attend one of the Trust s Broadway on Hennepin Season musicals and write a review. The students receive feedback on their work and some reviews are published in professional publications. DIRECTOR AND STUDENT LEADER CONFERENCE Each summer, Hennepin Theatre Trust partners with Perpich Center for Arts Education to co-present a theatre professional development opportunity designed specifically for educators and their students from across the state! Continuing education credits are available. Look for more information in the spring. 3 Since its inception in 2005, Spotlight Education has served more than 50,000 students in 100 schools throughout the state. Spotlight Education is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION CONTACTS Kelli Foster Warder Director of Education 612.455.9531 Kelli.FosterWarder@HennepinTheatreTrust.org Ari Koehnen Sweeney Education Manager 612.455.9532 Office 952.221.9488 Cell Ari.Koehnen@HennepinTheatreTrust.org Pete Tedrow Education Coordinator 612.455.9529 Pete.Tedrow@HennepinTheatreTrust.org Vanessa Agnes Education Assistant 612.455.9509 Vanessa.Agnes@HennepinTheatreTrust.org CONNECT WITH US HennepinTheatreTrust.org/Spotlight-Education /SpotlightMN @SpotlightMN Spotlight_MN
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? 4 Any Minnesota public, private or parochial high school with a musical theatre program is eligible to participate in Spotlight Education and can apply by completing and submitting an application by the stated deadline. Any late registration applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Ari Koehnen Sweeney for more details regarding late registration policies. APPLICATION PROCESS Applications for participation in Spotlight Education must be submitted between Monday, August 13, 2018 and Friday, September 28, 2018. All schools are required to use the online application ( Spotlight Education School Registration Form ) found on our website (http://www. hennepintheatretrust.org/spotlight-education). The Spotlight Education School Registration Form requests information about your school, musical production and contacts. We strongly recommend that schools apply as early as possible, even if your show s title and dates are not yet confirmed (TBA may be listed). Following the submission of your application, your primary contact receives a Production Registration Form prior to the run of your show. This form requests more detail about your musical production, including cast, crew, production details and budgetary information. Also, you have an opportunity to share additional details about your production and musical theatre program in this form. The musical productions you register must fall into one of the following categories and must be communicated in the show s playbill/program as follows: 1. A published musical, operetta or revue (either currently held by a licensing house in the public domain) that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives. 2. An original piece, which features an original script, music and/or lyrics and is covered under a valid copyright that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives. 3. An original theatrical compilation of musical/text material from other sources that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives. This excludes show choir, choral or vocal jazz arrangements. Please Note: Junior productions will be considered upon revue of the length and difficulty of the material. Please contact Ari Koehnen Sweeney if you have any questions regarding show submission. Each Spotlight evaluator attending your production will receive a packet with the information you provide in the Spotlight Education School Registration Form and the Production Registration Form. 2018-2019 PROGRAM FEES Following confirmation of your application, we send you an invoice. Payment must be received by November 13, 2018. Schools may submit one or two musical productions for evaluation (one per semester).
One Musical Production: $125.00 Two Musical Productions: $300.00 5 The application fee may be waived pending review of circumstance. Please contact Ari Koehnen Sweeney. If you did not pay by credit card when filling out the registration form, please make a check payable to Hennepin Theatre Trust. Also, be sure to include your invoice number and your school s name on the check. Mail to: Hennepin Theatre Trust Attention: Katie Driscoll 900 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55403 SCHOOL ORIENTATION MEETING At the beginning of every Spotlight Education season, we host orientations for all participating schools to discuss the upcoming year, and updates to the program. A representative from both new and returning schools must attend one orientation prior to participating in the Production Assessment Process. Representatives outside of the Metro area may Skype call into the orientation. Please contact Vanessa Agnes at least two days prior to the meeting. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CONTACTS We ask that every participating school provide a primary contact for Spotlight Education. This is the person who receives all communication from Spotlight Education throughout the year, and has traditionally been the director of the musical production. The primary contact communicates information about the opportunities made available to your schools and is responsible for providing Spotlight Education with all the necessary information to participate in the program. As a backup to the primary contact, a secondary contact should also be identified to help disseminate information to and from Spotlight Education. CONTACT RESPONSIBILITIES Act as the primary liaison between Spotlight Education and your school s community (i.e., faculty, students and parents). Designate a student liaison between Spotlight Education and their peers who providing details on student-focused activities. Provide up to six (6) tickets throughout the run of your show(s) for the Spotlight Education staff and their guests, as well as Spotlight evaluators. Supply up to five (5) digital production photos following the close of your production to be used for Spotlight Showcase. Distribute important updates and information about Spotlight Education events to your school s community. Attend all required orientation and informational meetings as outlined in the application.
Provide sheet music from your show. This is necessary in the event your production or the student(s) become eligible to perform at Spotlight Showcase. Please retain copies of sheet music following the close of your production, including piano, guitar, percussion and bass parts. Schedule and coordinate rehearsals with students prior to Spotlight Showcase, if your production or individual students receive honors to perform at the event. Ensure you acknowledge your school s participation in Spotlight Education in your production s playbill/program. (An approved playbill/program snipe can be found on our website.) 6 STUDENT LIAISON This student will help to connect their peers to opportunities offered by the program through the year. They will be asked to be leaders in the social media efforts and student communication for masterclasses, ticket offerings, and other exciting events throughout the year. As part of the application process, you will be asked for the student liaison s name and contact information. This information will only be used in this capacity. Time commitment will be minimal. PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT EVALUATORS Spotlight Education hires and trains professional artists and educators to serve as evaluators for Production Assessments. All Technical and Pre-Evaluators complete a background check before working with your students. Evaluators are professional artists and educators with a strong theatre background who have worked extensively in musical theatre performance, technical theatre and/or educational theatre. Following submission of your Spotlight Production Registration Form, your primary contact will receive a confirmation email with evaluation dates and information for evaluator tickets. Each school must provide up to six (6) tickets throughout the run of the show for the attending evaluators, Spotlight staff and their guests. Seats should be reserved in pairs, with each pair spread throughout different locations in the theatre. If your theatre is general admission, please reserve the appropriate number of seats. Tickets should be left at the box office for evaluators to pick up at the time of the performance. The Spotlight staff will provide names for the box office in the confirmation email. It is to your school s benefit that evaluators be placed in the most ideal seating section possible. For the Technical and Pre-Evaluations, you receive a second email from Ari, connecting you and your evaluator, to facilitate additional communication. See below for more detailed information. PRE-EVALUATION ASSESSMENT We offer a pre-evaluation assessment in which a member of Spotlight Education attends a rehearsal either before or during the tech week of your production and provides feedback prior to the formal evaluation.
The pre-evaluation notes may be used or shared with your students and creative team based on your discretion. If your school wishes to take advantage of this service, please check the box on the registration form. This evaluation can be performance or technical based, and we will work with you to schedule based on the preferred times indicated in your application. The pre-evaluation does NOT count as an honor-determining evaluation. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION The performance evaluation process is designed to give your students and production team educationally-focused feedback on production execution. The evaluation is also a determining factor for honors granted to your school and students. The process is not competitive. Honors are given solely based on the merits and achievements presented within each school s production. We evaluate productions based on the available and unique resources of each school. Three Spotlight trained performance evaluators will attend your production. Each show is evaluated in several categories, including movement and dance, vocal and acting technique for ensemble, and execution of the technical aspects of the production and individual performances. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT The Technical Assessment includes a visit by an evaluator to a tech or dress rehearsal, the scheduling of which will be pre-arranged between Spotlight Education and your primary contact. The purpose of this visit is for the evaluator to observe the work of student technicians, designers and managers as they are immersed in tech week. Evaluators are there to provide helpful and encouraging observations that energize and empower the students, as they move toward the run of the show. Recognizing that our evaluators are inserting themselves into the artistic process at a busy time for the students, we encourage our evaluators to meet briefly with them at the beginning of the scheduled tech or dress rehearsal to introduce themselves and clarify that their presence is in the spirit of educational support, not criticism. Our evaluators are visiting to be another pair of eyes, to reinforce the work of the educators and to help nurture the development of the technical student artists. The evaluators are not interested in the immediate achievement of the students in the rehearsal, but rather their work ethic and effort they display, helping them to grow through the process. THE HONORS ANNOUNCEMENT Production Assessment feedback and honors results are sent to your primary contact electronically within two (2) weeks of your show closing. We encourage you to use this information as an educational tool for your musical theatre program. How the information is shared and disseminated is at your discretion. Hennepin Theatre Trust will send out a full press release with all honors at the conclusion of each Spotlight Education semester. If your school would like to put out a press release, there is a template on our website you can use. 7
AREAS OF RECOGNITION Achievement in Musical Theatre (designated Outstanding or Honorable Mention) 8 Performance Honors:* Overall Performance Ensemble Performance Performance by a Student Orchestra Movement/Dance Performance by an Ensemble Vocal Performance by an Ensemble Acting Performance by an Ensemble Individual Performance honors for: Lead, Supporting & Featured Roles Technical Production Honors:* Overall Technical Production Technical Team Run Crew Sound and Lighting Crew Costume Crew Individual honors for leadership, design &/or management *All honors will be designated with an Outstanding or Honorable Mention Shout-outs will be given to students whose work caught the attention of at least one evaluator. These are not an honor with a designation but another opportunity to encourage and support your students. Please Note: Because Spotlight Education is a non-competitive program and wishes to honor the schools for their work to the highest degree, there is the possibility that a school could receive an honor not listed. For example, should a Spotlight evaluator (or group of evaluators) find that a particular element of the production was outstanding or worthy of honorable mention, an award may be created specifically for that school. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD The Community Engagement Award is given to a school(s) that goes above and beyond the performance to make a difference within the community. This award challenges schools to use the production to make connections creatively and innovatively, fill a need, resolve conflict, provide extended services and/or to engage the community. Some things to consider: What are some of the complex themes within your production and how can those affect the community? Was the musical chosen to coincide with a social, political economic and/or community initiative? Is there contextual information that you are providing in innovative ways such as post show discussions or programs in conjunction with neighborhood organizations? What positive change or learning has come as a direct result of working with the community? How will the impact of this production be seen/felt after the show has closed? There may be multiple recipients for this award. Special consideration is given to projects and initiatives that are student driven and inspired by or directly related to the themes and/or content of your musical production. Please contact Ari for the link to your customized application. All applications and supporting materials must be received by Friday, May 17, 2019.
TRIPLE THREAT AWARD 9 Spotlight Education also recognizes individual performances through the Triple Threat Award, which honors students (juniors and seniors) who excel in three areas dancing, singing and acting in addition to leadership in the community. Directors will be asked for a recommendation if there student is selected. For award consideration, students submit a portfolio of their work. Spotlight Education staff chooses a group to attend a live audition, where a panel of local artists select finalists. At Spotlight Showcase, the finalists perform live and four winners are recognized. The honorees receive an all-expenses paid trip to New York, where they attend Broadway shows, meet with industry professionals and participate in workshops to hone their triple threat skills. This Spotlight Education Triple Threat Broadway Experience is presented by Sun Country Airlines. Important Dates: February 25: Triple Threat Submission Window Opens April 5: Triple Threat Submission Window Closes April 15: Triple Threat Live Audition Announced April 29: Triple Threat Live Audition June 2-11: Spotlight Showcase Week Mid-Late June: Triple Threat Broadway Experience presented by Sun Country Airlines Mid-Late June: The Jimmy Awards (The National High School Musical Theatre Awards) THEATRE EDUCATOR AWARD Spotlight Education occasionally will recognize an outstanding educator for their work with theatre students and the advancement of arts education. More information will be made available each spring. SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE Spotlight Showcase is the culmination of a year of high school musical theatre throughout Minnesota with two professionally produced evenings of student performances at the State Theatre. The individuals and schools that are honored through the evaluation process will be invited to perform at Spotlight Showcase on either June 10 or 11, 2019.
Any individual student receiving an Honorable Mention or Outstanding Honor is invited to perform in the inter-school group numbers led by the Spotlight Showcase artistic staff. All schools receiving an Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre honor are invited to present medleys with their entire cast or a small group at Spotlight Showcase. The medleys are the responsibility of the school and its creative staff. 10 TIME RESTRICTIONS Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre Up to 4 minute medley Outstanding Overall Performance OR Outstanding Overall Technical Production honor Up to 3 minute medley 2 productions, each receiving Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre Up to 6 minute medley 2 productions, each receiving one Outstanding Overall honor Up to 4 minute medley For the medleys, each participating school is responsible for its own staging, choreography and music arrangements. Please send piano, bass and drum parts, accurate tempo markings and a recording of the medley to spotlighteducation@hennepintheatretrust.org by Friday, May 17, 2019 if you wish to participate in Spotlight Showcase. We encourage you to look at the feedback from the evaluators and consider performing a piece from your musical that was highlighted. In the Showcase FAQs available on our website, you will find some tips and tricks for creating great medleys from our music directors. The following medleys are arranged and choreographed by the Spotlight Showcase Artistic Staff: Outstanding (Individual Honors) Honorable Mention (Individual Honors) Outstanding Student Orchestra Students Seniors Triple Threat Top 10 A detailed rehearsal schedule, sign-ups and additional Spotlight Showcase information will be sent to your primary contact in the spring of 2019. The following dates are being held for Spotlight Showcase events: Rehearsals for Spotlight Showcase: June 2-11, 2019 Spotlight Showcase: Monday, June 10 and Tuesday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the State Theatre
Technical Leadership honorees will have the opportunity to work with the State Theatre staff to help design their respective school medleys and/or the inter-school numbers (created by the Spotlight Showcase staff). Additional details will be made available in the spring of 2019. Tickets for Spotlight Showcase go on sale in March 2019. Spotlight schools receive notification of which night they perform (i.e., Monday or Tuesday) prior to the on sale date. 11 MASTERCLASSES Spotlight Education offers professionally led masterclasses throughout the year for our Spotlight students. These classes feature local artists and professionals from our touring productions. These classes are open to any student wishing to participate. Please note that some of these masterclasses may have fees associated with them this is denoted on promotional material. Additional details and registration forms will become available as each masterclass approaches throughout the year. Check our monthly newsletter and our website HennepinTheatreTrust.org to find out what is coming up next. CRITICAL REVIEW Critical Review is a rigorous critical-writing component of Spotlight Education, focused on musical theatre productions. Students attend and review touring Broadway productions and learn from experts including local theatre critics, playwrights and actors who teach workshops ranging from lighting design to scenic design to choreography. Critical Review teaches Spotlight students communication skills and enhances critical and creative thinking. Please contact Pete Tedrow if you have questions and/or an interest in Critical Review.
EVENT SUBMISSIONS 12 If you want to invite Spotlight students to your workshops, special events, or offer discounted Spotlight student ticket prices for shows, or if you have any other activity that you would be willing to open up to the Spotlight community, we will be happy to assist in advertising and promoting these opportunities. To submit a request, please fill out the form titled Event Submissions, located under the Spotlight Education Directors section in the Spotlight Student & Educator tab on our website. If you have questions, please email Ari Koehnen Sweeney. ABOUT HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST Hennepin Theatre Trust is a nonprofit organization that creates positive change through the arts by bringing together people, businesses and organizations to create and enjoy cultural experiences. OUR VALUES We also care a lot about how we do our work and how you experience it. We ve committed to five core values as an organization: Strive for excellence Practice inclusiveness Succeed through collaboration Embrace new possibilities Act as good stewards Learn more at HennepinTheatreTrust.org 2018 2019 SEASON PRESENTED BY HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST