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Communication is Key

by Connor, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council

Everyone’s got a busy schedule- between schoolwork, sports, clubs, and other activities, it can be hard to stay organized as a Unified Theater student leader. And when organization gets tough, communication often goes with it.

Communication is probably the most important element in being an effective student leader, and heading a successful Unified Theater program. Not only is it imperative to be on the same page with your fellow leaders and advisor, but with the cast and crew as well. When the leaders aren’t all communicating effectively, ideas can often get lost in translation, people may not be heard, important tasks might not get done, and miscommunication can lead to hurt feelings.

 In my own experience as a UT leader, I’ve seen how communication can be vital to the entire production. My leadership team met on a bi-weekly basis, however we tended to formulate great ideas during our meetings, only to fail to follow-up on them in between our meetings. As the year went on, there was often confusion between the student leaders. Additionally, communication between the student leaders and the cast and crew is extremely important in ensuring that everyone is having a good experience with UT. Asking for feedback, building relationships with everyone involved, and tailoring to everyone’s interests is key to keeping your production functioning well. If the student leaders are getting wrapped up in their responsibilities, it can be easy to ignore the cast’s needs and miss the point of Unified Theater altogether!

If your production experiences communication issues, try these helpful tips:

1.     Start a student leader group chat to discuss ideas and check in on everyone’s progress with tasks. If someone in your leadership group doesn’t have a phone, apps like Facebook Messenger and even Instagram have group chat features!

2.     Setup a Facebook Group, Google Classroom, Email system, or Remind App Alerts to get in touch with your cast and crew members!

3.     If you encounter an issue with a fellow leader, address it with them respectfully and in due time! At Unified Theater, the only drama we’re interested in is the kind that happens onstage 😀

4.     If you’re feeling like there’s a lack of communication between the leaders and the cast, invite a cast or crew member to a leader meeting and let them share how they feel the show is going. Remember- even though we have leader roles, it doesn’t mean our opinions are any more important than those of the cast or crew members.

5.     If there are leadership positions that don’t require much work during rehearsal or the show, keep those people involved in the cast! This way, they will directly relate to how the cast is feeling about the production.

6.     Always stay optimistic! Talk to your advisor if you are having serious communication issues after trying these tips, but remember to have patience and positivity!

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Tips & Tricks for Your Production

by Wava, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council

In almost every Unified Theater production, there is a need for props. Usually, it is easier and cheaper to make these props instead of buying them all. However, some props may seem impossible to achieve without going to great lengths or buying it. Maybe you don’t know where to find materials, or are having trouble getting everything you need. If that’s the case, here are some tips and tricks to help you out!

When you first get together a list of all the props you need, try to see if any props are similar or can have a double use. For example, one year my group needed both pillows and marshmallows for our performance. So, we used a few small, white pillows for both. Additionally, the scene was written so that the actors mentioned the marshmallows/pillows when they came to the part where the props were in use, so that the audience would not be left guessing. This tactic can be applied to many things. A laptop can double as a book, and a long table can be seen as a bench. Just be sure to clarify this in your scene by stating what it is to the audience!  

Props from previous years can be reused or re-purposed. Look around, see what your group has stored up. If you can reuse them or alter them slightly, go for it! Also, ask around. Perhaps the drama club or another theater group has something to spare. If you are going to re-purpose a prop, make sure it’s in decent condition, but don’t use something brand new. Use parts of different props to create a completely different one. For example, you could use some old rope and green paper to create a vine or some other plant. All you would need is a little glue. You could also take a board with something painted on one side and turn it around and put something on the other side.

Re-purposing isn’t limited to old props. You can also use old household items, or things marked for the trash can. A shoebox can be turned into a treasure chest. A Whitman’s chocolate box can be turned into a TV. Old clothes hangers can be transformed into a hook. The possibilities are vast. Take the list of props that you need, and see what can come from what. Look around your own house for possibilities.

Of course, you won’t always be able to find exactly what you need. When that happens, you can poke around for deals at your local craft store, or dollar stores. Places like party stores and thrift shops are also great places to dig up a good deal. First, make a list of what you need. Look over that list. See if anything on it can be replaced with a cheaper item. Then, check the clearance area first. There is always a chance that you will find a hidden gem. But, if you are looking to save money, use this as a last resort. Even then, look for the best deals you can and buy only the bare necessities.

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How to Lead an Effective Brainstorming Session

by Kaitlyn, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council

Have you ever had trouble coming up with a good theme for your Unified Theater production? Or making sure that everyone’s ideas are heard? By following these 5 easy steps you can increase the effectiveness of your brainstorming sessions.

1) Get Inspired Research topics and themes that you might think are interesting and come to the meeting with ideas. It also might be worth it to go over the pros and cons of last year’s production to find a theme that better suits your school's needs. Using the UT Forums on the Spotlight Center is also a great way to learn about other productions and common questions. It also might be helpful to reference other school’s themes and productions to get back in the UT mindset.

2) Create an Open-Minded Atmosphere

Often the crazy ideas are the ones that work. Remember to keep the UT attitude of no judgment and inclusion and everyone will have a great time. If you notice negative talk such as “No, that wouldn’t work”  or “That’s a bad idea”, remind everyone that there are no bad ideas and to turn the conversation in a positive direction.

3) Make a List

It seems like the opposite of creativity but by creating a numbered list you can easily refer back to ideas and create a group goal. By having a numerical goal the group can become motivated to reach a set goal and come up with awesome and innovative ideas. This is best done on large paper or a whiteboard so that everyone can see and add in. My school likes to use giant sticky-notes when coming up with ideas.

4) Everyone Has a Voice

You might encounter some quieter kids in your UT group who don’t want to participate in the discussion. Ask them their opinion and see if they have anything to add. People on the shyer side often have great ideas but don’t necessarily feel comfortable speaking up. It might be helpful to enforce a “One Conversation at a Time Rule” so that people do not get sidetracked with other conversations or talking about multiple themes at once. By keeping everyone engaged and on the same page, the group will be much more productive.

5) Agree As a Group

When it comes time to finally pick out the theme for your production, you may encounter conflicts between members. Remember that everyone is in this together and by picking a theme that not everyone agrees on, it can be difficult to get their participation later on. If there seems to be no one theme that the group can agree on, try combining the themes or coming to a compromise.

Best of luck to all you rockstars!

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Actors with Disabilities

by Maddie, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council 

UT Staff Note: Unified Theater is a staunch advocate for actors with disabilities being cast in more roles across the board - those written as characters with disabilities and those written without. The disability community has been advocating for years for more representation of disability in Hollywood and especially for actors with disabilities to be cast when a character is written as having a disability. Thanks to Maddie for taking on this important issue!

According to a new study conducted by the Ruberman White Paper, 95% of roles for characters with disabilities are actually played by actors without disabilities. But, there are some shows and movies who have cast actors with down syndrome, hearing loss, and cerebral palsy to play characters with a disability.

Recently, I have been watching the show Switched At Birth. This show on Freeform is about two girls whose ID tags were switched when they were born. As a result, their parents were accidentally sent home from the hospital with the wrong babies. Fifteen years later, one of the girls, Bay Kennish discovers that the parents she has been living with are not her biological parents. The other girl who was switched is deaf. In this drama series, Katie LeClerc plays Daphne Vasquez, a 15 year old who went deaf when she was three years old due to meningitis.

Actress Katie LeClerc is actually hard of hearing in real life. In fact, all of the lead characters who are deaf are played by deaf or hard of hearing actors! The following actors in Switched At Birth are deaf or hard of hearing in real life.

Katie Leclerc (Daphne) - Meniere’s Disease. Because of this disease, she experiences hearing loss and sometimes she hears a roaring sound like she is listening to a seashell. Some days, Katie can hear pretty well, but some days she can hear nothing at all.

Ryan Lane (Travis) - Deaf

Marlee Matlin (Melody) - went deaf when she was 13 months old

Sean Berdy (Emmett) - Deaf since birth

Berdy believes that casting him and his fellow Deaf and hard of hearing castmates brings a realistic aspect to the show. Berdy, who is Deaf, also says that the way Deaf culture is portrayed in the show is very accurate. Casting actors with disabilities has made this show more deep and realistic. It is great how the Freeform network has made a show that is so realistic by incorporating a vast amount of deaf culture and education into one show.

Other movies and shows have incorporated actors with disabilities into their programs. Lauren Potter is a 26 year old actress with Down Syndrome. She played a returning character, Becky, on Glee.

Potter is a strong activist for people with intellectual disabilities, and she has even traveled all around the United States to speak against bullying. Lauren Potter was bullied all throughout high school for being different from everyone else. By speaking out, she feels as if she is making a difference in the world. Luke Zimmerman, an actor who also has Down Syndrome played Tom Bowman on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Freeform and Fox cast actors with disabilities on their shows. By doing this, they made a more inclusive environment and didn’t exclude anyone.

Speechless, a new ABC show first aired on September 21st, 2016. It is about a family who moves to a new town with their three kids, two without disabilities, and one child that has cerebral palsy. This new sitcom focuses on an average family who does whatever they can to find the best school and environment for their child with a disability.  JJ DiMeo, a teenager with cerebral palsy is played by Micah Fowler, a new-to-the-screen actor who also has cerebral palsy. He says that he hopes that by watching the show, people begin to see his character JJ as a normal person and forget about his disability all together.

By watching Switched At Birth, I learned some sign language, since all of the actors sign when talking. So, by spending so much of my time watching this show and picking up on some sign language, I can use some of my knowledge to communicate with Deaf and hard of hearing students in my school’s Unified Theater program! By watching Glee and Switched at Birth, it also showed me how kids my age with disabilities really aren’t any different from me and other teenagers my age without disabilities.

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Top 5 Qualities Youth Leaders Should Have

by Ryan, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council

Just being a leader doesn’t make people listen to you. Successful youth leaders have many qualities that make other members respect them and make them willing to follow the direction of that leader.

Among the many qualities of a successful youth leader, the top 5 qualities are: pursue your passion, listen and observe, know the time when you should be serious and when you can let loose, being organized, and admitting when you are wrong.

1. Pursue Your Passion

“Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” This great quote by Confucius is still relevant today. As a youth leader, if you love your role or position you are more likely to lead with more confidence and more members will want to follow your directions because they know that you are enjoying yourself and are willing to do anything for your program. That will set an example so that they to, will be willing to do anything for the program

  2. Listen And Observe

If you can, take the time to step back and listen and observe your group as a whole. If you can observe as often as you give them direction, then you will have a better understanding of your program as a whole. A great leader has the patience to take a step back from the group and observe the image of your group. Pay close attention to things that could be improved, but also notice what is working. Share your ideas and observations with your fellow leaders and the rest of the group whenever possible. This short time can help avoid or fix  problems in the future.

      3. Know The Time When You Should Be Serious And When You Can Let Loose

There is always a time and a place where you should be serious or when you can be a little silly. A great leader knows the balance of when to be serious and when to be silly. A perfect example is if you are in the middle of a rehearsal and another leader is trying to make some improvements to a dance or scene you should be serious and should be paying attention. If you are in the middle of a snack break you can let loose and be a little silly.

       4. Being Organized

Being organized is one of the most important qualities to have as a youth leader. Being organized helps your program to be more effective. Being organized is not just having a schedule, being organized means you can stick to a schedule, are on time, have lists of things that you need (prop list, song list, scene list), and you are able to find anything you need at a moment's notice. Organization also means that other members of the leadership team are on the same page as you, in regards to the schedule and goals for each rehearsal. If you are organized, everything in your show should run smoothly.

       5. Admitting When You Are Wrong

    Being able to admit you are wrong is a great quality to have as a youth leader. You might not always be right, but if you have the confidence to admit you are wrong then you will gain the respect of your cast members and at the end of the day, you will feel better about yourself. You will also be able to learn from your mistakes and can make a better decision. When other leaders, advisors, or cast members correct you or make a suggestion, take the time to listen and correct yourself. It’s not easy, but it is important.

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UT Theater Games

by Aislinn, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council

Have you wanted to play a game with your fellow students but not been able to find a game? Well, I have some ideas for you! Theater games and having fun are a large part of Unified. They improve skills and are extremely enjoyable! Some of the games I like to play with my Unified group include Bus Stop; Dream It And Be It; and Pass the Pulse! These games require team work positive energy and acting.

Bus Stop is an improv game played by having a bench or two chairs and two members sitting in them. The object of the game is to get the person in the left chair out of the seat. You act as though you have never met each other. You can not touch the person you have to be very creative to come up with a creative way to get the other person out of the chair. This game can be used the entire term! This really builds teamwork and acting skills.

Dream It And Be It is basically a game of charades. You choose an occupation and act it out. Someone will raise their hand and they can guess! This has been a great icebreaker for us. We use this in the beginning when we don't really know everyone. The improves acting and cooperation skills.

Finally, Pass the Pulse is a game where everyone holds hands in a circle and you squeeze the person on your right sides hand and pass it around the circle as fast as you can. Make it a challenge to go faster and faster! We normally use this towards the end of Unified rehearsals, especially before shows. This improves teamwork and cooperation.

Often, the cast will want to work harder if they take a game breaks or are able to play a game during the session. It burns some energy and gets creative juices flowing. They encourage teamwork but also helps with active listening. I definitely know Middletown Unified Theater loves our games. I am sure your group will too!

UT Staff Note: You can also check out the Forums on the Spotlight Center for TONS of different theater games!

Photos by Todd Fairchild

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How to Make a Song in ASL

by Lauren, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council

Hey UT Rockstars! I’m Lauren, a Junior and a producer of Unified Theater at Conard High School. Today I want to teach you guys about how to learn sign language (ASL) for your show!

The first step to take is to pick the right song. Make sure the tempo is a little bit slower, especially if you’re signing the whole song. Make sure the song isn’t too wordy (like a rap) or you’ll have trouble keeping up with the music. Also, it’s important to make sure the song is engaging, no matter the tempo!

The next step is to find someone to teach you the sign language. Ask around your school to see if there is any one who knows sign language. You may have someone at your school who uses or knows someone who uses sign language to communicate. There also may be a teacher of the deaf or interpreter at your school or in your school district who can help. Also, see if there is someone at a school for the deaf nearby that can help you. Town recreation departments and community colleges may offer sign language courses, so those instructors would be a good resource.

Remember, these people are fluent, so they might sign too fast for you or your participants, so try asking them to teach you a simplified version.

If you can’t find anyone nearby, try Youtube. Many people make ASL (American Sign Language) music videos and some of these people will also have instructional videos explaining the signs they use. Be careful to make sure the Youtuber is someone who uses sign language in their daily life, and not someone who is learning sign language.

Some great Youtubers for ASL music videos are: Rosa Lee Timm, Russell Harvard, Tina Sirimarco, Molly Bartholomew. Also ASL Anissa has a lot of instructional videos and they are accurate although she is still learning ASL.

If that doesn’t work, ask other schools who have done a song in sign or bring back one you have already done. Other schools may be able to send you a video of the song they did in sign language or direct you to someone who can teach you.

The last option is using an online dictionary. You can use the dictionary to translate words, but the grammar of your song in sign won’t be super accurate. Using an online ASL dictionary is okay for the chorus of a song, but don’t try to translate a whole song into ASL with a dictionary.

Here are some good websites to try: Lifeprint.com, signingsavvy.com, startamericansignlanguage.com, and ASL Nook.

Sometimes remembering all the signs is tough so ask about memory tips. All of the signs are the way they are for a reason. Water, for example is a “W” at your mouth because you drink water. These little tips can help you and the participants with memorizing the sign language. Also, if you have a website or social media account for your UT group, post a video of you signing the song. This can help kids who were absent, afraid to ask for more help, or just confused!

Good luck on learning some sign language, I can’t wait to see how all of yours turn out!

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Coming Up With Your Show’s Theme

by Sara, Unified Theater Youth Leader Council

So you and your fellow leaders are in a predicament. You can’t come up with your show’s theme. What should you do? First off stay calm, coming up with a theme is not an easy task and you and your fellow leaders should put careful thought into what it is.

To start, you should plan a meeting with each other where you will have time to discuss and give input about the theme. A good opportunity is during your school's Spotlight Summit or before/after school. Your advisor should also be included in this decision. For our school we met before school and came up with the theme at the summit but it ultimately depends on everyone's availability. Once you have a place and time to meet it’s time to get the ball rolling. The best way to come up with a theme is to generate as many ideas as possible, the more the better! Some may seem really weird, but all ideas are good ones. Other helpful things to think are: What worked for previous Unified Theater show themes? What didn't? What would you like to incorporate (whether that be a message or moral) throughout the show? What will the cast and audience interested in?

In my experience, the best themes are usually the ones that can offer tons of scene ideas. Last year, my school did Hollywood as our theme. The second we said the idea of Hollywood tons of ideas began forming and even song ideas were put in place. From there we developed an underlying message which was “Everyone’s a Star” we highlighted the positivity of Hollywood. While figuring out our theme we discovered that there are some topics that won’t work. We thought of doing Movie decades but felt for our school and age group would be too specific and another school had done a very similar theme. So we chose Hollywood because it was different and could give actors different opportunities. Your theme shouldn't be too specific or too broad and should fit well with the age group of the actors.

When coming up with the theme it’s important to listen to everyone’s ideas. Be creative! You can always combine ideas. Keep in mind your Director is ultimately the one that decides so make sure you let him/her put their thoughts in. A good theme keeps the audience and cast entertained. The cast should enjoying writing and coming up with their scene and there should be tons of scene options. While discussing your theme take notes for each idea. Soon you will have a very long list, at this point go through the list. Think about what scenes can go with the theme, how universal the theme is, will people like it? Those are all important questions your group should think about. Once you have two to three themes in mind put it in the hands of your director and let him/her think it through and come up with the final decision. Now you have your theme, your school is one step closer to having an incredible Unified Theater show!