September 9, 2011

 Well, as you can see, I had already done one spiffy status update for the day. Then I checked my school email and discovered I had been “volunteered” for a student club sponsorship. You’re going to LOVE this… Drama Club/Thespian Troupe.

Teens don’t need a club for drama—they are drama. And not that I have anything against thespians (what you do in your own time is your business), but really? LOL.

January 5, 2012, 4:25:00 AM

Drama, drama…

Before break, one of my primary actresses was failing. My rule is simple: No Pass, No Play. So, I had to boot her from the production. Fast forward to after break, and now four more of my actors are failing a class. Three of them have clawed their grades up to a D, but guess what? The understudy for the actress I booted is ALSO failing.

The replacement? The stage manager. She now has exactly one week to learn the entire part. ACK!

Oh, and did I mention the 9-foot flats that won’t fit in my pickup truck? The school’s contract prohibits me from renting a U-Haul without jumping through hoops and risking a lecture from admin. Anyone got a box van I can borrow for a few days?

I have only myself to blame. Apparently, I woke up one day and thought, “This gig’s too easy. How can I add even more stress to my life? Because, you know, I’m getting entirely too much sleep…”

January 6, 2012, 4:50:36 AM

Don’t you just love it when someone tries to “help” you? (Why yes, that was sarcasm you detected.)

Schools have to pay a performance fee for productions. These can range anywhere from $25 to $5,000. Our drama department is so broke I’m literally rolling nickels for gas money.

To save on fees, I came up with a “brilliant” idea: host a contest where students write one-act twisted fairy tales. I’d pick the top three, and we’d produce those for the spring show. I figured I’d get five or six submissions—easy enough to choose three and wham-bam thank you ma’am, I’m done.

But then the AP English teachers got wind of the idea. They LOVED it. So much so, they made it an assignment for all 9th–12th grade classes. Now I’m told to expect 50–60 submissions. ACK!

How am I supposed to read and judge all these in less than a week before tryouts? I don’t know who to blame more—the “good-idea” fairy or my overly helpful colleagues. Either way, someone needs to be beaten over this…

January 11, 2012, 4:48:32 AM

Last night was our first show.

The kids did great. Honestly, I’m proud of how they’ve rebounded from catastrophe after catastrophe, throwing themselves into this production with everything they’ve got. They had fun, they performed beautifully, and they put on a really cute show.

Now, we have one more long-ass rehearsal tonight, a dress rehearsal tomorrow, our competition on Friday, and judging on Saturday. By Sunday, I’ll be in a coma. Just FYI.

Final Thoughts 

Being “voluntold” as the Drama Momma has been a rollercoaster of chaos, sleepless nights, and endless stress. But it’s also been a lesson in resilience—not just for the students, but for me. Every show is a reminder that even when the flats don’t fit, the actors fail, and the good-idea fairy strikes again, the magic of theater somehow pulls it all together.

1. Have you ever been “voluntold” for something at work or school? How did it go?

2. If you’ve worked with teens, what’s your funniest or most memorable experience?

3. What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to someone taking on a new leadership role (especially one involving chaos-prone teenagers)?