Semester 2 (???)
Hey Thespians,
First off: Welcome to 2021. You made it! COVID vaccines are slowly rolling out and that means we can start to see some light at the end of this very long tunnel we've been in.
When we emerge from that tunnel, very likely at the end of Dec, 2021, things will look different. We'll have learned a lot of lessons during this Dark Time, and I'm very much looking forward to what our Renaissance will look like. We have lots of opportunities ahead to become more accessible, more fun, more inclusive than ever before.
That's in the further future, though.
I'd like to discuss what we want to do with Semester 2, as far as Thespians goes. Here is what I've noticed from Semester 1:
Regionals was not the fun experience I expected.
Many Thespians who registered for Regionals never logged in at all.
I only had 2 Thespians join me for Regional Watch Parties, each at different times.
Our 'SNL' type sketch had great intentions, but fell apart.
Our 'Officially Unofficial Sunday Night Movies' had great intentions, but fell apart.
Many, many Thespians seem to be suffering from Zoom Exhaustion.
Students who get quarantined often seem to lose all motivation and stop working.
So that leads me to Semester 2, and my basic question: "What we do?"
Firstly, I'm still holding the Film Festival, with modified rules. I'm definitely leading that, so look forward to that.
I can't /won't hold a Spring Play.
I'm verrrry leery about investing work into another 'Sketch' show or 'Thespian film' without figuring out what went wrong with our first try at it, and coming up with concrete plans.
I don't think we should participate in 'Virtual States'. It's about 3x more expensive to attend than Regionals, and by all accounts, Regionals was not a primo experience.
I think we've all learned that we have unique emotional and mental-health limitations brought on by this pandemic, this isolation, and this disconnection. That includes me.
So ... "What we do?" Do we do nothing? Do we do something?
If we do something, how do we learn from Semester 1? How do we create a better chance at getting it right in Semester 2?
E-mail me with your thoughts at sgaudet@pasco.k12.fl.us
