Camp Broadway® and the Educational
Theatre Association (EdTA) have formed a strategic alliance to address the need for quality theatre arts education curricula and extra curricular programming in America's middle schools (Grades 6, 7 and 8).
Camp Broadway®, Broadway's original summer camp, and publisher of StageNOTES®: A Field Guide For Teachers, is partnering with EdTA to promote age appropriate downloadable lesson plans, theatre games and arts activities specifically for middle school teachers, adapted from StageNOTES®, Camp Broadway's extensive theatre library. Theatre arts curricula, along with music selections, interviews with artists, links to production resources, and an educator bulletin board will be available at StageNOTES.com this summer. In addition to providing teaching tools, Camp Broadway will also find new ways to enhance lines of communication between Broadway presenters at performing arts centers and EdTA members around the country to encourage young theatre enthusiasts to attend theatre in their area.
"Currently, there are insufficient amounts of good theatre resources available to educators who teach students 10 -14 years old," says Michael J. Peitz, Executive Director of the Educational Theatre Association and its student honorary organization, the International Thespian Society (ITS). "Teachers today need relevant, interesting tools to motivate these media-savvy children. In collaboration with Camp Broadway®, EdTA members and hundreds of Junior Thespian troupes performing in schools throughout the country will now have access to creative, easy-to-use curricula themed around Broadway shows and song."
Lisa Poelle, Camp Broadway CEO stated, "Our alliance with EdTA marks an important step in the company's ongoing effort to support and invigorate the teaching of theatre arts in schools and homes around the country. By combining our capabilities, we can pave the way for theatres and educators to establish a direct relationship in communities around the country. With our leadership and easy-to-use materials we can provide tangible theatre arts based tools that play a transformative role in the creative and intellectual development of children. We hope our lessons will inspire EdTA's members and help children learn discipline, memory skills, problem solving, compassion, tolerance, and, of course, foster an appreciation for the performing arts."
EdTA's membership includes 381 Junior Thespian troupes and 3,312 Thespian troupes throughout the world. Since 1929, the organization has inducted nearly two million high schools students into the International Thespian Society. Teachers interested in receiving StageNOTES® curriculum can register at www.campbroadway.com for more details.
CAMP BROADWAY® is Broadway's original summer camp for theatre-loving kids. Founded in 1995, the company has grown into a year round leader in theatre arts programming, special events, and curriculum development as publisher of StageNOTES®: A Field Guild For Teachers. The company serves as a vital link between Broadway's many theatrical productions, estates and libraries to families, schools and social organizations. Now in its 14th year, CAMP BROADWAY has hosted almost 10,000 theatre-loving kids from every state and over 40 countries at its annual summer camps in New York and around America, and has provided first time Broadway show experiences to over 200,000 students through its workshops and community outreach programs. CAMP BROADWAY is the recipient of the 2002 Standing Ovation Award from the Educational Theatre Association and has been featured on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® telecast from 2001-2008. Camp Broadway is dedicated to presenting programs that promote life-long learning through the performing arts.
THE EDUCATIONAL THEATRE ASSOCIATION (EdTA) is a professional organization for theatre education founded in 1929. EdTA's mission is to create a network for theatre arts educators, students, professionals, and enthusiasts to share ideas and support the effort to have theatre arts education (including film, television, and other related media) recognized in all phases of education and lifelong learning. EdTA operates the International Thespian Society (ITS), an honorary organization for middle school and high school theatre students. The organization also publishes Dramatics,a monthly magazine for high school theatre students, and Teaching Theatre, a quarterly journal for theatre education professionals.
