Orange County NC Website
DocuSign Envelope ID:2647627B-353C-4BD5-9DD1-OFB53CA34689 <br /> Organization The CWS Drama Club operates after school as a club at <br /> Description C.W.Stanford Middle School (CWS), a public middle school that <br /> serves the Northern end of Orange County in N.C. At CWS there are <br /> 649 students enrolled with a 69%white population, 14%African <br /> American, 11% Hispanic and 61/oother. The school offers Band, <br /> Chorus, and Visual Arts as electives for all 6th, 7th, & 8th grade <br /> students. There are no Theater (or Drama) classes offered during the <br /> school day at CWS. <br /> CWS offers a wide variety of after-school athletic opportunities for <br /> students throughout the school year. Supplements for coaches are <br /> provided by the County School system and included a salaried CWS <br /> Athletic Director. CWS Drama Club is the only opportunity for middle <br /> school students at CWS to be involved in Theater and the only <br /> afterschool program that offers Art enrichment on a regular basis. <br /> Drama club raises most of its own funds through ticket sales from its <br /> performances. CWS Drama Club included 83 student participants last <br /> year. Of the students participating, 9%were African American. About <br /> half of the students are in the cast, and the other half are on the <br /> crew. Drama club has a philosophy to be collaborative, student-run, <br /> student-created, and student-directed. <br /> There is one CWS teacher serving as the Drama Club Director and <br /> two CWS teachers serving as supervising directors for Set and <br /> Costumes. The current school media specialist has a background in <br /> lighting design. Light and sound crews are trained with him. <br /> Supplements for these teachers are offered through the school itself <br /> and are less than what coaches receive for their work. Two <br /> pedagogical structures, Circles and Teams, are in use during <br /> rehearsals. These set up an atmosphere that allows students to <br /> experiment, be self-directed, and to collaborate. Rehearsals' start <br /> and end with a circle of the entire cast and crew, often with <br /> announcements or daily goals, a leading question, or a problem and <br /> positive feedback.This gives the students a chance to settle in and <br /> out and share their thoughts on the process. Students, from <br /> whatever diverse cultural background, learning difference, grade, <br /> gender, or age are encouraged to be an integral part of the group <br /> and on an equal par with everyone. Teams are set up to work on <br /> creative problems and challenges for the cast and crews in their <br /> work. Students take on leadership roles as work progresses. Most <br /> years, there is one production in the spring with smaller workshops <br /> and meetings in the Fall. The last 5 years have included: Peter Pan, <br /> Alice in Wonderland, Willy Wonka, Jungle Book, and Pinocchio. In <br /> 2015, students collaboratively wrote a show based on a book which <br /> was performed in the Fall in addition to their spring show. <br /> The community's involvement with Drama club is overwhelmingly <br /> positive. Parents have volunteered to help with all aspects of the <br /> production. High School students return to student direct, run warm- <br /> ups and improvisation games, and assist on crews as needed. <br />