SchoolFest 101

Kia ora and welcome to SchoolFest 101. This is your guide to getting the most out of your Festival experience.

Teacher's Notes

Go to the All SchoolFest events and click on the show you are attending. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll find a teacher's notes including artist bios, web links, interviews, articles and more.

If there is anything else you need to help you get the most out of your 2010 Festival experience please email the SchoolFest team.
Schoolfest@festival.co.nz

Theatre Etiquette For Students

A live theatre performance can be really exciting. Everyone involved in the production - the cast and crew - work very hard to give a great performance. It's also the job of the audience to help the performers give their best possible performance. One way you can do this is by practicing the rules of theatre etiquette and by being generally considerate to others around you.

Here are some etiquette tips:

Get there on time. To avoid being late, plan to arrive 30 minutes early. If you're late, you might not be allowed into the show.
It's always a good idea to visit the restroom before the performance begins! It isn't always easy to leave during a show.
Pay attention to any announcements that are made before the performance about the rules of the theatre you're attending, and the location of the fire exits.
Don't take pictures during the performance. It can be very distracting to the performers and could cause a mishap. The design of the show is also the intellectual property of the producers. They don't want to see their property splashed over the internet!
Turn off your cell phone.
Be considerate to those around you. Don't eat or talk during the performance ... whispering is still speaking, so please limit this to emergencies only! If you need to un-wrap cough lozenges, try to do it during applause, or loud musical numbers.
Keep your feet on the floor, not on the seat or balcony in front of you. If you must leave during a performance, wait for an appropriate break in the show or exit during intermission.
Do applaud when the performance is over . This tells the performers and crew that you appreciate their work. Stand and applaud if you really thought the show was great. Some audiences will shout out ‘Bravo' (for male) or ‘Brava' (for female) if they think a performance was outstanding. You can also applaud and laugh at appropriate times during the performance.

Now that you know what the etiquette is you can enjoy the show!

Theatre Etiquette For Teachers

We love having students at the New Zealand International Arts Festival. These students, especially younger ones, often have a visceral, unmediated response to performances that performers love to see, and rarely do from more hardened theatre buffs. But going to the theatre has its own set of etiquette and protocols. It's part of the whole experience and when adhered, everyone benefits.

Please ensure that your students are well briefed in theatre etiquette. Here are some tips...

Discuss theatre etiquette with your students
Spend some time talking with your students about what they can expect and what is expected of them. Get them to brainstorm what they think good theatre etiquette looks like?

Here are some guidelines to get you started.

Dress Code
For the New Zealand International Arts Festival schools' performances there is no set dress code - tidy school uniform or mufti is fine. For the Schools to Festival shows (where students attend public evening shows) students may be seated amongst people who have been looking forward to a swanky night on the town, so again tidy school uniforms or mufti is fine, but encourage students to wear the nicer clothes in their repertoire, so the Slipknot or My Chemical Romance T-Shirts are probably best left at home!

Dress Rehearsals
Three of the Schools' Performances (Mahler Symphony No.8, Mark Twain and Me in Māoriland - Upper Hutt, and 11 and 12) are Dress Rehearsals. This means that the shows may be stopped at any time and taken back to an earlier point in the performance after the director/conductor addresses the cast/crew. Although this is rare, it does happen, and it's part of the show. If anything, students are required to be MORE Considerate and attentive during this process. You could encourage your students to see it as a unique learning opportunity; What was the director/conductor unhappy with? How did the performers respond? Did they get it right the next time?

Cell phones
Nothing is more irritating to an audience, or distracting to a performer than an unwanted cell phone ringing or beeping. We need your help to make sure this isn't an issue. Please remind your students to turn their cell phones off - not to silent, off! And then remind them again. Please be a good role model and turn yours off too!

Get there early and keep together
Doors generally open 30 minutes before the show starts. Allow plenty of travel time to the theatre. Once at the theatre, stick together and make sure students know where they're sitting. Ushers are only too happy to point you in the right direction.

Preparation and research
Your students are more likely to get something out of the experience, and be attentive and responsive, if they know some of the context behind the performance. Talk with your class and encourage them to research the show, the company, and the director, even if it's just a brief visit to Wikipedia. The more they know the more they'll understand and enjoy the work.

Many of the shows have links and resources on the SchoolFest event pages, or contact us directly for more information about the show - we're happy to help.

Review Competition
Students will also get more out of the experience if they think critically about what they've seen. Encourage them to enter the review competition on our website and they might be published in Tearaway Magazine!

Most of all, remind them to enjoy it!

Despite all the rules, etiquette and ‘learning opportunities', live performance is really just about having fun and seeing something different. Remind your students to enjoy the experience and have fun-that's our main reason for bringing these shows to you!