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5 ways to support small businesses that don’t cost a nickel (and you can do right from your phone)!

11/24/2017

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By Cathlyn Melvin          ||           Community, Small Business, Holidays
updated 5/8/2019
On Monday we received an email from Emmaline Vu and LinkedIn letting us know that it's National Small Business Week. What? Who knew?

Now that we know (and you do, too) we challenge you to honor the more than 28 million small businesses in the United States (and so, so many more across the globe) by signal-boosting their products and services. It won't cost a thing, and it can mean so much to the individuals who are working hard to deliver those services and products!

Here are 5 ways to support small businesses that don’t cost a nickel (and you can do right from your phone)!

Follow your favorite small business on social media. 5 Ways to Support Small Businesses That Don't Cost a Nickel (and you can do right from your phone!)

Follow your favorite small businesses.

​Think of your top three favorite small businesses. Do you follow them on facebook? Instagram? Twitter? Snapchat? Pinterest? 
​What about your top five?

No?

Let's start there, then.

(No, no, go ahead. I can wait.)
What? You're not following us online?! (Lost Boy in
What? You're not following us online?
If you like it, comment and share! 5 Ways to Support Small Business That Don't Cost a Nickel (and you can do right from your phone)!

If you like it, comment and share!

​Okay. So now that you're connected, you're probably going to see some articles, photos, memes, or other stuff that you think is fun / inspirational / interesting / enlightening / et cetera.

​In other words, you like it. So here's what to do:
First: Like.

Next: Comment.

Then: Share.

This is the trifecta.

​Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms assess user interaction in order to choose which posts are worthy of being shown to wide audiences. When you like, comment, and share a post, your network is more likely to see it, increasing the post's reach across the entire platform. [source] Simply, put, if you like a post, other followers should get to see it, too! But if a post is met with crickets, no one will see it, even if you’re staring at your phone going, “O.M.Goodness. That is so, so true. lolz.”

So like it, comment on it, and then share it to your own page!​

A couple of pointers for when you click:

​When you share a post, add your own ideas. Voicing your opinion on a post is going to make it much more effective for your own followers than if you “blindly” share (by using the “share now” option or something similar).

If you’re a member of a group on facebook, share relevant posts to your groups as well as your personal page.

Is your favorite play cafe hosting an event? Share the post - with a note - to your parent meet-up facebook group.
​
If your gym is offering a membership special, share the post (yes, with a note) to your health-conscious or fitness facebook group.
When you share a post, include your own ideas | 5 Ways to Support Small Business That Don't Cost You a Nickel
Post to your favorite businesses' pages whenever you experience something good. 5 Ways to Support Small Businesses That Don't Cost a Nickel (and you can do right from your phone!)

Post to your favorite businesses' pages whenever you experience something good.

It doesn’t even have to be an experience using their products or services!
​If you:

- Saw an ad for their company that spoke to you,

- Observed a positive interaction with another customer, or

- Noticed an interesting new product, then:

Write them a note on their page (and share it back to your own page)!
When you have a positive experience with the business's staff or product, write them a review on their official review page (facebook, google, their own website review section). Include a photo (of you with the cupcake you enjoyed at their bakery, or paperback you bought at their bookstore, or just you wearing their branded gear)! People love pictures, and yours can tell a thousand words about your experience.
​
And then (I bet you can guess . . .) Share your review to your own social media pages!
Send a shout-out! 5 Ways to Support Small Businesses That Don't Cost a Nickel (and you can do right from your phone!)

Send a shout-out!

Choose a social media platform that your favorite business uses regularly.

Tag the business in a post encouraging your friends to follow them!

Be specific about what you love about the organization and what is great about following them on that platform. What kind of information do you get? Behind-the-scenes looks? Sneak peaks? Discounts?
Tag it! 5 Ways to Support Small Businesses That Don't Cost a Nickel (and you can do right from your phone!)

Tag it!

Tag your favorite businesses' "handles" in your posts about them. When our customers use "@ccdramatics" on a public post on instagram, facebook, or twitter, we receive a notification that we've been mentioned in a post, just like you would if you were personally tagged. Post with "@" tags are 56% more likely to receive likes, comments, and shares! Tagging us also helps keep us in the know about the conversations around our business, and just as importantly, allows other potential customers to easily click through that post to find our profile!

And while you're tagging . . .

Geo-tag your posts. Simply adding your favorite business’s location tag can increase engagement with you post by up to 79%. [source] Crazy, right? And the more folks that engage with your posts about your favorite businesses, the more folks with know about your favorite businesses, and the happier the world will be!

Also, hey, include businesses’ personalized hashtags! At Compass Creative Dramatics, we search #oneplayoneweek to follow along with our customers’ experience - and potential customers do, too. If you’re not sure if your favorite business has a personalized hashtag, just ask. They’ll be glad to let you in on it. I promise.
This National Small Business Week, set aside 15 minutes to engage with your favorite small businesses online. With your positive interactions, you'll help boost their visibility, their network, and, let's be real, you'll also boost their warm-and-fuzzy level every. single. time.

And, hey. It won't cost you a nickel.

Cathlyn
Student actors in a production of
Student actors in
Student actors in
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Why Small Business? Well, It's a Personal Question.

11/9/2017

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by Cathlyn Melvin      ||      Small Business, Entrepreneurs, Education, Community
updated 5/9/2019
It's National Small Business Week! What? you might wonder? What's that? What's so great about Small Business?
​
Well, it’s a personal question.
Back in 2012, Cassandra gave me a proposal (no, not that kind of proposal!): she said she wanted to start a children’s theatre, and asked if I would partner with her to help send week-long theatre experiences to kids across the country.

When we sat down to create our business plan, one area that tripped us up was our volume goal: how big, exactly, did we want our organization to get?

It took us a few years to iron it out, honestly. But I think we’ve gotten a good idea of how big we want to get. And the answer is:

Not very.

And it doesn’t have to do with revenue, and it doesn’t have to do with workload, and it doesn’t have to do with fame and fortune (ha!). The bottom line is, as a small business, we can serve our families and our sponsors better.
​
Here’s why.
 Why small business? Small Business Saturday at Compass Creative Dramatics
She's trying to figure it out.
We’re the end of the line.
When we started this endeavor in 2012, it seemed simple. Past Cathlyn and Past Cassandra thought it would go like this: Write a play. Hire designers to create sets, props, costumes. Buy a van. Get the show on the road. Literally.
The
See, look at us all fresh-faced (and vacationing! what?!) in 2012,
​just 5 months before we began this business adventure.
Well, thanks to Past Cathlyn and Past Cassandra, Present Cathlyn and Present Cassandra are now wiser for the wear, and through insurance, taxes, marketing, coding, plug-ins, spreadsheets, et cetera et cetera et cetera, one thing has stayed the same: because Compass Creative Dramatics reflects our goals, our views, and our aspirations, because we don’t answer to an executive committee or a governing board, we are able to be relentless in our goal to serve as many students the highest-quality theatre education that we possibly can.

That means that if there is any way we can make something happen for you, we will, because we are the decision-makers. End. Of. Story.

​Well, maybe there is a little more story, because:
Being small means we can be flexible.
Our larger competitors in the market have established systems in place that force them into more rigidity than we want our program sponsors to experience. Cassandra and I both take pleasure in problem-solving and finding creative solutions. We pore over feedback from families and program sponsors, and regularly make adjustments to our processes, whether that’s with regard to curriculum, registration, material provisions, anything. If there is something that will make your experience better, we’re eager to have a real live conversation about it and brainstorm how we can make it happen. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can’t -- but this flexibility encourages creative problem-solving, allowing us to continually improve our service.
Quote: We regularly make adjustments to our curriculum, registration, materials, anything. Why Small Business? Small Business Saturday at Compass Creative Dramatics
Earlier this year, we worked with St. Andrew the Apostle School in Romeoville, Illinois for the very first time. Margaret, the school’s PTO volunteer, and Carol, the principal, were enthusiastic about offering the program because with the pressures of curriculum, their students (preK-8) don’t have much of an opportunity to explore public speaking and presentation in the classroom.
​
Leading up to their residency, we spent time on the phone kicking around ideas about the different options for programming, boosting enrollment, scheduling, and anything else that Margaret wondered about. “I appreciate that you always responded to emails and phone calls,” Margaret shared with us in her end-of-program survey, “and that you were always willing to schedule dedicated time for discussion. Organizing a program like this, no matter how small, brings a lot of questions!”

We totally get that -- and we want to make sure your questions all get answered! So like Margaret said, we’re totally willing to schedule time that’s just for you to ask your questions, and for us to brainstorm the best way to serve your community. It’s this adaptability that allows us to make theatre programming more accessible to organizations and individual students year by year.
Children learn dance moves from instructors David Smith and Cathlyn Melvin during theatre camp, Why Small Business? Small Business Saturday at Compass Creative Dramatics
Put your hands in the air and wave 'em like you really care about good customer service!
Being small means we can afford to be picky.
We’re picky about our theatrical designers, our musicians, the words we use in our emails, the articles and photos we post on facebook and instagram . . . you get it.

Because we’re not trying to assembly-line our process, we have the ability to take our time and make sure that we are choosing just the right artist, just the right material, just the right image.
​
Every detail is important to us, so you won’t see us making any decisions lightly.
Small = Gritty. Small = Spunky. Small = Up-and-Coming.
We work with some of the best artists in Chicago and around the country who are developing their own businesses in set design, musical composition, and costume construction. They are determined, they are tenacious, and they are dedicated to giving us (and, as a result, our families and program sponsors) the best work possible. Because they, too, are their own small businesses, all of the qualities that describe us also apply to them and to their work:
​
They’re flexible. They’re picky. And it’s personal.
Elementary school students in Chicago goof around backstage before a performance of The Princess & The Pea with Compass Creative Dramatics
Spunk is contagious.
To us, this is personal.
We have students who have been with us since year one or year two, who have performed in a Compass Creative Dramatics play every year since we began producing them. And we look at those kids, and we think, man, how did they get to be high schoolers? Wasn’t it last year they were just nine years old?

And then we also look at those kids and think, man, remember when they were nine? Whoa, that was a zillion years ago.

We kind of look at our organization the same way. It was just seven years ago that Cassandra and I applied for legal help to officially file Compass Creative Dramatics with the State of Illinois. Just seven years ago that we opened a Compass Creative Dramatics checking account. Just seven years since we wrote our very first Compass Creative Dramatics play, Peas & Harmony: The Princess & The Pea (Remixed).

(It’s a good one.)

But it also feels like we’ve been doing this for a lifetime. The connections we’ve built, the relationships we’ve made . . . thinking back on those elements, this experience feels timeless.

This thing, we built it. And that means we’re personally invested in its success. We make personal sacrifices to ensure that our students are getting the education they deserve, and that our program sponsors are getting the support they need to help us make that happen. We’re not working for an organization; we’re not punching a clock. When we go to work each day, it’s because our students matter to us. Our program sponsors matter to us. Our mission and our work matter to us. We are personally inspired to better serve students across the country each and every day.

And each and every day, we are able to serve them better.

Because we are small.

​- Cathlyn
A student in Columbus, Wisconsin poses, wearing her Wizard of Oz t-shirt, with teachers Cathlyn Melvin and Cassandra Quinn, who hold the pineapples they received as teacher gifts.
Thank you so much for your students, your energy, your business (and also these pineapples).
For more information on Small Business Saturday, please visit www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/
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3 Children's Shows to Check Out During Chicago Theatre Week

1/9/2015

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By Cathlyn Melvin          ||          Family Fun, Arts Scene
Two weeks from now, we'll be starting our Spring Tour of 2015, including residencies in and around Chicago, as well as our Spring Break Script Development Camps in Waukegan, IL and Sheboygan, WI!

Oh, and did I mention that January through May is  prime Summer Camp Prep Season? I didn't? Well, it's true. We're organizing your registrations, ordering your summer camp swag, completing our costume build, printing backdrops, and all sorts of good stuff. We're busy busy busy.

But like JJ, a camper in Wisconsin, told us, "It's gonna be super hard to wait for the next play!" So. To help pass the time until summer camp, here are three productions you can check out during Chicago Theatre Week, February 12th - 22nd.
Children's Theatre Chicago
1) Lions in Illyria at Lifeline Theatre

Lions in Illyria is a brand-new adaptation of Twelfth Night, a play by William Shakespeare (you might remember him from a workshop at Summer Camp 2013!). It's a World Premiere, which means that this is the first time anyone has put on this play anywhere in the world.

In Lions in Illyria, a young lioness named Violet is separated from her brother by a storm at sea. All alone, she disguises herself as a boy lion, and joins up with a peacock on a quest to claim the attentions of the most graceful gazelle in town. But soon Violet is torn between multiple masters and her adventure takes a turn for the absurd when she becomes entangled in the clownish antics of a wacky warthog and his featherbrained dodo sidekick. Travel to the weird and wonderful land of Illyria in a magical comedy loaded with music, monkeys, and mayhem.

To order $10 Theatre Week tickets, visit Lifeline's online box office, pick your dates, and use the code THWEEK when purchasing. Lions in Illyria is recommended for students age 5 and up (children under 2 not admitted).
Children's Theatre Chicago
2) The Selfish Giant at Chicago Children's Theatre

The Selfish Giant is a musical (with puppets!) based on a story written by a man named Oscar Wilde, who wrote stories, plays, and poems. In this story, a  giant tells children that they aren't allowed to play in his garden. After the children are locked out, the trees and flowers stop growing and everything in the garden freezes. Just like in the movie Frozen, everything turns to winter. Then one morning, the children sneak back into the garden, and their joy brings springtime back to the garden.

You can order $15 Theatre Week tickets to this production by calling Chicago Children's Theatre at 872-222-9555. The Selfish Giant is suitable for all ages.
Children's Theatre Chicago
3) Symphony of Clouds at DePaul Theatre School

Follow the adventures and joyful milestones in the life of young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: boy genius, musical prodigy, and gifted composer. Discover how nature inspires and impacts Mozart, and how his family faces the acclaim, fame, trials, and tribulations of his early creative life in this story infused with music, dance, and a bit of magic. 

Order your $5 Theatre Week Tickets to Symphony of Clouds by calling 312-922-1999. Symphony of Clouds is suitable for all ages.
Children's Theatre Chicago
(L to R) ) Kate McDermott as Olivia and Brandi Lee as Violet in Lions in Illyria, running through  February 15, 2015 at Lifeline Theatre. Photo by Suzanne Plunkett.
And, hey, if you're one of our students who lives outside of Chicagoland, don't worry! There are plenty of experiences for you to check out in your own neck of the woods over the next few weeks!

If you're in Lawrence County, Indiana, make a visit to The Little Theater of Bedford for their production of The Sound of Music, or take a trip to Bloomington for IU's production of Romeo & Juliet (have your parents talk to the folks at IU to make sure that this one is age-appropriate for you!).

For our Southeastern Wisconsin students, catch Peter Pan Jr. at Theatre For Young Audiences before it closes on January 25th! If Mom and Dad are up for a road trip, head down to First Stage in Milwaukee to see Stargirl (suitable for ages 10+).

Can't make it to any of these great shows? That's okay! Celebrate Theatre Week by writing a short play, acting out a favorite story, or reading a play out loud with friends! Go ahead and stretch those creativity muscles, and let us know:

How are you going to celebrate Theatre Week 2015?

- Cathlyn
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The Stories Behind the Statistics

12/4/2014

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By Cathlyn Melvin          ||          Education, Community
The original publication of this blog was distributed on January 4th, 2013, by Americans for the Arts.
2012 was a big year for Compass Creative Dramatics.

In fact, it was the first year for Compass Creative Dramatics. That spring, Cassandra approached me with an idea: to bring immersive theatre programming to schools and organizations across the country. Would I join her, she asked.

Of course I would.

That summer, we wrote a script. We developed a business plan. We contacted designers and educators and business consultants and performance spaces, utilizing every connection we had to get our programming off the page and into kids’ hands and brains – the places where this company comes to life.

In the fall, we worked with our first group of Compass Creative Dramatics students - eight kids joined us for a script development workshop in Evanston. Several of the students had never been in a play before. A couple were old pros, recalling memories of school plays and acting classes they had taken at various theatre companies across Chicago.
Picture
The following summer, several of those students joined us again, this time to perform a full production of “Peas & Harmony: The Princess & The Pea (Remixed)”.  

And this time, it was our own stories we heard them telling.

“When we did this last time . . .”

“Do you remember when . . .”

“My favorite part was . . .”

As our summer campers chatted together about past experiences, Compass Creative Dramatics became part of those memories. And that’s great to hear.

See, Cassandra and I don’t focus on readying kids for careers in theatre, and we won’t “Make Your Child a Star.” We concentrate on stretching kids creativity and bravery muscles – so they can be bold enough to raise their hands in class, or imaginative enough to problem-solve in real life. And over the course of a week-long program, we see those skills develop, and we witness those memories taking shape, so that some day, they’ll want to tell those stories.
Picture
“I was in a play once!”

I’m standing in line at a bookstore in my neighborhood, and the woman behind me is telling me her story. She recognized me from a show I did the previous season, and her eyes light up as she tells me about her high school musical—how she almost didn’t audition, but in the end, it turned out to be the best eight weeks she had that year.

As an actor, I get that all the time. Not the being-recognized-on-the-street thing. That’s unusual. But when people find out I do theatre, so often I see their eyes brighten just like that lady’s, and they tell me about their third grade play, or an annual Christmas pageant, or being in the kids’ chorus of Joseph at their community theatre.

I love these stories.

Fall 2012. Still in the infancy of our company, Cassandra and I decided to take on another project: we started a campaign to collect people’s memories about participation in theatre, and how it affected them. We posted on YouTube asking for video responses, and watched the stories begin to trickle in, both through responses to our YouTube channel and through essays submitted through our email:
As active leaders in school communities, arts educators witness the development of students through programs like the residency we offer at Compass Creative Dramatics.

We interact with other artists who share our opinions, our passions, and our stories. Existing in this cocoon, it’s easy to forget that there are others in the world for whom the importance of art in education is not a foregone conclusion. There are people who don’t see that there is inherent value in what we do—and so we evangelize.

We’re constantly striving to spread the word that the arts are vital to child development, and to the development of our society. We push statistics—because that’s the language of administrators and policymakers.
Picture
But even administrators and policymakers aren’t only convinced by hard facts—by numbers and graphs and formulas. Those figures may help a person wrap their head around why what we do is so important, but numbers don’t tell the whole story.

​Rarely do we meet the faces behind the statistics—the doctor, the mom, the cab driver whose story has been enriched by participation in the arts. It’s those personal stories that help people connect to the work we’re doing. And it’s that connection that paves the way to comprehension.

Through our response project, the faceless statistics were given shape, names, and personalities:

Leona in Georgia described how doing theatre at school has taught her daughter that it’s cool to be who you are, and has helped develop her sense of self.

Marilyn in Arizona explained that high school theatre helped her cope with her mother’s death.

Robert in Illinois shared how a chance encounter with a theatre teacher guided him away from a relationship with a schoolmate who later ended up in prison for murder.

Shqipron in Wisconsin told us how being in a play shortly after he moved to the States helped him learn to speak English, and how to interact with his fellow high school freshmen.
Quote: Even administrators and policymakers aren't only convinced by hard facts.
The dozens of stories we received over the course of our 30-day project rang truer than any statistics could, and they reminded us of why we started this company in the first place: to lead by example, guiding kids’ toward healthy, happy, fulfilling lives.

Fast forward five years: It’s fall of 2017 now (well, fine, winter). We’ve successfully completed five unfathomably awesome summer camp seasons. We’ve worked thousands of students in dozens of cities across 16 states through our theatre camps and community residencies. 

But the best measure of our success are those stories that our students, their parents, their teachers, and their administrators tell.

In the years to come, we look forward to encouraging countless students to create memories they’ll reflect on, standing in line at a bookstore, or sitting at a coffee shop, or with their families later in life. I hope that in the end, they’ll have many stories to tell.


- Cathlyn
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5 Ways to Support CCD this #GivingTuesday

12/1/2014

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By Cassandra Quinn​          ||          Community, Holidays
#GivingTuesday is not all about dollar bills or giving in the traditional sense. It's about finding ways to get with the #UNselfie movement and give back. Missed our blog about rebooting this from a season of spending to one of giving and why #GivingTuesday is important? Check it out here!

Here are 5 ways that you can commit to supporting CCD today (and only one of them involves cold-hard-cash, er, PayPal).

1. Donate stuff. Take a look at our Wish List Page. See anything you could donate? See anything someone else you know might be able to donate? Networking makes all the difference - even if you don't personally have an item, you may know someone who does! Have something that you think may be beneficial to Compass Creative Dramatics, but its not on the list? Let us know!

2. Donate time. Compass Creative Dramatics functions with two full time staff and an amazing team of freelance artists and teachers, some who donate their time. There is always something that CCD could use a hand with whether that might be doing a bit of data entry, hanging posters in your favorite kid-friendly hang-out, teaching a class, standing at a convention booth, or a plethora of other amazing ways you can pitch-in.

3. Donate your network. Compass Creative Dramatics is seeking to grow its residency and camp programs. Know of a school, park, or other organization that might be interested in a week-long theatre experience? Tell us about them! Share with us how you know them, who they are, and, if you know, who the best person to contact would be. Word-of-mouth and referrals are our strongest marketing tools. Be a part of it by sharing with us your old elementary school, a girl scout troop you lead, or a community youth program that you know of.

4. Donate your talent. Are you an actor? Commit to auditioning for our fundraiser event that will be taking place May 4th! Are you a photographer? Donate to shoot at one of our events! Are you a seamstress? Donate a few hours of building costumes!Are you an accountant? Donate financial advice. Are you part of an artistic team at another company? Let's chat about cross-support! Are you a marketing Guru?Donate a few a bit of marketing advice! 

5. Donate money. CCD has committed to serving its community and offers dozens of free workshops to hundreds of students each year. We also offer financial aid to their numerous camps that is not financially backed by a grant or corporate monies. Your dollars go to help support these commitments as well as helping us with show responsibilities such as building sets, costumes, and props!

Consideration is a great step in the giving process. Commitment takes it to the next level. Are you ready to commit? 

Click here to commit to donate to Compass Creative Dramatics one or more of the ways above. Show your support to Compass Creative Dramatics this coming season! 

Thanks for your support this #GivingTuesday!

2014 Quick Facts for Compass Creative Dramatics
  • CCD served over 169 kids in 9 camps and residencies across 3 states in their 2nd year of business. This compares to the 52 students they served in 4 camps across 3 states in their first year
  • Over 15% of those students received financial aid or scholarship, several whom attended camp with $0 family contribution
  • 0% of families who applied for financial aid were denied
  • CCD's financial aid application implements a "pay what you can" method, so that families never are asked to contribute beyond their means
  • CCD served over 750 students across 6 cities in our free workshops -- a significant increase from the 300+ students they served in 2013
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Reboot with Us: An Advocacy for #GivingTuesday

11/24/2014

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By Cassandra Quinn          ||          Community, Holidays, Small Business
#Giving Tuesday - Support arts education with Compass Creative Dramatics
Two little letters can mean so much.

Re.

Redistribute, repurpose, reshape. Re-envision, renew, restore.

The third annual #GivingTuesday will take place on December 2, 2014, an opportunity to set aside a few dollars that would normally be spent on a Venti Latte or [insert your favorite splurge here] and instead redistribute those funds to your favorite organizations. The money that you repurpose can be reshaped and re-envisioned into something that renews – and restores – your community.

Consider this:

Thanksgiving Day kicks off a weekend of personal spending: Black Friday. Small Business Saturday. Cyber Monday. After an entire weekend devoted to holiday shopping and penny-pinching sales, #GivingTuesday motivates us to re-center, reconsider, refocus, and reboot.
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#GivingTuesday inspires personal giving and encourages focused, thoughtful giving throughout the holidays. If Black Friday is the kick-off for holiday shopping and the biggest spending day of the year, then we should aim to make #GivingTuesday the kick-off of a beautiful season of charitable giving.

And we get it.  Bills are tight. Holiday shopping is calling. That paycheck just doesn't stretch as far as we'd like.

That's why #GivingTuesday isn't just about monetary giving. This year its campaign is focused on the #UNselfie. GivingTuesday.org is encouraging people like you to take an #UNselfie showing how and why they are going to give back.
Give time.
Give insight
Give energy.
Give expertise.
Give connections.

Give because you can.
Give because you care.
Give because you believe.
#Unselfie: A show of support for Giving Tuesday
Compass Creative Dramatics gives free workshops and financial aid without any grant funding, or corporate sponsorship.

We give because Compass Creative Dramatics believes in offering dynamic, challenging theatrical enrichment programming and we strive to make our programming affordable and accessible.

There are so many ways and reasons to contribute this #GivingTuesday. How will you help reboot this season of spending into a season of giving?

Keep an eye out on December 2nd to learn 5 ways to support Compass Creative Dramatics on #GivingTuesday.
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Help! How Do I Memorize My Lines?

7/11/2014

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Memorization is a big part of your job as an actor. Getting off-book (that means all of your lines are memorized) and having your script out of your hands frees you up to explore your character's surroundings and physicality (how your character moves, stands, gestures, holds their body). But getting to the point at which you're comfortable leaving your script at your seat is hard to do! Here are a few tips to remember as you try to memorize your part.

Memorize scene by scene.

Don't try to tackle the whole play at once. Pick a scene and repeat-repeat-repeat until you feel comfortable. Then, move one to the next scene. Here's the trick, though - it's easy to get caught up working from the beginning, striving for perfection, and then never actually making it to the end of the script. Make sure you pace yourself. Choose a time limit for each scene - even set an alarm - and if the alarm goes off before you think you're word-perfect, that's okay. Move on to the next scene, and review the first one when you have a chance.

Think about your cues.

As you memorize, it's just as important to focus on your cues (the lines or actions that come before yours) as it is to focus on your lines. Think about how the line before yours could remind you what to say. Are you answering a question? Does the same word or sound get used in both lines? Why does your line make sense coming after your cue?

Speak out loud, with exaggerated articulation.

Repeating your cues and lines to yourself is great, and will help you become familiar with them, but speaking them out loud is much more likely to make them stick in your brain because you are using many parts of your body to communicate the line: 
your eyes read the words if you have a script in your hand, 
your mouth shapes the words, 
the sounds are created by your vocal chords and articulators, 
and your ears hear them as you speak.
Over-exaggerate all of your consonants and vowels (each sound in each word) to help your muscle memory remember the line.
What's "muscle memory"?

Our brains and bodies are constantly looking for easier and easier ways to complete tasks. When we repeat an action over and over, our brain works together with our body to commit the task to memory, so that the next time we need to do it, we can complete it without thinking about it. A lot of the routines in our lives are related to muscle memory. 
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For instance, say your family usually keeps a gallon of milk in the door of the refrigerator. Every morning, you walk to the fridge and pull the gallon out of the holder in the door. 

One day, someone decides that the milk is better off on the bottom shelf instead of in the door.

The next morning, you walk to the fridge to get your milk. Even though you know that the milk is now being kept on the shelf, your muscle memory will most likely still cause you to open the refrigerator door and reach for the milk in the door. To override your muscle memory, you have to really think about where you should be reaching your hand. If you don't think about it as you're doing it, your hand will reach for the door storage.

That's because your brain and body have created a shortcut together, allowing you to pick the milk out of its usual spot in the fridge without applying any conscious brainpower to it.

Write them out.

Some actors also write their cues and lines out over and over to help with memorization. Others create notecards listing their cues and lines. Just like when you read out loud, writing uses a lot of different parts of your body - your eyes, your wrist, your fingers - and the more parts of your body you can use during memorization, the more likely your whole body is to remember your lines.

Memorize right before bed, and review right away in the morning.

Working on your lines right before you go to sleep can help your brain retain, or keep hold of, your lines better than working on them during the day. To maximize the effect, make sure to pick up your script first thing in the morning as well to review your lines!

Read with a partner.

If you have a friend, parent, or sibling who can help you out, great! Ask them to read each cue so that you can get in the habit of listening to what's said before your line and responding to it.

Be creative!

Put on a silly costume that suits your character. Act scenes  out using dolls or friends. Put the words of your lines into the music of a song you like.

Take care of yourself.

Your brain gets tired from activity just like your body does.  Make sure you're fueling it well with healthy food and lots of sleep. If you're working on your script for a long time, make sure to take a five-minute brain break every 15-30 minutes. Take a walk. Play with your dog. Turn on some music and dance. You'll come back refreshed and ready to work.
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So you have a script in your hand. Now what?

7/10/2014

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First of all, way to go!
Whether our actors receive scripts or not, completing the audition is an exciting achievement, 
and we're proud of you!

At Compass Creative Dramatics, we do our best not to waste too many trees, so if you or a friend didn't receive a script when we announced our cast, do not worry. It just means that we can teach that entire role without printing a script -- saving some trees in the process.

That said, if you've been given a script, you might not be quite sure how to use it effectively.

Well, you're in luck, because that's what I'm here for!
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Students work with their scripts during our 2012 Script Development Workshop of 
Peas & Harmony: The Princess & The Pea (Remixed)
When you've been cast in a play, the task of developing your character and telling a story on stage can feel a little overwhelming -- especially when you'll go from audition to performance in just five days! Luckily, your directors are there to help you learn the play, answer questions, 
and help you explore the new character you've been chosen to play.

Not all of your work is completed at rehearsal alongside your directors, though -- 
you have a big job at home, too!

The first thing you want to do is find a notebook and a pencil. 
Then, grab your script and READ.

Now, you might be thinking, "That just means reading my part, right?"

Nope! 

When you read your script the first time, don't worry about your character. At all. Just read it through to hear the story, the way you might read a chapter book. Think of every scene as a chapter of the story, and at the end of the scene stop to think about it. This is called script analysis.

Ask yourself:
What new characters did we meet in this scene?
Where did the scene take place?
See if you can retell the scene in your own words. What happened in this scene? 
How did the characters seem to react to what happened? Why do you think they reacted that way?
When you reach the end of the script, think about the story as a whole. What is a lesson you learned from reading the story? Try to explain the story in 10 sentences or less (this is called a summary). Make sure you tell the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Writing your summary down may help you organize your thoughts.
Sometimes when you read your script there will be words you haven't seen before. This first time reading your script is the best time to stop and take your time to learn the new words. Try to figure out what the word might mean by reading the sentences around it. Then, use a dictionary to find out how close you were (you can find one online here). If you need more help, ask a parent or other adult to explain the word to you. On a piece of paper, keep a list of the words that were new to you, along with their definitions, so that you can look at it later when you come across them again.

When you read your script the second time, start thinking about your character. 

Begin by making two lists:
What I say about myself
What other characters say about me
As you read, make notes. If your character says or does something that tells you they are kind, smart, angry, or anything else, write it down. If someone else's character notes that you are stingy, cheery, sassy,  or anything else, write it down. 

Check out an example of this kind of list here.
When you reach the end of the play, you might have a lot or a little information on each of these lists. No matter what, you'll have a better idea of the story from the second reading, and you'll be able to see how your character fits into the world of the play.
Ask yourself:
How did my character change from the beginning of the story until the end?
What does my character do to help move the story forward?

Congratulations! After reading your script through a couple of times, you probably have a good start to understanding the story and your character's place in it. From here, keep reading your script over and over, and start memorizing your lines so you can be ready for rehearsal off-book on Wednesday!

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Meet Rebecca, our Summer Education Intern!

7/9/2014

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Rebecca is rockin' it out teaching Culture Splash classes at the Chicago Park District Lincoln Park Summer Camp. She'll also be joining us at for Wizard of Oz summer camp in Waukegan and in Chicago, and assistant teaching Preschool Camp in Chicago!

Even with all of that on her plate, she indulged me with an interview:

What's your favorite article of clothing?
I really like sweaters. 

What's a book that every kid should read?
Every child should read Dr. Seuss, anything and everything by him. 

What was your favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject was math, but only if I could understand what was going on, otherwise English. 

Best summer activity:
I really enjoy going for walks in the summer, possibly enjoying an ice cream cone. 

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?
I would choose flying because traveling wastes so much time. 

What job would you have if you weren't in theatre or education?
If I wasn't in theatre or education I would love to be a lawyer or a therapist. 

If you had a time machine, where and when would you go?
If I had a time machine I would go back to 5th grade and tell myself to embrace my talents and not be scared. 

What would you take to a desert island, besides food or water?
I would take somebody to talk to on the island. 

If you had to eat one thing for breakfast forever, what would it be?
I would forever enjoy everything bagels with vegetable cream cheese. 
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Behind-the-Scenes Super Secrets #2

7/5/2014

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Okay, so I know it's been months since I promised you installment #2 of the Behind-the-Scenes Super Secrets series.  And I'm super sorry. 

Here is Behind-the-Scenes Super Secrets #2: Music!
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This sad puppy has been waiting for months for this blog.
When we left off back in January, we were talking about the script -- how the words on your page get from someone's brain onto the page and into actors' hands. We discussed playwrights, lines, and stage directions. We talked about how there are usually lots of versions of the script -- called drafts -- written before the playwright shares his or her work with other artists.

One important part of those drafts is developing the music and the lyrics, and that's what I'll focus on today. I write the lyrics (the words in songs) and the melody (the main tune, the series of notes that go up and down -- and that get stuck in your head) for songs in Compass Creative Dramatics scripts. As I work on lyrics and melodies, there are a couple of things I try to keep in mind.

1) Compass students have to learn fast. Right? Once the show is cast on Monday, we might go through a scene or two together that afternoon. But after that, each group in the cast gets to meet with one of our educators for just an hour or two on Tuesday to learn the entire show - that means all of your scenes, songs, and dances.

Therefore,

2) Catchy is a good thing. After we teach you your scenes, songs, and dances, we let you know that it is imperative (that means very, very important) that you go home and review them on your own or with your families, so that you are ready for rehearsal the next day. If you walk out of Alice in Wonderland rehearsal with, say, "It's a Fine Day for a Picnic" stuck in your head (and you will!), it makes it that much easier for you to remember your melody and lyrics so that you can rehearse at home.

Once I've written (most) of the music, we'll bring on an arranger -- someone with the musical skills to take the melody I've created for your voices, and add an instrument (or two, or three, or twelve) to back it up. With Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, we opted to go for one instrument -- piano.
What kind of instrument is a piano? string percussion
For Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, we asked musician and composer Josh Holte to create the piano arrangement for us. Once we had Josh on board, I handed the music over to him. With most of our collaborators, we use a program called Dropbox (shoutout to Dropbox! woo!) to share digital files. We'll also use email, or meet with artists in person or via Skype (shoutout to Skype! woo!).

Since Josh lives in Wisconsin, we relied a lot on email to send files back and forth, make notes, and communicate changes. I sent him the original melodies, as well as thought about feelings I wanted people to have listening to the accompaniment, and anything other notes about the song.

Here is an excerpt (a small piece of a larger hole) from the original notes I sent Josh along with mp3s of the melodies.
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See?
Josh took those notes and created some pretty great first drafts. When he emailed me his first drafts, I was able to provide him more detailed notes -- what worked well, what we wanted to keep, what sorts of tweaks needed to be made. We worked together to create several drafts of his compositions, and between his writing and my notes we ended up with lots of fun tunes that we got to try out with students at the Script Development Workshop in Waukegan in March -- and which we'll get to share with all of our summer campers in 2015!

I. Can't. Wait.

But for now, IN TWO DAYS we begin Summer Camp 2014 -- The Wizard of Oz. We are going to have four spectacular weeks of Munchkins, Flying Monkees, Winkies, and of course, Dorothy, Toto, and all of their friends. 
Come check us out!
Bedford, IN (July 7-11)
Sheboygan, WI (July 14-18)
Waukegan, IL (July 21-25)
Chicago, IL (August 4-8)
There is still time to join us in all four cities - so check out the link above to learn how to register for the fun.

I can't wait to see you!

- Cathlyn
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P. S. This is Josh, with his family. Josh is the one in the bunny suit. Looks good, right? 
j/k j/k. He's the dude on the left.
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