News

Dear 25th Year Acting Classes,
Please reply so I know everyone has the schedule and knows when to sign in tomorrow (we really want to be able to complete all the recordings tomorrow so starting promptly is important).
9am to 10am – Group 3 – Scene 3 – Kentucky Derby 9:45am -We will do a read-through of Scene 6. Landon, Luke, and Bridget should sign on for it.
10am to 10:45am – Group 1 – Scene 4 – Classroom
10:45 to 11:30 – Group 2 – Scene 5 – Courtroom
11:30 – 12:30 – Group 3 + Landon, Luke, Bridget – Scene 6 – Birthday
Topic: Acting A & B Time: May 29, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Every week on Fri, until May 29, 2020, 1 occurrence(s) May 29, 2020 09:00 AM Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Weekly: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZIudeGuqTIvG91Utj-ZkVyBedwGliochpm6/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGurTkiHNOctRiORpwAA4joWe7wtlhYjfoMqQvvThpYVBrUM-ZVFb52H9vY
Join Zoom Meeting us02web.zoom.us/j/86328679519?pwd=NFdRT3BEQ3pyM3NIZlA3MGltYWhNUT09
Meeting ID: 863 2867 9519 Password: HSTActing
Be sure you are well rested and that you have had something to eat! We want everyone to do their best tomorrow. blessings, Mrs. Mullan.

Dear Acting Students,
Below is the Zoom Link.
Time slots are the same:
9 to 9:40 for Scene 1 & 4 9:40 to 10:20 for Scene 2 & 5 10:20 to 11 for Scene 3 and 6.
The number 2 & 5 and Scene 7 will be recorded next week. Blessings, Marilyn
Marilyn Mullan is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Acting A & B Time: May 22, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Every week on Fri, until May 29, 2020, 2 occurrence(s) May 22, 2020 09:00 AM May 29, 2020 09:00 AM Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Weekly: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZIudeGuqTIvG91Utj-ZkVyBedwGliochpm6/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGurTkiHNOctRiORpwAA4joWe7wtlhYjfoMqQvvThpYVBrUM-ZVFb52H9vY
Join Zoom Meeting us02web.zoom.us/j/86328679519?pwd=NFdRT3BEQ3pyM3NIZlA3MGltYWhNUT09
Meeting ID: 863 2867 9519 Password: HSTActing

I sent the wrong document before. the Info sheet about this Volunteer Award is attached. Blessings, Marilyn

2019-PVSA-Info-Sheet.docx

Dear 25th Year Acting Parents,
We would greatly appreciate you holding open Friday, May 29th from 9 to 11 am in case we need to re-record some scenes or just didn’t get everything finished. We don’t want to rush your students tomorrow, and we want to do a couple recordings of each scene.
If this is not possible, let me know. If you can pencil us in – no need to reply. Blessings, Marilyn

Dear 25th HST Families,
We will start recordings tomorrow. Here are things that will help us to get the best possible recording.
Technical support
– The student recording should be on the main computer of the family (the one that is hard-wired to internet) if at all possible. – If hard-wired computer is not available – a newer lap-top that is set up near your modem (a few people have ethernet cords that they connect to the lap top – making it hard-wired) – If you have an external microphone – please use it. There are always better than the microphones built into screens. – If your student is using a lap-top – they should be sitting close to it. So – the lap top on a desk with regular chair is better than sitting on couch and lap top on coffee table. – Please try to keep other family members off the internet during the recording. This really does make a difference because when bandwidth is taxed – the recording comes in broken up.
Practical Support
– Please try to keep back-ground noise quiet. Your student’s mic will only be on when their scenes are being recorded so it won’t be an issue of keeping quiet for hours. They should be able to communicate when their scene is close and then when it is done. – Make sure your student gets rest and has eaten before recording. Give them time to get focused before their recording time (ie. don’t schedule something right before they are supposed to record). – Some directors have asked students to do diction/vocal warm-ups before signing on. – Some directors have suggested students to have the script close by to follow along. For acting scenes that have new material – the student will need to read from their script, but they should take all staples out of the script so they move pages quietly. – Help your student “get in character”. – Younger students may enjoy finding a costume item or accessory to wear during the recording. – Students who play multiple characters might benefit from having some hat or accessory that helps them distinguish which character they are playing. These unique characters can only be distinguished by variation in voice, so helping the student “embody” each character will help them remember to change vocally. – Some student won’t have anything available to dress up in but they could draw a picture and use it as their profile picture (this shows up when your video is off). Here are instructions on how to do that: – Once logged into Zoom: Select “Audio Settings” Select “General Settings” Select “Profile” Follow prompts to upload a picture.
OR: Once in a Zoom meeting: Click on the 3 dots in your box. Select: “Change profile picture”
OR: Google “How to change profile picture on Zoom” – Do not let your student stress! – Your student cannot control if the internet cooperates. Let them know we have a back-up plan. If a student’s voice did not come through well, we’ll have them record their lines using a smart phone. That file will get sent to us for the sound editors to drop lines in where they belong.
PRAYER – As always, we need to remember to pray that God will bless our efforts. In the midst of trial it is more important than ever to keep an attitude of gratitude. If we didn’t have so much technology available to us, we would end up with nothing for this year. So join me in thanking God for this option and asking His protection over the project.
Blessings, Marilyn

Dear 25th Year HST Parents,
We did not deposit the congrat ad checks before because I had not made a decision about printing the program. With so many losses for our students, I think it is important to print our program and recognize the hard work that our students did all year. I also think they will appreciate the congrat ads that parents took out for them.
So – we will go ahead and deposit the congrat ad checks next week (after Memorial Day). *If this is will create a hardship, please let me know.* Blessings, Marilyn

Dear 25th Year HST Parents,
I hope that God has given you and your students some healing graces as you’ve processed the loss of cancelling our 25th Show Season. If you, or your children are still struggling, I encourage you to spend time talking and praying about the loss. Everyone grieves differently. Some people process quickly and move on. Others, need to process through each of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance (some stages may get skipped and the order of the stages varies). It is also possible that your student was initially fine, but will get surprised by their emotions later. For some, the audio recording and the photo shoot will feel great. For others, it will bring a greater reality of what was lost. There is just so much variety in how people mourn that it is no surprise that grief counseling and grief support groups exist. Of course the focus of these groups is mourning the death of a loved one, but the losses your children are experiencing right now are “deaths.” Pieces of their youth are being taken away from them. So, please know that I will continue to pray for them, and for every parent who is now adding “grief counseling” to your already over-burdened plates. How challenging this new role will be, will depend on your children’s temperaments and the depth of their losses. If the “blues” or lethargy don’t dissipate as we crawl out of our Covid19 isolation, please don’t hesitate to get additional support for them – or for you. (Disclaimer – I am the mother of two counselors and the beneficiary of counseling in my own life/family, so I am a supporter of this profession. However, I do recognize the importance of finding a counselor that is the right fit for you/your family. )
Of course, the goal of grieving is to be able to move-on with life. Thus, *we now have to focus on the joys of closing out HST’s 25th year. *(Ok – I admit that some tasks will not feel joyful, but life on earth is always a combination of good and bad. It is only when we keep our eyes on the goal of the ALL good in heaven, that distasteful tasks can become acceptable and sometimes surprisingly pleasant.)
*We need all families to do the following 3 tasks* (If you did not sell tickets or purchase specialty tickets the first 2 steps do not apply to you.)
1. *We need everyone to call all the people they sold tickets to, to ask if they want a refund or are willing to donate that money.* There are forms attached for you to keep track of requests (you only need to record those who want refunds). You will then drop take a picture of your completed form and email it to hstalents@gmail.com 1. *If you cannot find your ticket tracker form (to remember who you bought tickets for), you can contact Kim Chang* (kachang379@gmail.com)who will send you pictures of your order forms. 2. These forms are due June 1 – the sooner we get this done, the faster we can all move forward. 2. *We need every HST family to fill in a refund form for Specialty Tickets and send us a picture. *A few of you have already told me that you don’t want any ticket refunds, but it would be helpful if you could just write that on the form and send a picture. *The ticket captains will be putting together the list of refunds needed and they will end up calling everyone who doesn’t submit a form by June 1. * Since some families purchased a lot of student tickets or season tickets, I am not comfortable assuming that anyone can donate all of that ticket money. *The form allows you to donate some specialty tickets and get a refund for the rest.* 3. *We need to know if your student is participating in the photo shoots* so we can make sure their costumes are ready and put away the un-needed costumes. (Reply to this email by June 1 with each student’s name & the photo shoot they’ll participate in.*)* The City of Rockville is allowing us to book the cottage at an extremely minimal rate so these shoots will happen even if there are just a few students interested. The cottage is located on the same grounds as the FSF Theater and the Glenview Mansion (603 Edmonston Dr, Rockville, MD 20851)
*Confirmed Photo Shoot Dates*
Acting – Wednesday, July 22 – 4 to 8pm
JR – Thursday, July 23 – 4 to 8pm
GB – Friday, July 24 – 4 to 8pm
Tech & Make-UP – Monday, July 27 – 4 to 8pm
Theatricals – Wed., July 29 – 4 to 8pm
Shakespeare – Thurs. July 30 – 4 to 8pm
Senior – Friday July 31 – 4 to 8pm
AUDIO RECORDING
*HST will give a thumb drive to each family which will have the audio recordings of our 25th Show Season. *Families will be able to share the audio file electronically with friends and family but they will NOT be allowed to post it anywhere on the internet. T*hese will be handed out at the photo-shoot or picked up on Mullan porch the 1st week of August – or at September parent meeting*.
PROGRAM* – *HST will be printing a program and giving copies to every student. (*Programs can be picked up at the photo-shoot or on Mullan porch – 1st week of Aug.)*
VOLUNTEER HOURS
1. Grace will be given this year for anyone who is unable to complete their hours. 2. A SignUp Genius will go out with volunteer jobs that will be needed to close out our year (steaming, ironing, transportation, costume cleaning, restocking of costumes, sets, props, etc.) 1. Whatever help people can give will be greatly appreciated.
DANCE
1. We were 2 classes short when Covid19 shut us down. Parents have 2 possible ways to recoup those classes (you can actually take advantage of both!) – *FREE Zoom dance classes* on June 9, 10, 16, 17. These will not be traditional classes focused on technique. They will be an opportunity to get exercise, try some new things, and possibly participate in creating choreography to fun music. Since these are not technique based – we will be combining 2 levels in each class. – June 9 & 16 – Jazz 1 & 2 – 10:30 to 11:30am. Tap 1 & 2 – 11:45am to 12:45pm – June 10 & 17 – BW Jazz 1 & 2 – 10:30am to 11:30am – Boys Jazz, Jazz 3 & Jazz 4 – 10:30am to 11:30am – BW Tap 1 & 2 – 11:45am to 12:45pm – Tap 3 & Tap 4 – 11:45am to 12:45pm – Note: We realize there are simultaneous classes on Wed. Most families have a computer and a phone that can be used. Let us know if this is not the case. – Irish – we are looking into the feasibility of Zooming Irish. We will notify the students in these classes if we are able to do this. Assume we are not if you don’t get an email. – *Two weeks of September dance classes* – Sept. 8,9,15,16 (no additional cost to you). These will be at the new studio space but will be the same day/time as 2019/2020 dance classes. These will be focused on review of technique.
DANCE ASSESSMENTS – September 23rd – schedule TBA.
1. *Only students who are eligible to move up (by age) will be invited to the assessments*. These students will be notified by email (in September) what time their assessment slot is. We will do combined level classes so that we can have multiple teachers present. 2. All students interested in taking dance next year will be asked to register for dance class at their current level. *HST will then adjust registrations after assessments*. If the results of the assessment mean that your student is unable to take the class, we will give you a full refund.
PRIVATE Pre-Assessments & Private Classes
1. All students will have the option of signing up for a 30 minute Zoom pre-assessment for $25 (paid directly to the teacher via PayPal or Vemo). 1. *These sessions have NO impact on the September assessments.* They are simply opportunities for students/parents to get personal feedback about a student’s current skill set and what skills they should focus on improving. 2. These private assessments will be done by Melanie Barber or Pep Targete. You will be able to select the teacher/time from a Sign-Up Genius that will be made available to our families by the end of next week. If the Sign-Up fills up you can contact *hstalents@gmail.com <hstalents@gmail.com>* and we’ll add more slots. 3. NOTE: only one student at each assessment. 2. All students have the option of arranging for private classes (via zoom or in-person as determined by teacher/student). You can set that up after a private assessment class.
REGISTRATION for 2020/2021 on June 1.
– *Early bird registration prices will be good through June 30*. – *While we cannot offer an early-bird price for troupes, we will increase the price by $25 on July 1.* – Families can opt for a 10 month payment plan if they register right away. (Shorter payment plans are also available.) – Note: Prepaid tickets will be added into your invoices this year, so this cost will be included in your payment plans. – Class charts for next year will be posted on our website.
PRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEER FORMS – attached
1. HST will still submit these forms. The year for collecting hours is June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. (The form & instructions are attached.) 2. Please mail these forms to HST, PO Box 150, Rockville, MD 20848 – postmark by June 5.
HONOR SOCIETY APPLICATIONS – attached
1. Everyone who had hoped to be inducted this year should fill in a form and total up their hours thus far (include all the hours you expected to earn during shows). Send me a picture of the form for review. I will then contact each student to come up with an individual plan to earn induction. There are some tasks that could be done from home over the summer and some that could be done at my home. If we can get students “close enough” we’ll give grace for the balance of hours. 2. Students who wish to volunteer for admin tasks next year should email *hstalents@gmail.com <hstalents@gmail.com>* (trash collection, assistants for Acting classes).
If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to call me: 240-997-5796.
Blessings,
Marilyn

2020-Refund-Form-Discount-Tickets-1.pdf
2020-Refund-Form-Specialty-Tickets.pdf
2020-PVSA-Record-Sheet.pdf
Instructions-for-Submitting-PVSA-Awards.docx
2020-Honor-Society-Record-Sheet.pdf
2020-Thespian-Honor-Society-Instructions.pdf

Dear 25th Year Acting Students,
Attached are Scenes 1-6 with a few updated lines to help make the scripts understandable for the recording. (Remember you can read the new lines – you don’t need to memorize them)
NOTE: The lines for # 2 and # 5 and Scene 7 are being re-written. There will be a separate script for this new material. It will be sent out when the zoom session starts. Blessings, Mrs. Mullan

2020-Radio-Scene-1.docx
2020-Radio-Scene-2.docx
2020-Radio-Scene-3.docx
2020-Radio-Scene-4.docx
2020-Radio-Scene-5.docx
2020-Radio-Scene-6.docx

Marilyn Mullan is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Acting A & B Time: May 15, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Every week on Fri, until May 29, 2020, 3 occurrence(s) May 15, 2020 09:00 AM May 22, 2020 09:00 AM May 29, 2020 09:00 AM Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Weekly: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZIudeGuqTIvG91Utj-ZkVyBedwGliochpm6/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGurTkiHNOctRiORpwAA4joWe7wtlhYjfoMqQvvThpYVBrUM-ZVFb52H9vY
Join Zoom Meeting us02web.zoom.us/j/86328679519?pwd=NFdRT3BEQ3pyM3NIZlA3MGltYWhNUT09
Meeting ID: 863 2867 9519 Password: HSTActing

ACTING
– 9am to 9:40am – Scenes 1 & 4 – 9:40 to 10:20 – Scenes 2 & 5 – 10:20 to 11am – Scenes 3 & 6
Note – scene 7 will have a separate zoom session set up (not today). I will contact the 3 students to set that up. Blessings, Mrs. Mullan