GET ORGANIZED

Being both a theatre instructor and director, I’ve found myself responsible for countless forms that I need to provide to my actors and have returned in a timely fashion. I needed a simple, efficient way for actors to pick up and return paperwork that didn’t take up much space.

Call Board

While technically I have a bulletin board labeled as Call Board, I have three areas right next to each other that I consistently use for providing information to my students and actors: my bulletin board, whiteboard, and my Smart Board.

• Bulletin Board

  • On the bulletin board, I keep a calendar marked with our upcoming events on the Bulletin Board along with a copy of any rehearsal schedules and Thespian Point information that my students might need.

• White Board:

  • On the whiteboard,  I post event dates, costs, and deadlines for returning specific forms. I’ve also got some clipboards to which I’ve attached magnetic strips in order to display them on my whiteboard.  These are used for event and tournament sign ups.

• Smart Board

  • At the beginning of each class, my bell-ringer usually consists of a word of the day or a journal.  This activity helps get them focused and in a theatrical state of mind while I’m taking care of administrative housekeeping.  The other half of the screen has reminders of upcoming events and any paperwork that they either need to pick up or return.

UPGRADED IN & OUT BOXES

I put an Upright file Organizer beneath my call board for actors to pick up paperwork from labeled files. Once filled out and signed, I have a Hanging Wall File Organizer outside of my office with corresponding, labeled files for them to return the papers. This helps more just an inbox because my actors then assume responsibility for filing their own paperwork. Since much of the paperwork has personal information, I placed the return files in a secure location inside my classroom. Those way no one has access without my presence since my class is locked when I’m not present. 

This system can be used by anyone needing to provide paperwork to clients and have it returned in person. Initially I can write directly on the files to label them.  Later, you can use file labels to re-purpose the folders.. Post-it Full Adhesive Label Roll is also great for relabeling files, plus the labels can be easily removed when you’re ready to relabel. In a pinch, though, I’ve just used a post it note to relabel the file.

Here are a couple of hints that I’ve learned along the way:

• I use manila folders for outgoing and colored for incoming for crazy days when I’ve pulled lots of folders and need to sort quickly.  I’m quite the visual person, so this works well for me.  It also lets me quickly tell actors which folder they need to use when returning a form.
• 3M Command Hooks worked well for hanging my upright file.
• I used two hanging files, placing one in front of the other to save space and give a cohesive look.

Here are my current file labels while creating this post:

• Drama Calendar (tournament and production calendar)
• Adult Volunteer Forms (for background checks)
• Crew Questions (crew chiefs fill these out weekly for production meetings)
• Program Bio (to be filled out by cast/crew for the program of any upcoming production)
• Travel Permission Form (a generic travel form)
• Festival Permission Slip (parent contact form and permission slip: the bottom cutoff section provides information for the parent while the top is a permission slip for our State Thespian Festival)
• Health Form (a document allowing me to allow medical assistance for a student if/when necessary)/Conference Rules and Regulations (form specific to our Thespian Festival in which the parent and student agree to their rules/regulations regarding appropriate behavior)
• Cabot Permission Slip (permission slip specific to a regional tournament that we will be attending; has the same setup as the Festival Permission Slip)
• AYPC Audition Packet (audition packet for an upcoming play that we will be performing at the Arkansas Young Playwright Competition).

If you’re interested in seeing paperwork such as an audition packet (for those wanting to be cast in my shows), tech. application (for those wanting to be tech in my shows), permission slips ( format used for all events that we attend), etc… stay tuned for a future “how to” post that will include samples of my paperwork.

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