Purpose
RMS Drama is a collaborative program in which students, the Director, volunteers, and families work together to create a successful production. Participation is both an opportunity and a commitment. Students are expected to contribute to a safe, respectful, focused, and supportive environment for the entire cast and crew. We strive to follow the Grizzly Way: Kind, Honest, Proud.
Commitment
Students who participate in an RMS Drama production are expected to commit for its full duration. Required rehearsal, performance, and production dates will be communicated as far in advance as reasonably possible.
Students are expected to:
Attendance
Attendance affects the entire production, including scene partners, blocking, choreography, music, technical cues, and rehearsal schedules. It is very important to be transparent about any conflicts. Known conflicts must be disclosed during registration before casting and may affect casting decisions.
If a student will be absent, late, or leave early, a parent/guardian should notify the production team as soon as possible.
No more than two single-day conflicts that were not listed prior to casting will be permitted during a production. Additional absences may result in removal from the production or reassigning the student’s role. An absence may count toward this limit even when circumstances are unavoidable. Note: please do not come to rehearsal if you are too sick for school but please notify the production team via email. Excessive absences due to illness may result in reassigning the student’s role. If a student leaves early/disappears without permission, this counts as an absence/conflict.
Scheduled performances and tech rehearsals are mandatory. A performance and/or tech absence may require a role to be reassigned or otherwise covered and may affect current and/or future participation. Athletics tryouts and practices are not considered unavoidable and should be disclosed as a conflict before casting.
Student Conduct
Students must conduct themselves in a safe, respectful, and productive manner. Expectations include:
Unacceptable conduct may include repeated disruption, refusal to follow directions, disrespectful or inappropriate interactions, bullying, harassment, intimidation, targeted mistreatment, inappropriate language or gestures, intentional interference with another student's participation, misuse or damage of property, or behavior that creates an unsafe or significantly disruptive environment.
This list is not exhaustive. The production team may address any conduct inconsistent with program expectations.
Technology & Personal Devices
Students may not use personal electronic devices during rehearsals or performances unless authorized by the Director or production staff.
This includes cell phones, smartwatches, laptops, tablets, gaming devices, headphones, and AirPods. Devices must remain put away and not in use and may not be used for texting, social media, games, videos, photography, recording, browsing, schoolwork, or other personal activities. Crew members may use laptops or other devices when specifically authorized for production or technical purposes.
Students needing to access a device for a legitimate reason must receive permission from the Director or producers. Parents/guardians who need to reach a student should contact the producers rather than expecting the student to monitor their phone.
Addressing Concerns & Continued Participation
Behavior or participation concerns may result in redirection, parent/guardian communication, a formal written warning via email, a meeting, probation, changes to a student's role or responsibilities, removal from the production, or ineligibility for future productions.
The response will depend on the nature, frequency, severity, and impact of the concern. The production team is not required to follow these interventions in a particular order and may move directly to a more serious response when circumstances warrant it.
When a student’s behavior becomes difficult for volunteers or the Director to manage, the producers may contact the parent/guardian to discuss the concern and place the student on a probationary period or final opportunity to course-correct.
Parent/Guardian Agreement/Acknowledgement Is Not Required
Parents/guardians are expected to be responsive to communication from the production team, including email and phone calls. The production team will make at least two attempts to contact the parent/guardian regarding concerns. If the production team is unable to reach the parent/guardian after two attempts, the student may be removed from RMS Drama without further parent/guardian discussion.
A parent or guardian does not need to agree that a behavior problem exists for the production team to address it or take action.
Decisions may be based on direct observations, documented incidents, reports from students, school staff, or volunteers, and the impact of the behavior on the production. Parents/guardians may provide additional information or context, which may be considered, but disagreement does not prevent the production team from addressing a concern or making a participation decision. The production team's responsibility is to maintain a safe, respectful, and productive environment for the entire cast and crew.
Future Eligibility
Being cast in an RMS Drama production or selected for a crew role does not guarantee participation through the end of the production or eligibility for future productions.
Attendance, preparation, commitment, conduct, ability to follow directions, response to redirection, and fulfillment of production responsibilities will be considered when determining continued participation and future eligibility.
The Director and the production team have authority to make decisions regarding participation, role assignments, behavioral consequences, and future eligibility based on the needs of the production.
Acknowledgment
Students and parents/guardians are expected to read this policy before participating in an RMS Drama production. By signing the RMS Drama Student Participation Contract, the student and parent/guardian acknowledge that they understand these expectations and agree to support these expectations throughout the production.
