ENCOURAGE your parents to come and watch you. Please tell them, however, NOT to wear anything that identifies the school, that pictures and/or videos can't be taken during the performance, and to be sure to turn cell phones off during performances.
WEAR nice clothing - khakis or black pants, nice shirt - typically what you'd wear to church or a formal setting. Remember, we cannot wear anything that identifies our school.
WHEN WE GET THERE - check out the map & find your performance centers. Check the list on the door to see if any have scratched - that will move up your performance time.
BALLOTS - Mrs. DeGidio will have the ballots - pick them up before going to your performance.
CELL PHONES - Turn them off or silence them during YOUR performance and when you watch others.
GO AND WATCH other performances - from our school AND others, in your category and others. This gives you a good idea of what you might want to do next year and/or things that could improve your performance this year. You might not want to watch other performances in your section - sometimes this is allowed & sometimes not, so be on the safe side.
ARRIVE to your performance room at least 10 MINUTES ahead of time - typically groups will drop out & your time can be moved up, which can get us home earlier. BE QUIET IN THE HALLWAYS - ALWAYS!
WHEN IT'S TIME - Give your ballot to the door keeper then go into the front of the room, check it out for your space & how you'll use it. Arrange any furniture you'll need, then wait quietly. The doorkeeper will announce you. DO NOT START until you see the judge looking up and ready for you. PUT LOTS OF ENTHUSIASM IN YOUR PERFORMANCE - REMEMBER, YOU ARE NOT YOU, YOU'RE A CHARACTER - DON'T BREAK THE CHARACTER.
WHEN YOU'RE DONE with your performance, DROP your head, be silent, and wait till a count of 5. Then look up. At District level, most judges will have you come over for a consultation, telling you what you did well & what you can improve on. At the state level, there are 3 judges, and you simply leave the room after performing.
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE ROOM, DO NOT SAY ANYTHING UNTIL YOU'RE FAR, FAR DOWN THE HALL - If a judge overhears you say you forgot a line & he/she didn't catch it before, it could sway his/her judging from a I to a II.
IF THE TIMEKEEPER says "STOP", DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD or you invite disqualification. Likewise, DON'T TOUCH ANY WALLS, bookcases, desks - they would then be considered props and again, would result in a disqualification.
BRING MONEY - The host school will have food available for breakfast, lunch, munchies, and often we stop somewhere on the way home to get something quick. You can also bring cards, games, MP3, etc, but DO plan on seeing other performances.
If you have questions, ask Mrs. DeGidio or one of the veteran "speechies."