Parent/Caregiver Information [for all MS shows]
Community Agreement:
In order to participate in Newsies and Playwrights in Progress, all involved students and their caregivers will need to review and sign a Community Agreement (these will be available at the info sessions), which will include sharing any and all known schedule conflicts.
Attendance Policy for All Members of the Cast and Crew:
Enrolling in our play productions means that rehearsal is part of the school day. If a student must miss a rehearsal to which they have been called, a parent or caregiver should contact us in advance of the rehearsal day that will be missed.
For the Cast: a parent or caregiver can contact Kirk German kgerman@friendscentral.org
For the Crew: a parent or caregiver can contact Jerry Kapral: gkapral@friendscentral.org
If we have not heard from a parent or guardian, and the students are not at rehearsal, it may affect their role in the production. Producing a play is a cumulative effort which runs on a very precise schedule. It is also a safety concern for the school if we do not know a student's whereabouts when they are called for rehearsal but are not in attendance.
Company members should not miss rehearsals for social engagements with friends; this is especially important for Friday rehearsals.
If a company member has signed out with our nurse during the school day due to illness, a guardian or family member over 18 must contact Mr. G.
*NEW* Rehearsal Device Policy:
Starting in Fall 2026, Rehearsals will be NO-DEVICE ZONES for students. The only exceptions are crew members using devices for rehearsal-specific purposes (e.g. playing sound files for Musical rehearsals) or students who have devices that are required for medical reasons (e.g. blood sugar information for diabetic students).
This includes NO DEVICES during breaks.
If a student has a time-sensitive homework assignment that they did not complete during Study Hall and that can only be completed digitally, they will be permitted to work on that assignment IF they have a window of time of more than 15 minutes when they are not needed on stage, and under the supervision of / in proximity to an FCS faculty or staff member.
Caregivers will be provided with an emergency-only contact number in the event that they need to contact their student for an emergency reason during rehearsal. For non-urgent communication during rehearsals (e.g. student's carpool /pick-up arrangement for the day has changed), parents will be able to send an email that is checked by a Stage Manager Assistant Director every half-hour.
During down-time, students are WELCOME to a bring non-digital item with them to rehearsal, such as: a book, a sketchpad, a deck of cards, a simple fidget, thinking putty, etc., as long as the item isn't messy or destructive, and as long as it used appropriate (e.g. to distract other members of the production while they are rehearsing).
Students and families should discuss honestly whether putting away a device for the duration of rehearsal sounds doable for them; if it doesn't, then they should evaluate whether participation in this production is the right choice for them at this time.
Thank you for your attention to these policies so that we can have the best production possible!
A copy of the COMMUNITY AGREEMENT can be found HERE:
