MANSFIELD PALACE YOUTH THEATRE
Guidance notes for Parents, Guardians and Youth Theatre Students
Arrival and collection
It is important that students arrive promptly for the start of the Youth Theatre Session. Students who arrive late affect the overall work for that particular session. It is an important professional discipline that all students should maintain from Junior level, which only lasts an hour and a half, to the Chapter 4 students, especially those considering a professional career.
It is equally important that students do not arrive too early. The door into the Rehearsal Room will be opened 5-10 minutes before each class.
Please ensure that your child is collected on time following a Youth Theatre session, either from the Rehearsal Room at Junior and Intermediate levels or outside the Theatre if consent has been given for Intermediate students upwards to leave the Rehearsal Room.
Commitment
Commitment to the Youth Theatre - consistency must be maintained to ensure rehearsals and workshops can run smoothly on a week to week basis. A lack of commitment can disrupt lesson planning and can impact upon the other members’ performances.
Payment
All payments should be made at the Palace Theatre Box Office on the first day of either each half term or full term. Payments can be made over the telephone by calling 01623 633133.
From April 2015 payments will be half termly payments or termly payments only.
Obtain your receipt from the Box Office; the receipt is in two parts – keep one part for your records and give one part to the tutor at registration to prove payment for the session.
The Box Office will be open for payments on the first session of a new half term/term. Please ensure payment is made ready for the first session of term/half term. Late payments/non-payment will be chased up. The Youth Theatre does need to cover its costs to carry on.
Clothing
Please ensure that appropriate clothing is worn for Youth Theatre sessions, i.e. clothing that is suitable for movement work and for sitting on the floor.
Ideal clothing: T-shirts, jogging bottoms, jazz shoes or trainers.
Completely inappropriate clothing: Tight jeans, skirts or heeled shoes.
Please do not wear anything that is not practical.
At Junior level all new students will be provided with a Mansfield Palace Youth Theatre T-shirt. It is recommended that this is worn to all the sessions as a uniform.
Different sizes are available for purchase should students wish to continue wearing the T-shirts in older classes.
Break times
Please note that students are not allowed to leave the building during any break times. This is due to the Safeguarding and Fire Regulations Policies employed by the Theatre.
Food & Drink
We would encourage students to bring only ‘healthy’ snacks and drinks for the short break times. Plastic-bottled water is recommended.
We are aware that some children have a peanut allergy which can have serious consequences. The Youth Theatre is therefore a ‘nut free’ zone.
No hot food or drinks are allowed in the Rehearsal Room.
Behaviour
It is expected that all students participate in all activities of the Youth Theatre class, and enjoy learning in a fun and informative environment. All students are encouraged to develop a self-respect, respect for fellow students and respect for the professional tutors. Therefore, the use of inappropriate language, intentional disruptive or dangerous behaviour or a lack of respect towards the work or students or staff will be addressed.
The Youth Theatre currently has the following policy in place:
1) If a student is behaving inappropriately or being disruptive, the tutor can ask that student to sit out of the activity and have a serious think about what they are doing. They may rejoin the class at an appropriate point if they are willing to conform and show respect to all involved. The tutor may speak to the student in private and issue a warning.
2) If a tutor feels that a student is still behaving inappropriately either within the same class or within the same term, a second warning may be issued.
3) In the event that a tutor feels the need to give a third warning to a student in a term, then the Education Manager will be informed, meet with the student and parents /guardians informed. If a student proves to be continually disruptive in class, they will be asked to leave the Youth Theatre.
It is hoped that none of the above actions will ever be taken against any member of the Youth Theatre.
Mobile Phones
Mobile Phones are completely banned from use in the Rehearsal Room during workshops and should be switched off. A student who persists in using it will have to place it in a zone clearly on display in the room where it will remain safe and in the clear view of the student / staff until the end of the class when it will be returned. Persistent offenders may face a warning as above.
Contact with Tutors
The staff members are clearly instructed not to take mobile or email details from any students. Students should also not share their social media addresses with any staff members personally. We do have an Education page on Facebook (Education at the Palace) which you can ‘like’ to keep up to date with Youth Theatre news or you can follow us on Twitter EducationAtThePalace.
As an organisation we have asked you to provide parent / guardian details and give the option to provide email and mobile contact for students from the Senior and Chapter 4 levels. All this information is kept correctly in a locked room and only used by staff when making contact for appropriate reasons.
Students and staff contact should be made via the appropriate official channels as outlined below and not via personal mobiles or email.
Making Contact / Reporting absence / Emergency
Education @ The Palace
Main contacts:
Christopher Neil
Education Manager
Tel: 01623 412921(office hours only)
Lisa Hopkinson
Youth Theatre Administrator (in the office on Thursdays 9am-2pm and Friday 9am-11.30am)
Tel: 01623 412927
Box Office – 01623 633133
Please use the above for general enquiries, if you have a query or to inform us about non-urgent matters.
EDUCATION MOBILE: 07930 405026
The above Education Mobile number is constantly checked by staff and switched on during classes. Therefore, please use this number to inform us of:
A student being ill or who is going to be absent from a class – please text or leave a message if telephone is not answered.
An Emergency – if you need to make urgent contact with your son or daughter during class time, then it will be answered by a member of the Palace staff.
Photography
Please do not take video or flash photography during Youth Theatre short presentations / performances on the stage at The Mansfield Palace Theatre or local venues. Not only can this be off-putting to the performers, but it can also contravene copyright law.
Christopher Neil
Education Manager