THE LHHS THEATER GUILD
HANDBOOK
Created in June 2006
Brian Johnson, Director
LHHS THEATER GUILD HANDBOOK
“The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts but it is also the return of art to life.”
- Oscar Wilde
THE LA HABRA HIGH SCHOOL THEATER GUILD
The La Habra High School Theater Guild is a student-run theater organization that exists to support La Habra
High School Theater and to provide the students with both a social and artistic outlet. This Theater Guild was
established in the summer of 2006 in order to combine both the Drama Club/the International Thespian Society
as well as the many other theater teams that are present at La Habra High School.
Theater Guild Standards
All members of La Habra High School Theatre Guild are required to maintain the academic and disciplinary
standards as outlined in the La Habra High School Student Handbook. Failure to maintain the outlined
standards, regardless of whether or not those standards are directly applied to theatre, may result in expulsion
from the Theater Guild and/or any current or future shows.
Priorities
It is the expectation of the Theater Guild that each student involved with any particular production will keep in
mind AT ALL TIMES, that they are primarily a student of La Habra High School, first, and then a member of the
Theater Guild. As such, it is the belief of the Theatre staff that the priorities of each student should be as follows,
and in this order:
1. School – Academic Progress and Success
2. Production – Any work connected with the Theater Guild
THEATER COURSES
The theater courses at La Habra High School are not designed to be an easy “A.” They are courses which
require work, effort, and a great amount of participation. Anyone can take the courses below, but a student
should read the course descriptions below and the information printed on the website (www.LHHSGuild.com) in
order to decide whether he or she wishes to commit to the requirements.
Beginning Theater
The Beginning Theater class at La Habra High School provides an introduction to theater arts with an emphasis
in the skills of acting and the basic fundamentals of directing. The major class units are: public speaking, history
of theater, voice and body, pantomime, puppetry, improvisation, modern media (radio, TV, and film), acting,
and directing. Each year, the beginning theater class will put on a production in late May. Each beginning
drama student will be required to see all mainstage La Habra High School Theater Guild productions and one
outside show a year. This course is a participation-based course and attendance is a necessity. See the Theater
Guild website (www.LHHSGuild.com) and the “Beginning Theater” link for a class syllabus, calendar, and more
information.
Advanced Theater
The Advanced Theater class at La Habra High School provides practical experience in the creation,
development and production of theater. It is expected in this course that the history of theater and its major
theories have been previously mastered. The major class units are: children’s theater unit, voice and body,
script-writing, one-acts, improvisation, Shakespeare, the Method, musical theater, production, acting, and
directing. Each year, the advanced theater class will produce two shows: one in early February, as part of the
mainstage season, and one for one night in late May. Each advanced drama student will be required to
participate in all mainstage La Habra High School Theater Guild productions. Each student will also be required
to see two outside high school productions and one professional theater production each year. This course is a
participation-based course and attendance is a major component of the student’s grade. See the Theater
Guild website (www.LHHSGuild.com) and the “Advanced Theater” link for a class syllabus, calendar, and more
information.
Advanced Theater- Honors
The Honors Advanced Theater class at La Habra High School is a new course that was instituted in the fall of
2006. This course provides the course description above as well as requires a more rigorous schedule and
additional coursework. Each year, the honors student will create two research projects (one must be a research
paper and the other will be proposed by the student in class). Each honors student will be required to lead a
team for one of the mainstage La Habra High School Theater Guild productions. Each student will also be
required to see two outside high school productions and two professional theater productions each year and
write an extensive review on each production. The student will also be creating a portfolio of work that will
demonstrate his or her work throughout the year. This course is a participation-based course and attendance is
a major component of the student’s grade. See the Theater Guild website (www.LHHSGuild.com) and the
“Advanced Theater” link for a class syllabus, calendar, and more information.
THEATER GUILD PRODUCTIONS
Auditions
Auditions for La Habra High School Theater Guild productions are open to any La Habra High School student
who meets both the academic and disciplinary standards of La Habra High School. At its own discretion, with
the permission of the school administration, the staff of the La Habra High School Theater Guild may audition
guest artists for special roles in a production apart from the normal audition schedule. All Auditions are CLOSED.
No one other than Theater Staff and the persons to audition are permitted in the room. Persons who are
“called-back” and/or “CAST” will be placed on call sheet on the Theater Guild Bulletin Board, located in Mr.
Johnson’s room. Persons listed on such a sheet will always be required to initial by their name to indicate that
they wish to accept the role or the further opportunity to pursue the role. Failure to initial a name may result in
the re-casting of the part given and/or a missed opportunity to pursue a given role. The La Habra High School
shows are never pre-cast and each student, regardless of age, experience, or academic schedule, will be
afforded equal opportunity to try-out for parts.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals for any production are weeknights from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. (a schedule will be
posted on the Theater Guild Bulletin Board and will be passed out at the first rehearsal). Breaks will be taken at
the discretion of the Theatre staff. Saturday rehearsals, used often for musicals and seldom for non-musicals, run
from 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m., with a 1hour lunch break. Meals are the responsibility of the student; not the Theatre
staff and not the parents of any other student. As such, students should bring with them to rehearsals any and
all nourishment they require during the rehearsal period. HOWEVER, all food must remain in the lobby and will
not be allowed into the House AT ANY TIME. There will be several tables set up in the Lobby of the theater for
students to work on their homework. Students should take advantage of opportunities to keep up with their
academics.
Production Week Rehearsals
Rehearsals during Production Week are runs of the show and/or dress rehearsals. Rehearsals during production
week can sometimes start right after school and go until 10:30 p.m. No student may miss any part of any of
these rehearsals or may face removal from the show. On some of the late night rehearsals students will be
provided dinner for a small fee.
Special Rehearsals
The rehearsal times and days stated above are generally adhered to; however, there are a few times during
the year when a special rehearsal may be in order. One of those times is during the second week of Christmas
Break when the cast and crew of the Winter Production meet and rehearse over the course of several days.
Rehearsals during that week are usually two full days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There may also be some
added rehearsals before the CAPPIES and MACYs award shows which happen on two consecutive Sundays
(The Theater Guild staff wishes to make it a point never to have events or rehearsals on Sunday, but these two
events cannot be helped). The rehearsals for these events are usually in the late morning or early afternoon
and the (4 to 5 hour) events take place in the late afternoon or early evening. There are rare occasions where
before a Performance during the day or in the morning, a student may be asked to arrive before school starts.
None of these rehearsals are mandatory, they are simply a condition of a student being able to participate in
these events. All of the “Special Rehearsals” will be on the calendar and will be known far in advance.
Rehearsal Standards
Students must wear appropriate attire for rehearsals. Students must have clothes and shoes (no open-toed
shoes or sandals should be worn at rehearsal ever) that allow them to move onstage and will keep them warm
in the cold theater. Students MUST turn off all cell phones, beepers, and pagers during rehearsals, techs,
dresses, performances, and strikes. ANY PARENT WHO MUST GET IN TOUCH WITH THEIR SON OR DAUGHTER MAY
DO SO BY CALLING MR. JOHNSON’S CELL PHONE. PLEASE NOTE: This number is to be called ONLY IN THE CASE
OF ANY EMERGENCY! Students are not to be talking on or using their cell phones during the rehearsal timeperiod. All students are required to be present at and prepared for the START of any assigned rehearsals. Tardy
students should check-in with the Stage Manager and then join the rehearsal in progress. Students who have
not arrived on-time may be called at home and/or maybe asked to leave the production. Not every student
will be required to attend every rehearsal. Students will receive a schedule at the first rehearsal and should plan
their schedule accordingly. A posted schedule will be available at the audition for students to list conflicts. Any
conflicts not listed on the audition form will not be recognized. All rehearsals, except the Dress Rehearsals, are
open to ONLY to parents of students involved. Otherwise, the rehearsals are CLOSED. All students who do not
drive should be picked up in the main parking lot of the school and should wait for their rides right outside the
Lecture Hall. Parents should NOT arrive late as students will be left unattended after the rehearsal period has
concluded.
Call Times & Signing-In
All students will have set call times during Rehearsals and Production Week. Call times are located on the
Rehearsal Schedule. Call times will often be different for the various types of Theater Guild members: actors,
crew, musicians, and staff. Upon arriving to the Lecture Hall during Production Week, all students need to sign-in
on the Call Sheet before continuing to their proper work area: dressing rooms, back stage or booth.
Costumes
All students are personally responsible for the proper care of their individual costumes. Each student is required
to hang up their own costume every night after rehearsals and performances. It is also their responsibility to
ensure that all costume pieces are together. Damages to costumes, due to carelessness or irresponsibility, will
be charged to the individual student.
Make-Up
All students are required to wear make-up during dresses, previews or shows. Any medical problem that would
dictate otherwise should be directed, in writing by the performer's parents, prior to production week. Students
will be required to purchase their own make-up. Any specialty make-up will be provided (beards, moustaches,
cuts, abrasions, colors).
Dressing Rooms and Personal Valuables
The La Habra High School Choir Room and Band Room serve as the Theatre Guild dressing room. Given the
expensive instruments and equipment in these areas, they are to be treated with absolute respect is at all
times. Items not owned by an individual should never to be touched. When the students are dismissed, the
Choir and Band rooms are to be cleaner than the condition they were found in. NOTE: THE ROOMS USED FOR
DRESSING AND REHEARSING ARE OFTEN LEFT UNATTENDED AND PERSONAL VALUABLES SHOULD NOT BE LEFT IN
THESE ROOMS. THE LA HABRA HIGH SCHOOL THEATER GUILD DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
LOSS OF ANY ITEMS BY ANY STUDENTS. (Numerous items have been lost or stolen in previous years: skateboards,
backpacks, books, cash, purses, family heirlooms) PERSONS NOT LISTED ON THE CAST LIST WILL NOT BE ALLOWED
INTO THE DRESSING ROOMS AT ANYTIME FOR ANY REASON, UNLESS OTHERWISE DICTATED BY THE DIRECTOR.
Dress, Preview and Performance Standards
The staff of La Habra High School Theater Guild expects every member of the company to behave in a totally
professional manner at all times:
-All lines are to be memorized by the rehearsal after the lines have been blocked.
- No student is ever to touch a prop or costume unless they have been designated to so by a member
of the Theater staff or their representative.
- No "playing" with the show is EVER permitted. Performance should be identical, one from the other. No
Closing Night gags will ever be allowed. Any students who choose to alter the show IN ANY WAY will be
suspended from school.
- No student, in character or in costume, should ever be in place that can be visible by an audience
member. This rule applies to after the show when students want to greet their guests. All students must
be completely out of character, and out of costume, before they can greet their guests.
- No student is permitted to exit rehearsals, techs, dresses, previews, performances or strike without the
permission of the Director of the show.
Dismissals, Clean-Up & Strike
The La Habra High School Theatre Guild is always concerned about the condition of our work area after it is
exited for the night or as it is "closed down" after a production. Students are always to dispose of their own trash
before exiting the Lecture Hall and dressing room areas. After each tech, dress, preview, and performance, the
Stage Manger directs “Clean-Up.” All work areas are to be left in BETTER condition than the way they were
entered and the students are responsible for cleaning their own work areas. No student will ever be dismissed
from any theatre work session until the “Clean-Up” is complete and the Director has taken roll. All members of
La Habra High School Theatre Guild for a particular production are required to participate in strike. Parents are
encouraged to come to the Strike Night as the Cast Party will not commence until everything has been
completed.
MACYs
For over 30 years, the MACYs have been recognizing the accomplishments and hard work of the talented
performing arts high school students in southern California. John and Lee Childress founded this organization in
1971, and since then they have given thousands of awards and hundreds of scholarships to theater arts
students in the local area. Participation in the MACY program is by invitation only. We are one of the 30 lucky
schools who have the opportunity to be visited by the MACY judges. At the end of the year there is a large
award ceremony, much like the Tony’s, where awards are given out and the talent from the year is presented.
CAPPIES
The CAPPIES is an international writing program. It is in its third year here in Orange County and there are over
30 schools that participate in our chapter of the CAPPIES. A student can visit the CAPPIES website or the Theater
Guild website to learn more about the program (www.CAPPIES.com, www.LHHSGuild.com). A CAPPIES team is
made up of 9 members, 6 team members and 3 regional team members, and they sign-up to review a certain
amount of shows. If our team completes the requirements laid out by the CAPPIES organization, then our school
is eligible to have one play and one musical also reviewed by CAPPIES. At the end of the year there is a large
GALA where numerous awards are given out to deserving school, critics, and teams.
Team Requirements
Each member of the La Habra High School CAPPIES team is required to see at least 8 shows. A team member
must also attend all CAPPIES meetings and training times. Each member must do what it takes to improve his or
her writing and to get published. A team member must also be respectful of other schools and choose to wait
to discuss his or her opinions of the show until he or she is back to La Habra. Each member will also be required
to come back to class and to the Guild Meetings to give a report on the show seen.
EMERGENCIES
In the case of home emergencies, the best way to reach a student is via Mr. Johnson's cell phone. Parents must
check their student out before they can take them home.
THE DRAMA CLUB/THE INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN SOCIETY
Since its founding in 1929, the International Thespian Society has worked to promote and strengthen education.
At La Habra High School, our Drama Club has been a part of this prestigious society for over 20 years. Through
this society a student can earn cords and medallions, which can be worn at graduation, and also can earn
numerous other awards and scholarships.
Meetings
Meetings will be held every other Wednesday at lunch in Mr. Johnson’s room. This will be the only time when a
student can turn in his or her points and can learn about upcoming Theater Guild events. This will also be the
ONLY time that a student can pick up information about the auditions for upcoming shows. There will be a signup sheet where students can sign-up for an audition time-slot.
The Points
Points are earned through involvement in all aspects of theatre and will be collected at designated meetings
by the Historian or Senior Representative. Points are accumulated by a production to production basis and are
given solely for the participation of students in ON-CAMPUS events. (Students are encouraged to participate in
theater off-campus but this participation will not be awarded with points by the La Habra High School Chapter
of the International Thespian Society. To learn more about the points and the system that has been created to
earn them, visit the Theater Guild website (www.LHHSGuild.com) or the International Thespian Society website
(www.EDTA.org).
The Banquet
At the end of every school-year (late May) the Drama Club puts on an awards show and banquet. There will
be many awards given out and new students will be inducted into the International Thespian Society.
Awards, Medallions, Cords, Lifetime Passes, Special Awards and Scholarships
Awards will be given out at the awards ceremony based on the International Thespian Society point system.
Once you gain enough points for membership to the society, you are a member for life. Medallions are given
out to graduating seniors, at the discretion of the Theater Guild officers based on contribution to the Theater
Guild, to be worn at graduation. Cords are given out to graduating seniors who have demonstrated
exceptional work and service to the Theater Guild, at the discretion of the Theater Guild staff. Each year, a
small amount of Lifetime Pass cards will be given out to graduating seniors who have contributed something
special to the La Habra High School Theater Guild. These passes will allow these select alumni of the program to
come to see productions at La Habra High School for free. The Theater Guild staff at La Habra High School has
created 5 specialty awards: “Spirit of the Theatre Award,” “The Matt Terry Award,” “The Renaissance Award,”
“The Z-Actor Award,” and “The Student of the Year.” Starting in the fall of 2006, all monies received from the
refreshment sales at the major productions will go to the Theater Guild Scholarship Fund. These scholarships will
be handed out at the award ceremony to deserving students.
THE INTERNET
www.LHHSGuild.com
All of the information in this handbook as well as many other helpful details will be posted on the La Habra High
School Theater Guild Website. All calendars, contact numbers, show dates, and classroom information will be
posted on this site. Each student will be responsible for checking this website regularly to be apprised of all news
and events.
OFF-CAMPUS ACTIVITIES
There will be many opportunities for students to involve themselves in activities that do not take place on the La
Habra High School campus. (CAPPIES shows, Award Shows, TV Tapings, Plays, Musicals, Workshops, Festivals,
Seminars, Social Nights, Fundraisers, Tours, etc.) Students are always responsible for finding their own rides to
and from these events and students should never assume that another student, another student’s parent, or Mr.
Johnson will take that student home. Students must also be aware then when they are away from La Habra
High School they are still representing the school and they should act accordingly. Any action by a student that
would be embarrassing to La Habra High School or the La Habra High School Theater Guild will result in that
student being removed from the Theater Guild.