The Theatre Guild supports the Theatre faculty and students of the highly respected and renowned Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas. When Guinea Bennett Price became the Theatre Conservatory Director at Booker T. in 2021, she envisioned an expansion of the Musical Theatre and Film programs and the creation of new Technical Theatre opportunities. An alum of Booker T., she also recognized the importance of remaining rooted in the traditions established by Paul Baker’s integrated arts program. Ms. Price called upon the Guild to support this evolution of the Theatre Conservatory. Here are just a few examples of how the Theatre Guild has answered the call to action over the years.
As the director of the 2023 fall main stage show Big Love, Ms. Price encouraged her student playwrights to make Charles Mee’s work their own in accord with the playwright’s intentions. Big Love centers in large part on a mass wedding of 100 brides & 100 grooms. After Ms. Price donated her own wedding dress, she looked to the Guild to creatively assist the faculty Costume Instructor Ms. Jones, the student costume designer and their crew by soliciting additional wedding dress donations that could be repurposed. Theatre Guild members and our community came through with dozens of dresses which allowed for stage full of beautifully costumed brides and racks of prop dresses. All of those Big Love brides, their grooms and fellow cast members rehearsed for weeks before the final tech week began in October 2023. For those familiar with the long days and nights required by tech rehearsals and after-school performances, you already know that our students are expected to stay at school long after the last bell rings. The Guild’s Feed the Kids program arranged seven nights of dinners for the 80+ members of the cast and crew of Big Love just like Feed the Kids will continue to do before every long day of tech rehearsal and all of the after-school performances of the current 2024-25 season.
In addition to Feed the Kids and producing shows, the Guild also plays a huge supporting role in the Senior Showcase by providing hundreds of volunteer hours and financial support in the form of hospitality for all of the invited college representatives, our Booker T. faculty and showcasing seniors. At the end of the school year, the Guild sponsors a dinner on behalf of the Theatre Conservatory to celebrate the seniors and their families. Since 2019, the Theater Guild has awarded $48,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors planning to study theatre and film after high school.
Our Needs
Your donations to the Theatre Guild will be used to fund a multitude of Booker T. Theatre Conservatory needs in the form of programs & activities and most importantly by bridging the gap that exists between the actual costs of creating the Booker T Theatre experience and the DISD allocated resources. 100% of your contribution goes to directly support the Theatre Conservatory programs, faculty and students.
Expanding student access by bringing in additional experienced instructors for courses in areas including Advanced Acting/Learning Lab, Physical Acting, Improv, Comedia, and Shakespeare
Providing meals through our Feed the Kids program which makes sure that everyone involved onstage and backstage has the chance to eat dinner before each of the dozens of late-night technical rehearsals and after-school performances
Helping students pursue local, regional and national opportunities including making sure that Theatre Conservatory teachers were able to accompany their students who were selected to participate in YoungArts Week to Miami, Florida in both 2023 and 2024.
Creating high quality playbills as well as providing concessions and merchandise for each show
Identifying, inviting and hosting college and conservatory representatives from around the country during the annual Senior Showcase and providing hospitality for these guests in addition to providing support to faculty and students as they prepare for and undertake this annual multi-day event
Planning social events and designing spirit wear & yard signs to increase engagement and support connection among students, faculty, families and theatre community members
Awarding scholarships to and providing post-high school preparation for graduating seniors
Establishing reliable communication through weekly enewsletter and social media channels Weekly E-News
Funding professional development opportunities for faculty to allow them to explore their passion in greater depth to better instruct their students