ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL THEATER EDUCATOR SUMMER ROUNDTABLE
Perpich Center for Arts Education’s Elementary and Middle School Roundtable is back! We have also added a deep dive work session planned for those that would like to stay longer to start mapping out new learning for their classrooms or rehearsal rooms.
DATE AND TIME:
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
SCHEDULE:
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Collaborative sharing session with the full group
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Optional catered lunch from Panera
1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Optional afternoon deep dive work session, for those who would like to stay
LOCATION:
Perpich Center for Arts Education
GAIA Building, Large Glass Box – 2nd Floor
6125 Olson Memorial Highway
Golden Valley, MN 55422
COST: FREE
CLOCK HOURS: Certificates will be given for 3 Clock Hours (for the AM session only) or 6 Clock Hours (for the full day session)
TARGET AUDIENCE: Minnesota Elementary and Middle School Theater Educators and Directors
DETAILS:
We will spend the morning together to share your challenges, questions, strategies, ideas, and resources for teaching and directing elementary and middle school theater. The morning session will continue to build upon the structure, knowledge, and resources of our past roundtable gatherings, and you’re welcome to join whether you are returning or new to this circle!
You asked for more time in the afternoon, and you’ve got it! Want to go deeper? Stick around for the afternoon and begin lesson planning, connecting more deeply with your colleagues, and/or dive into learning about new technology or tools that you learned about in the morning. This session aims to allow that connective tissue time, to bridge new discoveries into practical realities.
This day is FOR you and will be largely shaped BY you! It is about sharing and connecting with one another, and building on the collective wisdom in the room. Drawing upon your takeaway thoughts from last winter about what is top of mind for you, we will focus on (some or all of) these topics at this gathering:
- Community building game/activity/exercise sharing
- Lesson or Unit Plan sharing
- Backwards planning for scope, sequence, and skill building
- Strategies for engaging reluctant learners and/or managing large class sizes
- Collaborating with music directors, tech directors, and other key partners
- How to start a program: building a team, creating a budget, selecting a show
- Whatever else feels needed right now!
In the registration form, please be sure to indicate what you might be willing to share (from the list above). I’ll follow up asking for more details as we get closer, and then I’ll work to structure the day and the conversations accordingly! If you are curious about activities and lesson plans that have been shared already, you can find a brief list here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xPTTfhgJ1KCq3Z5F04XH8YsJV1A88LeZIblhLA_0AnA/edit?usp=sharing
Lunch will be optional this year. If you would like to join us for lunch, please select your choice from the Panera catering menu below. (*Please note that the deadline for our lunch order is June 11th at 5:00 p.m. You are still welcome to join us for the day if you miss that date, but you will need to bring your own lunch.)
OTHER DETAILS:
This roundtable day is hosted by Dr. Stephanie Lein Walseth, Theater Education Specialist in Professional Development and Resource Programs at Perpich Center for Arts Education.
(More here: https://perpich.mn.gov/professional-development/state-arts-education-specialists/theater-education-specialist/)
This workshop is FREE for participants. Upon completion, certificates for 3 or 6 Clock Hours will be available.
Please contact Stephanie with any questions about the workshop: stephanie.walseth@pcae.k12.mn.us
