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Who can be a part of the troop?
The Havre de Grace Young Actors Drama Troop is for children and teens, grades 5th - 8th. Actors do not need to be in the Harford County Public School system. They can be from outside the county, home schooled and/or in a private school.

What happens at troop meetings?
Actors are taught drama techniques as well as stage and production fundamentals. Meetings can consist of drama games to written instruction - or even rehearsal time as we "gear-up" for opening night of one of our productions. At each meeting, actors should have a folder for hand-outs and a spiral notebook to take notes. We try to maintain a fun and enjoyable environment without too many restrictions on creativity, while maintaining an atmosphere of personal and fellow troop member respect.

Who decides what plays the troop will perform?
The governing body, or 'board', under guidance from the directors, compiles a list of plays that fit into the budget and timeframes alloted to the Troop. The list is then presented to the Troop at a meeting and the field is narrowed to the top three plays. More information about each play is then provided to the entire Troop and one more vote is cast to determine the 'winner'.

How is the Troop 'set-up'?
The Troop meets at the Havre de Grace Activity Center located at 351 Lewis Lane (next to the HdG Middle School. Since the space is provided as a courtesy to the troop, the Center is our main sponsor. Our producer is Karaoke Koncerts. We are directed by Tom Banes, Brandi McCoy, Dianne Hessenauer, with assistance by Mary Jo Gallion.

The troop has it's own governing body which is elected democratically by the troop. The board consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. The 2008 board is as follows

President, Brooke Blackney;
Vice President, Ashley Fouty;
Treasurer, Elizabeth Miller;
Secretary, Sarah Leppert.

*NONE OF OUR STAFF (including play directors, students and coaches) OR BOARD MEMBERS ARE PAID. WE ALL CONTRIBUTE IN A VOLUNTEER CAPACITY*

All monies collected from registration are set-up in a fund monitored by the HdG Recreation Council. The funds are then used to pay for scripts and play incidentals, including sets and costumes as well as to pay for the stage and equipment used for all productions. It generally costs between $3000 - $3500 to put together a full production. So, as one can see, it is a costly but fun activity. We seek additional funding from companies and individuals in Harford County, as well as contract with companies to advertise as sponsors in our playbills for our productions.

We have also established a webstore at www.cafepress.com/dramatroop which sells clothing, mugs, calendars and other items related to our troop and the drama experience. Some ideas for designs even come from the actors themselves! Items are only marked up about a $1 to $2 from our cost to help save you money and make us a very modest profit.