With a One Act Play Bi-District Championship under his belt and five Poetry and Prose readers advancing to the Regional Meet, long nights and early mornings spent hard at work have all paid off for theatre director Cory Broom, who was recently awarded Teacher of the Year.

Broom, a West Orange-Stark graduate, has a strong background in the production world and graduated from Texas State University with a BFA in Theatre. He recently earned his Master’s in Education from Lamar University. Broom has been at LCM for all five years of his teaching career and has already accomplished many things in such a short time.

“I love that I get to come to work every day and do something that I love,” Broom said. “I also enjoy working with some of the best students at LCM.”

According to Broom, he decided that he wanted to teach theatre during his sophomore year in college. He currently teaches Theatre Arts, Theatre 2, Technical Theatre, and Theatre Productions. Out of everything he does throughout the year, Broom said One Act Play is the most challenging. Even though it is more difficult, he said it is also very rewarding.

When One Act Play season rolls around, Broom said there is much to be done. Contest has very strict limits that include seven minutes for setting up, 40 minutes to perform, and seven minutes to strike. If the play  goes over one second, the crew can be disqualified on the spot.

“The process of selecting the right play, cutting it to fit the time limit and still make sense, casting, getting costumes, blocking, staging, ordering set pieces and props that don’t break the 100-page rule book and traveling with so much stuff becomes very taxing,” Broom said.

As One Act Play can be challenging and busy, it is so much more to Broom and his students because they all get to come together and create a lasting bond.

“I would have to say the UIL One Act Play is always the most memorable,” Broom said. “That group truly becomes a family as we spend many late nights together in rehearsal and travel all over the state.”

A typical day in the life of Teacher of the Year is very busy and chaotic. Between productions, building sets, coaching Prose and Poetry, running Thespians, dealing with the overwhelming amount of paperwork for costumes, contests and teaching, there is never a dull moment for Broom.

“It’s an honor to be chosen as Teacher of the Year by my peers,” Broom said. “As teachers, we never put in the extra hours for accolades or recognition, but it is nice to know that others are taking note of your work as a professional.”

Broom said there are many people who have contributed to his upbringing in the world of drama. One of the individuals who has influenced him the most is his high school theatre director, Patti Domingue.

“I learned much of what I know from her,” Broom said.

For those not familiar with the theatre world, it may be hard to understand the difficulty of all the students do – especially around this time of year.

“I’m not sure that they grasp how much time and energy goes into putting up any production, much less a good one, like what we put on stage here at LCM,” Broom said.

Broom’s Bear Stage Players have accomplished many feats this year, let alone the last five years, thanks to him. He has helped create many lasting memories in the lives of his students and those moments will be unforgettable.

“I love sharing my passion of theatre with students,” Broom said. “Many of our students at LCM are pursuing theatre in college and some are even wanting to become theatre teachers. That’s a very rewarding feeling for me.”