“To be or not to be: that is the question,” “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.” William Shakespeare is one of the most, if not the most renowned playwrights in the world. He wrote “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and so much more.
Many students will read Shakespeare’s work in class, but some kids actually get to perform them through their school’s theater program.
According to the Educational Theater Association, there are nearly 26,000 theater programs in K-12 schools in the United States. School Administrators agree that theater can improve their student’s creativity levels and believe it can improve their grades in school.
The article “Why Children’s Theater Matters,” published on The Rose Theater website said, “Children who attend live theater have shown greater tolerance of different people and ideas, as well as increased empathy for others. They show a better understanding of reading materials. They view social studies concepts in a new light as history comes alive in front of their eyes.”
Even though there are plenty of positives in theater, there are just as many negatives involved. These can range from the cost of participating to stress about many aspects of shows like the behavior of actors, maintaining directors, upcoming shows, and so much more.
One feature of theater that can impact the whole production negatively is finding and keeping a director the actors want to be around. If the director is rude, it can sway students to not sign up, meaning there is no show. If a director were to pick favorite actors, it could also impact other students’ behavior or motivation toward the activity.
Another characteristic that can sway people away from joining is money. The average expense for arts is $208 per year, including the school fee and other expenses, according to the website Michigan Medicine. They also stated among families making $60,000 or less per year that 27% said their children were less involved in school activities due to the cost of joining. Thankfully, some schools like Cannon Falls offer finacial help for students and families that are struggling. Actors can also be deterred from signing up due to other actors’ behavior and treatment towards new kids. Older and more experienced actors will be seen as role models by newer students. If they tend to act rudely or brag about their role to others, it can make others feel bad about how inexperienced they are and can cause them to leave, which becomes a problem for the theater down the road.
And while all of these are issues inside of theater programs, there are still many things that students look forward to in theater. According to Countryside YMCA, students say they have built confidence through theater and performing arts. Along with that, they also said they had opportunities to make new friends and bond with others. For people who are nervous about meeting others, it can be easier for them to meet new people in theater. Cannon Falls Middle School student Willow O’Gorman tends to struggle with social anxiety in front of crowds. She says “It’s a lot easier to meet people in theater, plus you know that they’ll have at least one similar interest to you.“
Theater can also be nice for students who want to be involved in school, but for those who don’t enjoy acting, there are opportunities for backstage crew. They help actors dress, move props around backstage, and control the lighting and sound cues while actors are on stage.
This is all to say that although theater looks joyous and thrilling to outsiders, it’s just like any other school activity. It comes with its ups and downs, bullies, mentors, and rewards. Theater is an amazing way to become involved in your school and represent it, build relationships with people in your grade and others, and have fun.
*This article was published in the Torch, the middle school section of the Lantern.
