What is theatre to a student? Is it a grade? Is it a
passion? Is it a good way to get some numbers in your phone so you have
something to do over the weekend besides “doing homework?” All of the above are
usually somewhere in the mind of a school performer. However it seems more and
more now we see theatrical programs being phased out of schools as budget cuts
towards art programs get more severe. I personally have been doing theatre for
5 years now starring as Judas in the hit(overdone) musical Godspell, also the sinister and rather creepy Big Bad Wolf in Into the Woods, and now most recently
playing Otto in Spring Awakening.
During my high school acting streak I never played too many big parts, often
getting put into the chorus as roughly five different characters, looking back
on it though I wonder what benefits it could have for a student. Being out of
high school now and a couple of years into college it would probably be a bit
too creepy for me to go back and do shows in school so I’ll let statistics and fun
colorful graphs show you everything.
Before we go forward I am not claiming to be an expert I do
this for fun, I am not an advocate for theatre in schools but I am not against
it I’ll be getting statistics and studies wherever I can. If time permits I
will also be finding posters from old shows and videos as well.
Over the next few weeks I will be exploring what theatre
does for students involved in an age range from middle school through high
school, what sort of revenue the shows bring in on average over the course of a
year, and what hindrances it faces with either budgeting or controversy
surrounding shows.
I think this inquiry project will be interesting. There should be plenty of articles in education journals, as there is a lot of research in that field. I like the focus on middle and high schools.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely an interesting topic with multiple paths to explore. I never considered the effect of theater or drama on academic performance. I guess it would make sense that if any other extra-curricular activity has it's pro's and con's, then why not theater? I bet going to schools or possibly talking to parents about the scholastic performance of their child in regards to being a part of drama. Or maybe a poll could be taken for kids in drama vs. kids in other extra-curricular activities and those who are in no after school activities.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s a very interesting topic. I agree that you may have a hard time finding resources that match your exact topic. I wonder if you incorporated school budget and budgets cuts into your main question then you may find more material. Then again you may not want to open the can of worms about what is important in high school academics program.
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