The Importance of Educational Theatre

Since the 1980s, the United States has made STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) the most important subjects to be taught in public high schools. While these are undoubtedly important areas of knowledge, they have consistently received the highest funding in comparison to the fine and performing arts. At West Potomac High School alone, there are nineteen Mathematics teachers, but only two theatre teachers.

However, it’s been consistently shown that students who regularly participate in the arts have higher test scores, are more self-confident, and have higher levels of critical thinking. In fact, according to the 2005 SAT scores, students who participated in theatre associated activities scored an average of 65.5 points higher in the English section and 35.5 points higher on Math. Still, high school theatre programs can barely scrape together enough funding to put on a play and a musical a year. This gives students very few opportunities to participate in the arts each year, especially if they also participate in after school sports and clubs.

It’s not just about the actors, either. Prop designing, costumes, set construction, marketing campaigns, lighting, sound, and stage management are also vital to the success of any high school production, and they also have several real-world applications. The costuming team learns about period accuracy, as well as basic sewing, makeup, and hairstyling techniques. Set teams work with various power tools and learning how to construct weight-bearing structures. Marketing teams learn real strategies to market shows, which can easily be applied to companies, products, or people. Lighting and sound technicians learn how to operate boards and work with technology. Stage managers learn how to work with people and organize large groups. All of these different tasks are done by students, with some of them dedicating up to 27 hours a week to make it happen.

These shows are also the community’s gateway to the arts. In the 2017-2018 season, 13,792,614 people saw a Broadway show, the highest number in recorded history. It seems like a lot, right? In comparison, 46.3 million people saw a high school show in the past year. While Broadway is becoming more and more accessible each year, with the rise of standing-room and low-priced raffle tickets, it’s still guarded by its limited location and high price tag. Meanwhile, every community has a high school show within a short drive, for prices from anywhere between 8 and 12 dollars per person.

These shows are not only for the students performing and their parents, but for everyone. They are able to convey messages of love, hope, and persistence; while still including entertaining characters and flashy musical numbers. More importantly, though, these shows are gateways for young children to experience theatre and fall in love with the arts the same way the students performing did. And, with the abundance of local middle and high school productions going on in the area, there’s no reason not to expose them to this wonderful art form.

If you are interested in going to any of these shows and supporting the beautiful and vital institutions of the arts in our schools, a list of nearby show dates is included for your perusal. There will be a route one Cabaret including Walt Whitman, Carl Sandburg, Mount Vernon, and West Potomac at West Potomac High School on Saturday, March 21 at 7 pm. We encourage you to attend and show your support for the hardworking students of our County who will be coming together to put on this performance.

February
6 - Monty Python’s Edukational Show 7pm – West Potomac High School
7 - Monty Python’s Edukational Show 7pm – West Potomac High School
8 - Monty Python’s Edukational Show 2pm & 7pm – West Potomac High School

March
21 - Route 1 Cabaret featuring students from Whitman, Sandburg, Mt Vernon & West Potomac 7pm – West Potomac High School
26 - Student One Acts 7pm - Walt Whitman
27 - Student One Acts 7pm - Walt Whitman

April
22 - Into the Woods 5pm – Carl Sandburg
23 - Into the Woods 7pm – Carl Sandburg
24 - Into the Woods 7pm – Carl Sandburg
25 - Into the Woods 1pm & 7pm – Carl Sandburg
30 - Little Shop of Horrors 7pm – Mt. Vernon High School
30 - We Will Rock You 7pm – West Potomac High School

May
1 - Little Shop of Horrors 7pm – Mt. Vernon High School
1 - We Will Rock You 7pm – West Potomac High School
1- Whitman's Got Talent 7pm - Walt Whitman
2 - We Will Rock You 2pm & 7pm – West Potomac High School
2 - Little Shop of Horrors 2pm & 7pm – Mt. Vernon High School
7 - We Will Rock You 7pm – West Potomac High School
8 - We Will Rock You 7pm – West Potomac High School
9 - We Will Rock You 2pm & 7pm – West Potomac High School

June
17 - As You Like It 7pm – Mt. Vernon High School
18 - As You Like It 7pm – Mt. Vernon High School
19 - As You Like It 7pm – Mt. Vernon High School

July
23 - The Awesome 80s Prom 7pm – West Potomac High School
24 - The Awesome 80s Prom 7pm – West Potomac High School
25 - The Awesome 80s Prom 2pm & 7pm – West Potomac High School