Friday, July 08, 2016
Student Speaks Out Against $100 Fee To Perform In High School Plays
BWW EXCLUSIVE: Like many of her theatre-loving classmates, Olivia Bowley, who just completed her sophomore year at Bel Air High School in Harford County, Maryland, was looking forward to participating in school plays during her junior and senior years.
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3 comments:
In many high school theaters including my own school's in California, lacking of fund is really a disappointing problem. The school usually uses most of its budget on sports, academics and school building, leaving a small amount for drama department to barely put out three productions a year, with no chance of improving our theatre house, or buy new lights, costumes, or other supplies. However, this condition is still better, and even more reasonable, than to charge performers for their production. The Board might have some sufficient reason for this policy, but this is clearly not a fundraising activity or charity, for it's mandatory and has significantly influenced the school theatre. As the girl Olivia has listed in her letter in the article, high school is the most crucial period of the development of young actors. Their experience at school directly influenced their interest in theatre, their understanding to the theatrical world, and their future as potential actors. Already busy with other school work, and sometimes required to join sport teams, being a performer needs great passion and devotion from the student, and is a essential opening for their future study in colleges. However, this policy is now greatly diminishing the opportunity for students to step on an actor's track, and decrease their passion. It may not be such a grave problem to the Board or the school, but it should definitely arouse our attention.
High school theater should be accessible to anyone who wishes to participate. Money should not stop any student from auditioning. High school is where many people find their talents and passions, and to take that opportunity away due to financial concerns seems wrong. This situation would be much more understandable if the money raised was going back into the department to help produce greater shows, but it is not. The arts are underfunded enough as it is. Bowley mentioned in her letter that the county’s drama companies are completely self-sufficient. They have not been taking any money from the Board, and are doing fine on their own. Theater means so much to so many people, and can be a safe haven for otherwise ostracized high schoolers. It is disheartening to hear that such a space might inadvertently be taken away. It would be devastating to see the decline of what sounds like a blossoming theater community.
I find this absolutely insane. The arts are a place for raw passion and freedom, and to see it constricted to those who can afford it. So many young people use the theater as a tool for conquering personal challenges, forming lifelong bonds, and creative expression. I find it heartbreaking how many arts programs have to be cut due to a lack of funding. Theater can absolutely be an expensive thing, but it is such a formative place for young people considering a career in performance. Not to mention, many successful performers began in their high school. Many people describe the place that they first felt the magic of theater was in their school. The theater is a place for students to flourish and add so much color to their communities. In my school, I am fortunate enough to have good facilities and faculty, and it is always incredible to see the excitement that other students experience the performing arts. Even for students who don’t want to professionally pursue theater, it is incredible for them to have a space where they can grow in a new way and be exposed to a whole new world.
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