Friday, November 13, 2020
From Classroom to Stage, COVID-19 Has Profound Impact on Theatre Education According to EdTA Survey
www.broadwayworld.com: From canceled productions to funding cuts, school theatre programs are feeling profound effects from the COVID-19 pandemic according to a newly released survey of theatre teachers across the U.S. by the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA). The survey, "The Impact of COVID-19 on Theatre Education," confirms programs hit hardest by the pandemic face significant risks in the coming years.
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At my high school, the money we made during the shows went right back into our theater program. We didn’t have a lot of money, and the school had a very small budget allocated for us, so we were very dependent on ticket sales, concessions and any donations. I got an email from my old theater director (who was in charge of the whole program) a couple of months ago saying that the school was planning on downgrading the theater because with the pandemic it was difficult to bring in the funds and help needed. Reading this article, I see that a lot of other school theater education programs are likely in the same boat. I know that these programs are doing their best to adjust to online formats and still bring valid experiences to their students, but it’s a little disheartening to think about how this pandemic has left many without the resources needed to go back to “normal.”
It is very sad to hear that many theatre programs across the country are hurting because of COVID-19. Although I do believe these stories, where I currently live (Houston, TX) all of the middle schools and high schools around me have continued to do in person productions except my former high school, Obra D. Tompkins High School, opted to do a short film festival instead. They also plan to do a musical in the spring. I don’t necessarily agree with these decisions, but I do have a theory as to why Houston high schools have continued their fine arts programs. In Texas, high school football is the biggest sport for in person attendance and is extremely profitable for the school districts. If they were to cancel football, there would be many school districts that would have extremely outraged parents. I would even venture to guess there may be some rioting. But if they do not cancel football, it would not be ‘equitable’ for the rest of the school’s activities to be canceled which mean that theatres have to be allowed to have in person productions.
While this is a sad occurrence I don't think anyone is surprised by it. Majority of the time the arts programs are the first to go or are underfunded at the least. This was an occurrence even at my private high school. It isn't a subject that is prioritized at all even though it has such a huge impact on education. I also think that transitioning online for school is hard for all teachers regardless of discipline. But theater is itself is particularly difficult as it is such a hands-on community-oriented artform. The combination of these two things has a hugely detrimental impact on all aspects of theater education not only in high school. I hope that once reopening begins to happen safely theater education will be supported and promoted. It was such a big aspect of my high school experience and I hope it will continue to be for so many more people.
I remember the days of my youth when we sold everything from Easter candy to wrapping paper to raise money for our drama and music programs. Funding cuts are not new and sadly, the Arts are the first thing to get the axe when a district needs to trim the fat from their budget. Do they cut sports? Nope, it’s always the arts. Covid has not helped at all and has only made matters for art students worse. Parents are screaming to let their kids play sports but are silent when the drama kids ask to get back to work. Drama students form close knit bonds with each other. They all suffer together. Not allowing these kids to practice their art is only hurting them more. As a student who can’t build sets right now, I understand those feelings of loneliness or abandonment. Hopefully soon we can change things around and make it better for all of the drama kids, including at CMU.
Sometimes I think it's hard to look at professional theater and entertainment shutting down, and remember that the smaller and less funded programs in middle and high schools are being slammed by the pandemic too. This article is the first mention of educational theater programs and their struggles that I have come across in the last few months. I think many would agree that their theater experiences during middle and high school is what propelled them to study theater in college; whether that was community theater or in school. For me, it was my schools’ programs that fostered my love of theater. Without those opportunities, I would never have thought to study theater or pursue a career. That said, there is inherent privilege in this. The schools in predominantly white and wealthy districts (and private schools) are much more likely to be able to continue funding their theater programs. We need to continue helping to support the arts and theater: I know that accessibility to studying theater in college is a discussion many of us have been engaged in recently, and this is another reason we need to keep pushing for better accessibility.
Ouch, this all hurt to read. Yeah, sure, we all knew that stuff like this was going to happen. It unfortunately is not new that arts programs are never funded as much as sports. We know. This still really stings to just feel and see that programs are falling away. I honestly do not have an answer on how this could all be fixed, either, as the situation is completely out of anyone persons hand until this pandemic is under control (looking at you, federal government). “For teachers, the impact raises short-term concerns about student recruitment, morale, and motivation….” This here is also so important. I fear that with the industry shut down, and with schools not producing work, the industry may shrink for awhile after covid is more under control. I don’t think it will stay like that forever, but I think it will be hard to convince a lot of people to go back to work in the theatre immediately as it is very clearly a volatile career that can be shut down over night.
I remember the struggle my high school constantly went through to find funding for our shows and our programs. It was in my junior year that I discovered that our entire fine arts program was given $400 a year from the school board, most of that money being used in our orchestra program as they struggled the most achieving funds from somewhere else. My entire high school career I was either trying to find sponsors, selling chocolate bars, asking for door to door donations, and setting up fundraisers like car washes all for us to be able to put on a show. We never made a profit threw ticket sales either rather having all the money be put back into our future shows or paying back debt. Although I am feeling for the professional entertainment industry I am feeling more for the smaller programs through out the world and the educational programs. My high school program has always had tons of people go into the industry however now it seems like everyone is nervous to choose a career that may shut down anytime this virus may flare up again. The idea that a second lockdown may happen makes me happy that the government wants to get rid of this virus but I'm so nervous for the thousands of educational programs throughout the country.
This is definitely disheartening but I feel like to be expected. Unfortunately, the arts are never funded as much as well anything, or at least not funded realistically. I think our education is one million percent being cut in half if not taken away completely. For so many students, education is interactive and physical- a lot of your knowledge comes from observing and actually doing. That’s exactly how we learn when we’re on crew calls, we watch, we try, we do, we learn and then we know it. It’s a simple way to teach and honestly the best way. You never learn the same as when you actually experience it for yourself, and that goes for a lot of things as well. So I think especially the way I was taught, maily in college as well, was to be there and do it, so I definitely do not feel like we’re getting the same education.
Throughout the pandemic, I've heard a lot of people saying theatre will never die, and even if it struggles, it will still come back around. Sure, Broadway will eventually come back because there is money to be made on Broadway. But what about all of the middle school and high school theatre programs with little to no funding? Making a comeback will be difficult for most. When you think about where actors and designers come from, almost all of us were involved in school theatre or small, local theatre. There is a longterm effect which we could see if these school programs don't come back, which will ultimately effect big companies like Broadway. I know my high school program made very little profit, our goal was always to make back what we spent, and were constantly in debt. I hope there will be more support in the future for the arts, but every area of education is struggling right now. There seems to be no good answer.
The last effects of COVID on theatrical education has definitely been something I have been thinking about for some time, both in K-12 and in higher education. I would not be surprised if when we get back to a new normal if theater departments see a shrink in funding. I also fear that COVID may change the minds of students who may have wanted to pursue theater in any means. We have seen in the past how little money arts programs get, and now we are seeing how unstable and rocky theater careers are in times like these. I would be interested in seeing a follow up about this regarding students career goals in theater before and progressing through this pandemic. I think that while at a higher educational level, we might see changes being made, there is a real risk of a large amount of middle and high school theater programs shrinking or just slowly going away. I also see this happening to summer theater programs for K-12 that often times got kids interested in theater and provided them with something to do during the summer.
Having just left my high school theater program, this news hits me especially hard. I know just how devastating it was for the pandemic to hit in the spring for our program, and it resulted in tens of thousands of dollars lost in the rights and sets for shows that would never see their time on our stage. I know just how devastating it was for me when our program was brought to a halt because I lived for that work. I wanted to spend every second possible there, so be forced away from it killed me. The thought that those feelings persist even now affecting a whole new generation of students in the process, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, hurts me greatly. Especially as was highlighted in the article, the prospect of funding cuts and the threat of reduced space in theatre programs could also prove damning. These spaces - these souls - are not ingrained institutions like Broadway. A snap and a little time won't be enough for them to bounce back to full health. For many middle and high school programs across the country, these challenges may be enough to bankrupt them forever. Districts won't want to fund programs that can't work, and this pandemic ensures that they will continue to be unable to achieve their educational and artistic purposes for a long time to come.
This article was sobering and of course unfortunate to read, but I am not at all surprised by it. As always, arts programs are severely underfunded in schools, and theatre is most impacted because it cost so much to produce shows. Because these theatrical programs use ticket sales are independently funding themselves, of course they are going to ache until they are able to produce in-person theatre again. And, understandably, this pandemic also effects how theatre classes are taught in school. While most people are mourning the loss of high school football, theatre students are being ignored on top of the wound of already being underfunded as is. I would like to think that the new administration will offer better arts and school funding when they take office in the spring. Furthermore, I think Broadway and film producers should seek out ways to donate and support these future artists before we lose them for good.
This is crushing. Arts in the United States were already under attack, and this article is implying that many high school theatre programs will not make it through this pandemic. I did not realize that they were so dependent upon outside funding. My immediate thought is of how privileged we are at Carnegie Mellon to have a program that does not depend upon ticket sales. My second thought is that we are probably going to see a major dip in young people (and people in general, I suppose) entering the industry. If their high school theatre experiences are as frustrating and limited as they seem to be, it seems unlikely that they would choose live entertainment as a career. That said, film and television will continue to be a draw, as will music (although I imagine that careers in the music industry are probably pretty limited right now). I wonder if we’re eventually going to have a five-year gap in the ages of entertainment professionals.
I feel like all peripherally knew at the start of the pandemic that all parts of the theatrical community would be catastrophically effected by COVID-19. We all saw it at school. We knew our productions would be effected. We were ready to pivot for a few weeks or a month when it came to classes, but, now, it has been months and we have seen the effects of this on our resources and communities. Funding cuts are inevitable as all schools are trying to conserve money as they see fluctuations in attendance and need to send money into technology and stuff like that. Art is considered nonessential in under normal circumstances, unfortunately, so in moments like this, the arts are under more of a threat. Additionally, theatre, in particular, is challenging to teach in an online format. Districts will not want to fund the things that are not considered viable right now, which is a horrible loss for so many students and communities.
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