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Give a hand out and you will help one person in that moment. Give a hand up and you will have an impact for years to come. Theater in schools is truly a hand up and should be embraced by all levels of education due to the enormous gifts it gives to students.

After twenty years of directing high school theater, I can vouch for all of the benefits my students gained from being involved in theater.

1) Theater boosts self-confidence. It doesn't matter if a student is helping behind the scenes or has the lead role, the theater allows students to come out of their shells to become confident in who they are. Many people think theater people are a little crazy or attention seekers, such as the theater student who wears a kilt to school. It isn't really a matter of craziness or attention. Instead students involved in theater develop such a strong sense of confidence so they really don't need the "approval" of the student body. They know that they can be themselves and they don't have to fit someone else's idea of who they are or who they should be.

2) Theater increases creativity. Productions require students to be creative with actions, vocalization, and physical presence. Students that help behind the scenes learn to make creative props and costumes. It teaches students to think on their feet and improvise. Not many other activities can provide this outlet.

3) Theater improves reading. Students become better readers by reading and memorizing lines. They also can be exposed to classic literature through productions. After completing a play that is a spoof on Hamlet, those students understand Hamlet better than they would in a stuffy classroom. Involvement in theater can help improve reading scores on standardized tests. It teaches students about symbolism, theme, as well as helping with reading comprehension.

4) Theater improves vocalization. Involvement in stage productions improves vocal expression, volume, rate, and emphasis. Students involved in theater become better oral readers and speakers. Theater students are able to project their voices in nearly all speaking situations and are usually more engaging to an audience.

5)Theater is important for students to learn performance etiquette. If students are not exposed to the theater, they never really learn how to conduct themselves when watching a performance of any kind. Theater helps the entire student body to enrich their appreciation of the arts. Some areas of theater etiquette will be applicable in many social situations as the students head into adulthood and professional careers. Without theater exposure students are being sent out into the world deficient in manners.

5) Theater develops friendships. Students that may have nothing in common with others in the school, decide to go out for the play and suddenly they have something to talk to other students about. They have a common experience and a bond. I have frequently seen students who appear to be unaccepted having a difficulty finding friends. They start by helping with stage crew or asking for a small part. Before long they want to audition for larger parts and they can be seen beaming with pride and friendship. This is probably the most rewarding part of play directing.

Theater is a fantastic experience for students to have. The benefits that it gives to the entire student body far out weighs any expense for the program. There simply are no negatives. Theater enriches the lives of students academically, socially, physically and emotionally. There is no greater program for students than theater.

Learn more about this author, MJ Suttor.
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