Back in March, I wrote a post exploring my initial thoughts about the role of a school theatre program within the larger school community. A few weeks later, I created a brief survey that I sent to the membership of my high school drama club to gain insight on students' perspectives of the program and its function. About 20% of the students who received the survey provided a response. The results were generally what I expected:
students participated in their school theatre program as a creative outlet and because it was a place where they felt comfortable to be themselves
Those within the drama club frequently refer to it as a "family". I've only been at the school for two years, but what I've seen supports the kind of inclusion you might assume when you read or hear that word.
On the flip side, families can be exclusive groups, too. The next logical step is to explore the perception of the program from those who are outside the family... or is it?
Who is school theatre for? The quick and obvious answer is it is for the students who are active members; however, the primary function of the club is to present stories that are seen by those who exist outside of the family. It is an interesting tight rope to maneuver. That dichotomy also makes school theatre an incredible training ground for collaboration, empathy, and leadership.
More on that in a future post. In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you balance the need for school theatre to serve its students members and the community audience? Is there a point where one may take precedence over the other?
No comments:
Post a Comment