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Top 5 Benefits of Joining a Theater Program in High School

Top 5 Benefits of Joining a Theater Program in High School
Megan Nash

Read Time: 4 mins.

High school is when kids start to carve out their paths in life. This is usually the first opportunity students have to select the classes they want to take, investigate new topics, and decide what they might want to study in college or as a profession. Teenagers with a particular passion can profit from a more specialized education, while the average high school student may find this an overall learning experience.

Below are five benefits students can enjoy when joining a performing arts program.

It Can Prepare You for a Career in the Arts

A performing arts program will benefit students who see the arts as a career option rather than just a hobby. Students can get a taste of what it's like to work in the arts through this program. Many companies believe that schools have not adequately educated kids for the workforce. Work-based learning is useful in this situation.

In a theater program, students can enhance their knowledge and skill set by taking specialized courses. Additionally, these courses support networking, partnerships in the future, and experimentation that will help students in their artistic careers.

Thanks to collaborations between the school and different organizations, you will be introduced to arts groups through a performing arts program. Through work-based learning, workshops, and artistic residencies, the partnerships enable students to establish connections with organizations and get firsthand knowledge of working in the arts.

With the help of Saint Joseph High School, our sister school nearby, the Bosco theater program offers a wide range of performance options. These include four major performances every year: two musicals and two plays, each taking place in the SJB Theater and at SJHS.

It Can Teach You How to Work in a Group

Very few theatrical productions depend only on one person. Teamwork is required to put on a show, from the writing and editing stage to designing sets and costumes, and finally, the final performance. Teenagers learn the significance of teamwork and how to function as a part of a team in a performing arts program.

Students in the drama program collaborate to meet rehearsal deadlines, master difficult situations, and create a piece of art in a short amount of time. That is, they collaborate to achieve significant objectives.

They also learn to set more manageable objectives for their performance as individuals. For one show, a student might need to work on honing her dance moves, and for another, she would need to practice giving an impactful monologue.

Although disappointing auditions are inevitable, they encourage pupils to improve their abilities and learn more effective goal-setting strategies.

It Can Help Boost Your Self-confidence

Many teenagers suffer from a lack of self-confidence during these crucial developmental years. The performing arts can help with this issue. Engaging in the arts enables teenagers to build their self-esteem and confidence by acquiring poise and overcoming anxiety.

Students can learn about and develop their self-esteem in a secure and encouraging atmosphere by participating in a performing arts program.

No matter your age, giving a presentation can be nerve-wracking. But it's an important skill to learn for teenagers as they start to consider college and a job. Through hands-on activities and programs that emphasize practices, the performing arts assist students in developing their presentational confidence.

Students will learn how to deliver compelling oral presentations from professionals and their peers through their tone, articulation, tempo, and body language. This ability might give them more confidence when they must speak in front of their peers, in class, or even in interviews.

It Can Teach the Value of Criticisms and Understanding Your Feelings

While vital at every stage of life, the ability to give, receive, and utilize feedback can be challenging to develop. Feedback can frequently come off as criticism to teenagers and receiving and using it can be difficult.

When feedback and criticism are taught as part of the curriculum in an arts program, students naturally learn how to offer and receive it and apply it to their work.

Teens will learn directly throughout their time how receiving helpful criticism may enhance their projects and will value the opinions of their peers, teachers, and professionals.

Arts have a strong emotional component. Feelings are inextricably linked to the arts, whether it's channeling unfamiliar emotions to play a character, attempting to elicit a specific emotional response from viewers, or just creating a game that would make players smile.

Teenagers can learn to identify and distinguish their own emotions while also identifying those of others, whether they are on stage or behind the scenes.

It Can Develop Your Creativity

Creativity and the arts go hand in hand. Teenagers may need to make extra effort to find creative outlets at a typical high school. But in a performing arts program, creativity is integrated into almost every activity. Teenagers learn how to develop their artistic talents and make a living from them.

Through training in the performing arts, teens gain the opportunity to study a wide range of literature, from classics to freshly produced works by their peers.

In contrast to the typical English class, students in performance are required to work hard to grasp the material they are reading to participate in an engaging discussion with their peers. Drama can enhance reading skills and comprehension more than other activities.

St. John Bosco’s Theater Program offers students the option to explore the craft of theater through its numerous disciplines, including:

●     Acting/Performing

●     Directing

●     Technical Theater Design

●     Set Construction

●     Lighting

●     Costumes Design

●     Makeup

●     Publicity

Students can participate in the Coffee House, which combines improvised comedy and open-mic musical performances, in addition to the annual shows. Additionally, two Drama Teachers Association of Southern California competitions are open to theater students in the fall and spring.