by Zach Dulli, The Scene
March is Theatre In Our Schools Month! A time of the year when theatre educators, students, and enthusiasts nationwide join forces to showcase and celebrate the incredible, life-changing magic of theatre education. Whether you’re feeling the thrill of opening night or sharing laughs during weekend set builds, you know theatre isn’t just another extracurricular—it’s the heartbeat of your school, inspiring empathy, discipline, teamwork, and courage. It’s your month to shine, so cue the lights and raise the curtain—let’s celebrate theatre in our schools!
Why Theatre is Essential in Every School
From epic Greek amphitheaters to today’s dazzling Broadway productions, storytelling has always been central to the human experience. As theatre educators, you’re not just teaching drama—you’re cultivating critical life skills. Your students don’t merely memorize lines; they master communication, navigate tight deadlines, and develop a level of responsibility and resourcefulness that sets them apart. Theatre education prepares students to handle real-world pressures, balancing demanding rehearsal schedules with academic commitments, from costume fittings to calculus quizzes.
But theatre’s most extraordinary gift might be the way it builds empathy. Each time your students step into another character’s shoes, they gain fresh perspectives, opening their hearts and minds to understand lives beyond their own. In an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, theatre education is more important than ever—equipping students with the empathy and insight needed to thrive.
Honoring Our Theatre Educators
Behind every curtain call and standing ovation is a theatre educator—part visionary, part miracle worker. You transform limited budgets and donated costumes into spectacular productions worthy of a Broadway marquee. You stay late painting sets, rehearse tirelessly to perfect comedic timing, and manage every teenage drama (on and off stage) with patience and humor. Your dedication sparks creativity in your students and excitement throughout your community. You are the unsung heroes of the arts—and this month, we celebrate you.
Ways to Celebrate Theatre In Our Schools Month
Looking for ideas to make this year’s Theatre In Our Schools Month unforgettable? Here are eight exciting, easy-to-implement activities designed to spark creativity, inspire students, and highlight the amazing work happening in your classroom. Whether you’re a seasoned theatre educator or just stepping into the spotlight, these suggestions will help you celebrate theatre education in engaging and memorable ways.
- Host a Quick-Draw Play Reading: No time for an epic musical? No problem. Choose a single scene—Shakespeare, a modern drama, or something with a dash of comedy. Have your students read it out loud and watch them level up their reading comprehension and on-the-spot creativity.
- Cross-Curriculum Collabs: Team up with other departments for a day. Reenact a revolutionary war debate in History or stage a courtroom drama based on a classic novel in English class. Not only will you expose more students to theatre, but you might also discover a few fellow educators just waiting for the right time to express their love for the stage!
- Design It, Build It, Live It: Theatre extends beyond the spotlight. Inspire students to draft costume concepts or build scaled set pieces, letting them flex their creative muscles in real time. Not only will they refine their resourcefulness, but they’ll also uncover the myriad offstage opportunities theatre has to offer.
- Bring in the Experts: Know any local actors, directors, or stage managers nearby? Invite them for a Q&A session. They’ve weathered costume mishaps, prop disasters, and frantic script rewrites—stories that can spark inspiration and provide invaluable insight for the next wave of theatre talent.
- Make It a Trip—Physical or Virtual: If your budget and timetable line up, bring your class to a local or regional theatre performance. If not, explore a top-notch streamed show. Afterwards, convene for a lively discussion on the production’s staging, costume design, and the playwright’s core messages.
- Attend a Neighboring School’s Spring Show: If the budget doesn’t stretch to a professional production, show your support by catching another school’s spring musical or play. Your students will pick up fresh perspectives, and in turn, that school might come to see your production—building a community of shared theatrical excitement.
- Dive into Theatre’s Origins: Devote a day to exploring how drama debuted in Ancient Greek amphitheaters, evolved through the Renaissance, and eventually blossomed into the show-stopping musicals we still belt out in the car. Let’s be honest: few history lessons rival the spectacle of a Greek chorus.
- Showcase Your Stars: End the month with a bit of show-and-tell—open mic style. Let students perform monologues, scenes, or songs. Invite parents, friends, and anyone else itching for good, old-fashioned entertainment, because no matter how big or small the stage, an audience always adds that crucial bit of theatrical electricity.
Curtain Call
As we celebrate, Theatre In Our Schools Month, take pride in knowing your work’s profound impact—not just on your students, but your entire community. Theatre education isn’t merely about putting on a great show; it’s about shaping compassionate, confident, resilient individuals ready to take on the world.
So, here’s to the educators who inspire, the students who dream big, and the magic you create together every day. The spotlight is yours—enjoy every moment.
Break a leg!
