Graded offers amazing art programs across the board. However, I must commend the theatre department, especially as it has created amazing experiences for all of us who take part in it. However, as theatre practitioners, we are always looking for new recruits to become a part of the little theatre community offered here. There are lots of studies that show how participating in the performing arts can help develop emotional and social skills, especially in teenagers. I would suggest everyone take a risk and try to get involved in this amazing department at our school. Here are some of the many traits that I, along with my fellow thespians, have gained from this art form.

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work!

Theatre is highly dependent on  teamwork and collaboration. At Graded we rarely have solo performances, except for in IB Theatre or the Theatre Festivals. Yet, even in these performances, there is a whole crew of people working together to create the magic that happens on stage. I can tell you from personal experiences that this magic does not happen overnight, and definitely takes commitment and teamwork. But, if you choose to participate, you would see how this lesson in cooperation and communication skills could be helpful in any profession. For example, an actor must follow the director’s guidance and be good at taking criticism and advice, but said actor still has a duty to challenge advice if they disagree and input their own creativity. Furthermore, engaging in discussions and rehearsals is also important as an actor, because every person adds something important to the production in order to help the performance run smoothly.

Acting is My Therapy?

When it comes to being an actor, the whole point is to express the emotions of the character in a convincing way. By constantly having to analyze and study characteristics in a made-up person who has their own life story (which you must embody), you learn a lot. When you play a character, you are adding an essential aspect of life to the play, because otherwise, the character would not even exist in the production. Therefore, by understanding subtext, trying to physicalize to someone else’s culture, background, and lifestyle, you become much more tolerant and compassionate. You could even use this opportunity to have an emotional outlet and project your own feelings into a character. This can be extremely therapeutic as you release your energy, whether it be positive or negative, into a safe environment where you can freely express yourself. In my case, the play that the high school just performed in December was Baalzebub. I portrayed a character who was very stressed and felt helpless, like power was being taken away from her. There have been many days where I was feeling very stressed, and since my character yelled a lot, I was able to use my own frustrations from my school day and pour them into my performance.

Love = Art

Anyone who is involved in theatre can let you know that it brings large amounts of fun and laughter to it, so participating can thoroughly reduce piled-up stress and be a mentally relaxing environment. For example, when I was really nervous about the math test I was going to have the next day, rehearsal allowed me to forget about my worries and just enjoy myself! In addition, you can be creative by exercising your imagination through improv, design or simply in the way that you can embody a character. With these comes a great appreciation for arts and creative culture in general, because people have to put in their own thoughts and ideas to improve a production. Like most actors, by falling in love with the performance aspect of theatre, going to watch should be just as enjoyable. In theatre, you are exposed to so many different styles, theories, ideas that your perspective on the creative world in general completely broadens!

The most important aspect of theatre is really taking the risk to try something new. I think that most can agree on how much of a confidence-booster this art form can be. The best part,  however, is all the people who you are working with. The group spends so much quality time together to reach a common goal, and that is a strong bonding aspect of theatre. Spending time with them and really getting to know the small community we keep hidden inside the Black Box Theatre is a beneficial aspect of the theatre department here at Graded. I strongly encourage anyone who is even a little bit interested to come up and join us, and rest assured that we will welcome you with open arms. There are so many different course options whether you want to be onstage or offstage like, Acting and Improv and Theatre Productions. A new elective is even starting called “Theatre Sampler”, where students can explore all the different aspects of theatre. To get into the drama world, check this document for the course description for more information. Who knows? Maybe you will even gain one of these skills while you’re ther