At the beginning of the next school year, there will be a new core class you may notice on your schedule. According to Wilmington Friends School administrators, theatre will become a mandatory core class next year. This means students will now have to take 6 core classes, which are math, history, science, foreign language, English, and theatre. This decision was made because theatre comes with many benefits and skills. The administrators understood that this decision would make many students upset, but they believe the theatre will benefit all students greatly.
One of the main reasons that theatre is getting included in next year’s curriculum is college opportunities. Getting into the top colleges has become more difficult, and colleges are looking for more than just all A’s. They are paying less attention to things like your SAT and prioritising students who are involved in extracurricular activities like musicals, improv, the newspaper, and yearbook. Colleges also pay attention to your confidence and ability to show who you are. Theatre can help strengthen these skills.
Doing performances in front of others can be difficult, requiring confidence and focus, which are all skills that colleges pay attention to when looking for the best candidates. Wilmington Friends School’s administration and teachers believe adding activities like Theatre will really help students stand out during the college recruitment process.
English teacher Katy Kenney believes it will really benefit kids who are trying to get into selective schools. Kenney mentioned, “Theatre will make students appear more well-rounded and stand out more than others.” Wilmington Friends School hopes to see students benefiting and developing through the new theatre program, and hopes it will open opportunities for students even after they graduate.
Theatre builds important life skills that go beyond just college. Students have been experiencing more issues with public speaking every year. Only 25% of students between the ages of 16-24 feel confident speaking in front of an audience, while the other 75% feels very nervous and unconfident. Theatre classes encourage students to talk, act, and sing in front of larger groups of people, students outside of their comfort zone. Memorising lines helps improve memorisation skills and literary skills.
Also, one of the most important skills, other than public speaking and confidence, is the skill of improvising. When practising and performing, students will need to improvise because there will always be mistakes, and they cannot just stop. Teachers say improvising is a very important skill to have in life, and performing shows will force students to strengthen this skill.
Katy Kenney also mentions that, “I believe improvisation is one of the most important skills, because you need to improvise in everyday activities. I also believe it is important for students to improve on this skill, because many people start presenting and then freeze when an error occurs, throwing off the entire presentation.” Skills like these are as important or even more important than the ones you learn in the classroom. They are real-life skills that you will use daily.
As people are reading this, they are probably thinking negatively about this new core class. Many people are probably thinking about what they are going to do next year when this class starts. How are they going to memorise scripts or perform in front of large groups of people?
Maxwell Brown ‘29 has experienced thoughts like these. Brown ‘29 stated, “When I heard this news, I had very similar thoughts to the ones you just stated, but once you told me that having thoughts like these emphasises why a theatre program is needed, and thinking about what you just said really made my point of view on this new course positive and less negative.”
The teachers who will be teaching this course are aware that it is new, and they are prepared to work through these challenges with the students. Having thoughts like these emphasises why students need theatre, because of the fear of speaking in front of groups and having to put in the effort to memorize scripts. The goal of this new theatre class is not intended to be looked at negatively, but rather as an opportunity for improvement and growth. This class will be a pass/fail, so all that matters is that you put in effort during rehearsal and the final performance, and you will succeed in this class.
Wilmington Friends School’s administration continues to support their decision on the new core class, saying communication and public speaking are among the most important skills students can develop. The ability to stay calm under pressure and work as part of a team are qualities and skills that matter in nearly every career. Skills you would not be able to gain by attending classes where students just look at a board all day or stare at a textbook.
Supporters believe that theatre is the best option to encourage all of these skills in one class, and you will not be able to find an option better than this. If students just put in effort and work in this class, like they would in any other class. This will greatly benefit all students and will develop skills that will stay with you the rest of your life, starting with the class of 2027, and hopefully the new freshman class every year.
