A Stage for Our Voices: Performing Arts is Not 'Extra,' It's Essential

Opinion by Melanie Tan (Grade 11)

On November 14th, for the first time in forever, our school had a full high school play – 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview. It was chaotic, hilarious, and, for some, the most unexpected thing our school has done this year (besides the yonder pouch and elevator policy).

The play is about two desperate college interviewers who need to find their last student to accept that day, or else they will be fired. But every single student that came to the interview was the weirdest and wildest candidate imaginable, from a student who wants to turn into a vampire to someone who violently threatens the interviewer to accept him. Each character tries but fails to impress the interviewers, and the audience watches every disaster.

As a comedy play, reactions from the audience are crucial. How did they react? Students, teachers, and parents were mostly laughing and were engaged with the chaos that was happening on stage in the interviewers. After the play, lots of students wanted more opportunities to be involved in plays like this, or wanted to watch plays at school more often. Seeing students enjoy the experience proves that theater is something that our school community has been missing for years.

For years, theater was something our school never created an environment for; we had sports, we had clubs, we had events, but there was never a space dedicated for students in high school to perform.

It is not because no one wanted it, but because the theater was never treated as something important, necessary, or even possible. Performing arts were considered a bit extra rather than part of our school community.

This play proved something important: students want to act, direct, build sets, design costumes, run lights, or simply watch their friends on stage. This high school theater should not be a one-time thing; imagine a spring play, a winter musical, a comedy show every semester, or even a Shakespeare show with fake swords (English teachers would love this idea).

The possibilities are endless, all we need is to continue the students' interest, and open up more opportunities, while teachers can prompt theater programs more.

If you enjoyed the show, or if you want to see the school's theater program grow, please tell us:

What kind of play should we do in the future? Comedy again? Romance? Mystery?