Now that the calendar has flipped over to August, it’s time to get serious about preparing for the upcoming school year. The kick-off of a new semester is an exciting time – filled with the latest supplies, a dynamic curriculum, and fresh-faced students. But as a theatremaker, one major item on your back-to-school to-do list should be talking to your school’s administration about how they can better support you, alongside campaigning to district leaders and the community.
Getting more space in your budget and more support from your school’s administration can be daunting tasks. After all, it can be challenging to convince your school or organization’s administration to support your program or allot more funding, especially in a world where arts funding is getting slashed left and right. However, there is a way to approach these discussions with a more data-driven and informed perspective to help you reach your goals. On The Stage presents several ways to develop more support from your school’s administration – allowing you to create the best possible curriculum and showcases for years to come.
When talking to your administration about getting more support for the arts, make sure you’re conveying just how important the arts are to your students and the school community. A few talking points to include are:
How can an administrator ignore this point? After all, when more students feel engaged in specific aspects of their curriculum, they will attend class more regularly. If your student body has better attendance, this will lead to stronger scores, more engagement in after-school activities, and higher graduation rates.
While many school-based activities rely solely upon skill and can often promote a sense of exclusivity, theatre welcomes students with all sorts of expertise to join in the fun—whether on stage or in the wings, mastering the all-important technical components. If fewer students feel alienated at school, the school’s health as a whole improves.
Whether through the material or the curriculum, theatre exposes students to different cultures and people/characters from various walks of life. This advances general empathy towards people who are different from us and, in turn, expands creativity.
Communicating the intrinsic value of theatre may come easily to you. Still, it will resonate less with your administration, many of whom are more focused on academic achievements and expanding their bottom line. That said, ensure you come to meetings with admin armed with the data to help you make your points. A few include:
In short, theatre education boosts academic performance, and one thing that matters a great deal to administrators is how well their students look on paper.
The Journal of Civil Society, Leroux and Bernadska, 2019, reports that audience-based participation in the arts and personal involvement in creating art are both linked to higher levels of civic engagement and social tolerance. Creating educated, well-rounded, exemplary students is a major goal for administrators – and theatre is a great tool to help them on their mission.
And for the cherry on top: students involved in theatre are more likely to graduate.
According to The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies, 2012, students with high levels of arts involvement are less likely to drop out of school. Additionally, they report that drop-out rates correlate with student levels of involvement in the arts: the more involved they are, the more likely they are to graduate!
Administrators are always looking for ways to increase graduation rates, so emphasize that your program is doing just that.
To make the arts more appealing to your school’s administration, demonstrate opportunities for intra-departmental partnerships. Consider involving more than just performing arts students in your program, offering engaging programming to appeal to different demographics in your student body.
Ideas for inclusion are vast. Consider:
Ensuring your program appeals to all students, regardless of their interests, will make your administration more likely to grant you support.
One thing most administrators can support is a program that brings in money. So, during discussions with your admin, emphasize just how much money your program brings in for the school.
Consider all the revenue drivers you have at your disposal, which include:
This revenue helps offset the cost of the theatre program in the school budget, and it never hurts to remind your administrator that your programming is helping to pad your school’s bottom line. Many school programs can’t say the same!
Your school’s administration will be more likely to listen to your pitch for more support if you have the community’s support behind you.
Talk with parents within your theatre program, alongside dedicated community members, local arts organizations, and any business sponsors you may have. Have them campaign on your behalf regarding just how much of a difference the theatre program has made to them.
In short, allow others to sing your praises. After all, the positive impact of theatre education cannot be overstated.
Whether you need to perfect your pitch to administration or motivate your students for performance week, On The Stage (OTS) can help. Our all-in-one technology platform, built for educational theatres, offers flexibility to support students uniquely at every level of education—from universities to high schools to elementary schools and everything in between.
With OTS, you can:
So what are you waiting for? Book a personalized demo with OTS today to get started.