Benefit #2: COLLABORATION, TEAMWORK & COMMUNITY
Working toward a shared goal establishes strong friendships among young actors that can last for decades.
Theatre is not something you do by yourself. It requires the combined creativity and skills of a whole group of people.
In developing a production, students exercise and strengthen their ability to solve problems creatively, to resolve conflicts constructively, to welcome the ideas of others, elaborating on them and incorporating them into the evolving project. They devise strategies that let them achieve shared goals effectively. They learn how to work together, motivated by their mutual desire to create an excellent production.
Not surprisingly, these skills will prove useful in pretty much any career students may choose, whether or not they're working in the arts. These same skills also come in handy for building communities and developing and maintaining long-term relationships.
And because of this, theatre class also builds friendships. Working toward a shared goal builds strong bonds. Acting students connect with their peers, no matter how different their lives may be outside of class. With nearly thirty years of experience, we can say with confidence that many of these friendships persist over decades into adulthood.