Black Students and Students of Color Need Theatre

Recently, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) theatremakers collectively wrote an open letter to White American Theater to confront the disparities and racism showcased in the theatre world. And I support every bit that was mentioned and revealed. The reason why I support their statement is because I have witnessed many points that were made while in college and in my career.

Growing up, I wasn’t aware of the resources and opportunities I had to be involved in theatre.  As many of my childhood days were spent in seclusion writing plays that I would eventually have my cousins perform for my family, I didn’t know that I was placing myself in a world that would give me a voice. Although I was seldomly involved in theatre during middle and high school, it wasn’t until college that I decided I needed to be more immersed in the art, so I majored in it.  It was difficult for me to make that decision, because unlike many of my peers who were stronger with their respective crafts, I felt like a mere beginner. I honestly didn’t feel as though I belonged. So yeah, I was hardly ever in the building unless I was required to be there (classes, meeting with my advisor, performances, practicums or rehearsals). For many of those who were theatre majors, the department seemed like home for them. But for me, not entirely.

Even when it came to auditions for shows, I probably auditioned for five my entire undergrad career and was featured in two of those five (then again, my track was Theatre for Youth). Yes, some students of color participated in performances, but most of the shows I remembered did not speak to black experiences. Shucks, there was hardly any black faces in the audience. If there were, it was mostly students who were required to attend, patrons who were alums of the school or those who merely supported the department. 

Fast forward six years later after graduating, after receiving a master’s in Education and some years of teaching, I decided to get my feet back into theatre. My reason for getting involved was partly for me, because it literally made me happy, but also because people from my community weren’t aware of what was offered at this theatre I enjoyed being a part of. Within a year I volunteered for literally every show, began working on shows, acting in shows, assistant stage managing and was set to be an AD for a show, but couldn’t due to my move. But my energy was quite different from college. Unlike college, I saw myself and people like me represented in shows, just not as much in the audience as our white counterparts.

It literally occurred to me in that year, that I had to be an advocate for involving black people and people of color into this space. Regardless of how big or small my voice was. Slowly but surely, theatre was reflected in the work I did with my students. Creating skits to be performed in class that centered around certain content. Games. Classroom transformations. I found any opportunity or chance in my class to embed a sense of theatre, and even till this day I still do.

One of my missions as a teacher is to empower my students as much as I can and through theatre I truly believe I do. From the student with the learning disability, who began to talk more and participate often once I started incorporating theme skits. To the student who was defiant and often disrespectful to me, his peers and several of my colleagues, when all he needed was for someone to see a gift he contained. (And just FYI, he became the lead for our Black History play.) Or the student I wasn't aware of who wanted to be an actress, until I announced auditions for our school play. It’s amazing what we don’t know or may not recognize about our students, unless we expose the unknown (and sometimes the known) to them. And just to let you know, each of these students were some of my black students.

Theatre in the classroom has many benefits:

§  Improvements in school attendance

§  Improve academic skills and performance for those who have learning disabilities

§  Increase in test scores for students who are involved in dramatic arts

§  Improvements in communication (verbal and non-verbal) and comprehension

The transformations I incorporate in my classroom are based on theatre beliefs, such as that valuable learning allows students to explore and investigate the world their surrounded by. This is highly used in primary grades mostly pre-k and kindergarten. But what about those upper grades? Why aren’t they able to continue to investigate the world around them? A sense of theatre is needed in your classroom. We already know and studies have shown that there are small numbers of theatre classes in elementary schools, but yet there are higher numbers of visual arts and music in elementary schools. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be, but why is that? Why isn’t theatre included in all elementary schools? I remember a conversation with the Performance Arts Coordinator for a district I previously worked for and I asked her that question. Her response was basically that there were more students at a particular school (which receives theatre classes) than most schools and they needed to include more art programs for that school. Yeah, that was a nice way of saying, it’s predominately white and receives more funding, so we’re going to expose them to more. I don’t care whether anyone agrees or not, but let’s be for real that was the underlying answer.

I was excited when my current principal came to me last year and said, ‘Collins, I want you to put on a program for Black History Month. I want there to be a play and for it to be a big performance.” My response, “You want me to write the play or you want me to purchase one?” Her: “I want you to write it.” Me: “Done.” Little did I know I also became the chair for Black History Month, but it was all fine with me. I was thrilled that my mission was now going to reach beyond my classroom and to the majority of the student body. And the students of our school deserved it.

So, that leads me to ask how often are your black students or students of color exposed to the theatre arts? I’m not talking about attending a show once a school year. And even then, how many of those shows have a highly diverse cast? Are they exposed to it outside of school as much as they are to sports? I can think back to my youth and how my mom tried to encourage me to participate in so much, but theatre. And for those students who may not have the voice to tell you they’re interested, presenting the idea is worth it. Pay attention to your students.

So, I will continue to be a voice for our black youth and students of color who need a creative outlet, that doesn’t confine them to just pencil and paper, art tools, sports or music.

If you’re a teacher and would like to incorporate some theatre into your classroom, you can click the link below to receive a few of the Theme Skits I use in my class.

Black students need theatre. Students of color need theatre. Get them involved or at least share your knowledge so they are aware of the possibilities and benefits. Thanks for reading.

Theme Skits