The excitement around “Wicked” is bigger than ever. Maybe this is the moment to start the conversation about school licensing and what it could unlock for the next generation of performers.

Showing up matters. For every kid, every parent, every school. But when concerts and performances happen during the workday, families can be left out.

If you have to pay just to audition for a college theatre program, that’s not opportunity—it’s exclusion disguised as tradition.

Our theatre classrooms are full of students who look like the world. But the faculty often don’t. If we want the future of the arts to be authentic and inclusive, that change has to start behind the table.

High school theatre isn’t sports. Competitions like the Jimmys can open doors for students, especially from smaller schools, but they can also distort the purpose of theatre and put schools in rivalry with one another.

From casting culture to alumni networks to the hidden realities of curriculum flexibility, I’ve rounded up 10 questions every aspiring theatre major should ask before applying.

“Before you even begin filling out applications or signing up for auditions, it is worth pausing to ask yourself why you want to major in theatre in the first place.”

If the freshman is the best fit for the role, cast the freshman. Theatre is not about seniority. It is about truth, talent, and telling the story well.

An Illinois High School has removed its theatre’s namesake after a student journalist uncovered his ties to a movement with controversial teachings.

A new school year is a fresh stage. Theatre students — what will you try differently this time? New risks, new roles, new relationships. The curtain is rising.

“High school theatre deserves intimacy coordinators to keep young actors safe and empowered. No one should feel uncomfortable or unheard during a show.”

“After the challenges of recent years and the shifting landscapes of education and the arts, one question stands front and center: How will you set the tone for your theatre program this year?”

“You can’t whitewash In the Heights. It’s not just offensive—it’s against the licensing rules. Schools must do better.”

“As educators, directors, and mentors, our job isn’t to eliminate the fear. It’s to walk beside them through it. To give them the tools to manage it, the space to feel it, and the confidence to keep going anyway.”