Looking back, I wish my own high school had done more dramatic plays. Not because comedy did not matter, but because I think I missed out on the kind of growth that comes from being trusted with heavier material.

“A little reading, a little audition prep, a little voice and movement work, and a lot of curiosity can go a long way once auditions and rehearsals begin again.”

“I wish I could tell you that the world is waiting with open arms and emotionally healthy audition rooms. It is not. But it is waiting. And here is the advice I would give you: be authentically you.”

When students report abuse, schools should not treat it as a threat to the program’s reputation. They should treat it as a test of whether student safety actually comes first.

Auditions can teach students confidence, preparation, and resilience. But only if we actually teach the audition process. So theatre educators, are we teaching students how to audition, or just holding auditions?

A theatre degree is only “useless” if you let people believe it only taught you how to perform. The truth is, theatre students learn how to speak clearly, collaborate under pressure, and make a strong case for themselves in front of people who are deciding their future. That sounds a lot less like a useless degree and a lot more like job training for almost every workplace imaginable.

Recently, I spoke with an astonishing number of auditioning students who had never read the full play their monologue came from or the full musical behind their song. Talent matters, but so does preparation.

A BFA in theatre can be a wonderful path, but it is not the only path. In this guest editorial, Julia Moriarty makes the case for the BA in Theatre, a degree that gives students room to explore the full scope of the art form.

One of the most common complaints I hear from former high school and college theatre students is favoritism. The same names. The same leads. So here’s the question: why did so many directors keep doing it?

A high school director recently went into a public Facebook group and trashed a student they had cast in a lead role. This feels like something that should not need to be said, but apparently here we are: don’t humiliate your students online.

“It’s budget voting season, which means school boards are once again deciding what stays, what goes, and what gets labeled “nonessential.” Too often, theatre ends up on that list.”

A high school’s decision to postpone its spring show due to a student’s illness is compassionate and understandable. But it also raises a bigger question: why do so many school theatre programs still have no backup plan when a key performer cannot go on?

It is one thing to pick a show your program can realistically pull off. It is another to make auditions feel like a formality for everyone outside the usual favorites.

A theatre degree is one thing. Learning how to find work, sell yourself, and build a career is something else entirely.

After a controversy involving a high school production of Mary Poppins, bigger questions remain about favoritism in theatre and the lasting effect it can have on the performers left on the other side of it.

There is something so beautiful about high school seniors bringing their childhood stuffed animals to their final dress rehearsal. Their first audience showing up for one last show? Yeah. That’ll do it.

Didn’t get into that BFA program? I know it hurts. But that letter isn’t a prophecy, it’s just a decision from a tiny snapshot.

Super Bowl Sunday has me thinking about an underrated classic: Good News. Big ensemble energy, great score, and a perfect fit for high schools and colleges looking beyond the usual titles.

“Could” any theatre professional direct youth theatre? Yes, absolutely. However, “should” any theatre professional direct youth theatre? Absolutely not. We need people who care about coaching kids in that seat.”

Every few years, the same question comes back: should this show belong in high schools at all? A closer look at Rock of Ages: Youth Edition and what it says about how we decide what students are “ready” to perform.