5 Reasons Community Theatre is Beneficial to Everyone
Community theatre involves even more participants and presents more performances to more people than any other performing art in the country.
Theatre has always been an influential factor in local communities. As people are exposed to the arts, creativity flourishes, academics improve, and means of self-expression are developed. Supporting your community theater is supporting all of these things, and contributing to a proven catalyst for economic development, community engagement, and social enrichment.
Community theatre enriches the lives of not only those who take an active part in it but members of the community as well. On either side of the footlights, those involved represent a diversity of age, culture, life experience, and a strong appreciation of the importance of the arts.
There are many ways in which local community theatre is important, ranging from furthering education to self-expression, introducing change, and so much more. Even in the 21st century, society needs theatre, maybe even more so than before.
See the top 5 reasons we think community theatre is so important.
Self-Improvement
There are many forms of knowledge that stem from theatre performances. For instance, self-knowledge is instilled in both the performer and the audience, as we have the opportunity to look inward. We can see our surroundings with new eyes, understand how we affect those around us, and open ourselves up for self-improvement.
Communication & Self-Expression
Theatre reminds us that body language is still of the utmost importance in communication. Self-expression allows us to explore this language and the emotions that make it effective. Community theatre provides locals with a platform where they can express themselves without judgment — something we need more of in today’s world. Like self-knowledge, these performances can remind us how we can work together to better our society.
Bring About Change
A brilliant theatre performance can motivate us to want to make changes in our world. Self-empowerment can be the result of community theatre, which might give someone the boost they need in order to make a difference.
By looking inward and gaining knowledge, we are given a new perspective on our environment, which can spark creativity. With these new insights, we can create innovative solutions to societal issues and try to make the world a better place, one community at a time.
For the Aspiring Performer
For performers, a cast is a group of people who become your support system for the next span of time you all rehearse and perform together. They're all there to do what you want to do, and you truly become a family together. Come show week, you probably see them more than your actual family. From the moment that overture finishes and the curtain is raised to the minute the finale is sung by the entire cast for, quite possibly, the last time ever, you all become a part of an experience that will be shared and remembered by all of you for years to come.
For Promoting Creativity for Youth
Community theatre has never been more important for our youth. They need a place where they can explore the creative aspects of their minds, where they can express their emotions without fear of rejection. The community theatre can bring together local youth and others alike for a common goal: to put on a great production. It can teach everyone about working with one another and bettering themselves as individuals and as a whole. Even the audience can benefit from such an effort, not only in the form of performance but because they will get to experience a diverse group of people working together as one.