As many students choose to take Theater Arts because they think it will be a blow-off class, they fail to realize what great things the course has to offer. While it is true that the class isn’t as hard as others, it can still teach you valuable things that will help you both in high school and out of it. 

 One of the important life skills Theater Arts helps you learn is how to handle both positive and negative feedback and how to use it constructively to better yourself. Furthermore, it builds confidence which can benefit your public speaking performance and can be particularly helpful for more reserved teenagers. Some students can even find their ‘voice’ in the class with how their imagination is allowed to thrive or discover that they are natural problem solvers or leaders when they are given tasks to complete. Theater Arts is a great way for kids to express themselves as they explore a wide range of emotions that they must use in scenes they act out such as happiness, anger, and sadness. This can help kids grow sense of independence and interdependence. 

From personal experience, I’ve seen that a big part of how Theater Arts can teach you these things is that while at the beginning the class may be quiet and a little awkward, eventually everyone warms up to one another and it becomes a very welcoming environment. During my time in the class, I have made many new friends and I know that others have done the same. I’ve also noticed that after taking the class, I have had an easier time with presentations in my other classes. I know that the fear I had of speaking in front of people was due to the fear of judgement, but I don’t find it as daunting anymore because of being able to practice in front of the friendly faces of the people in Theater Arts. 

 So, if you plan on going into Theater Arts just because you think it’ll be an easy class, you should still try and enter with an open-mind about the valuable things you can take away from the course. And if you weren’t planning on taking it before, hopefully this article has made you consider it.