MCS Theatre touts the benefits of the performing arts

While the performing arts are under fire across the country as standardized curricula like the Common Core gain more prominence, Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club is doubling down on the performing arts. Especially as the club ramps up for its most recent production, it emphasized that the arts help students in many ways.

“I know I learned a lot from my drama teacher, Cheryl Treiber, in high school,” said Mount Carmel School president and Theatre Club adviser Galvin Deleon Guerrero. “She lit a fire in me that I have sustained now for over 30 years.”

Deleon Guerrero also noted, “Producing a show brings the arts together and provides growth opportunities for all varieties of learners. For example, kinesthetic learners engage their bodies through dance, linguistic learners dive into the written and spoken word, spatial learners tackle set and costume design, and musical learners revel in the show’s score.”

The Theatre Club added that the performing arts help young people develop many of the skills necessary for success in today’s world:

Self-confidence: Throughout the rehearsal and performance process, young performers discover how to take creative and emotional risks and learn to trust their abilities.

Literacy: Students increase reading and writing skills at their own pace by immersing themselves in the story, reading and re-reading their scripts, memorizing their lines and taking notes at rehearsal. 

Communication: During rehearsals, students learn how to articulate their thoughts and questions and carefully listen to direction in order to improve their performances.

Imagination: Theatre is most dynamic when the imaginations of its participants are fully engaged. Students make countless interpretive choices in design and performance to create a detailed, fictional world for their audiences.

Empathy: Through character work and story creation, young performers explore the lives of others. First-hand perspectives of new circumstances challenge prejudices and aid in the development of well-rounded students and citizens. 

Critical thinking and problem solving: The amount of work required to successfully put on a show makes all participants valuable troubleshooters. Whether inventing mnemonics to remember lines, adjusting staging to show off everyone’s faces, or mastering a tricky scene change, students have countless opportunities to creatively tackle challenges.

Self-discipline: Through prompt attendance at rehearsals and learning lines, music and choreography on schedule, students acquire valuable self-discipline techniques and become reliable and trustworthy members of an ensemble. 

Community awareness: A theatrical production provides ample opportunities to connect with our families and neighbors. Students can engage parents, community centers and local vendors to help create sets, props, costumes and publicity.

Public speaking: Whether performing for their peers during rehearsal or for their school and local community during a performance, students gain expertise and confidence speaking in front of a group. 

Curricular integration: A musical provides a rich and engaging springboard for students to explore many subjects in their classrooms and discover connections among various modes of learning.

This year, Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club celebrates its 20th anniversary, having staged numerous productions including passion plays, plays by William Shakespeare, Disney shows, several musicals, many original plays, a number of local stories, two summer drama camps for kids, and even a number of feature-length and short films. However, the school’s drama program stems back to 1952 when the school started the island’s longest continuously running performing arts program, the school’s annual Christmas program. Moving forward, the school is gearing up to relaunch its Save the Stage campaign to renovate and revitalize the school’s historic stage, where the CNMI Covenant and Constitution were deliberated and signed. (MCS)