Beloit Memorial High School Theatre 
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Greg ... First, best
wishes on accomplishing your goal! It always seems that ARTS funding falls behind everything else ... as though we're not important to society when, in fact, we enhance social interaction for those who participate on- and off-stage in the cast/crew/audience, and expand horizons by making people think about the messages we portray on stage. Next, I've visited your school's website. It appears that funding is provided for athletics and ROTC, and may be provided for other activities (Forensics, French, newspaper, NHS, etc). I see Theater, Band, Orchestra, and Vocals are listed ... at least you're recognized. I would recommend researching how much money is spent in the athletic realm, with a focus on the individual sports facilities (football field, tennis courts, basketball court(s), natatorium) to investigate how much money is spent on each of those facilities vs how much income and how much they are individually put to use. I would hope the theater auditorium could be shown to far outshine those facilities in its usage. An anecdotal story .... as an elementary school child, I was privileged to attend the opera in a nearby large city each year due to the kindness and generosity of two benefactors -- a mother and daughter . They hosted two school busloads of (usually) junior high school children each year to attend an opera. We were expected to dress in our "Sunday best" and be on our best behavior. They, by their example, instilled the theatrical courtesies expected that I still follow today ... act appropriately, applaud when necessary, be quiet during the performance, be courteous to all attendees. My family could not have easily afforded a trip for me to the opera, so I was grateful for the opportunity to see and hear something magnificent that I otherwise could not have enjoyed. Opera may not be my favorite performance arts genre, but I do appreciate the craft and skill the participants hone. The opportunity did, however, open the doors for the full appreciation of all performance arts. In junior and high school, I actively participated in choral and musical theater activities. Today, I'm quite active in community theater both on- and off-stage, and sing for numerous events in my church and community. A year ago I, and five colleagues, departed from one community theater. Shortly afterward, we subsequently began another theater company ... it has gained a great reputation in its four month performance history. Without the early experience and understanding that ARTS are important to our psyche, I doubt I would be constantly pushing to have performance arts active in our community. Performance arts are extremely important to our world's cultural experience. Again, best wishes on achieving your goal! S. Sharmayne Bierschenk Marketing Director Weatherford Stage Performers (dba: Act II, Willow Park Dinner Players) |