Across the country, public school face a surplus of budget cuts. With a growing focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, often one of the first programs on the chopping block is theatre. A fantastic theatre department is much more likely to fall victim to budget cuts than a subpar football team (even with the link between concussions and football...but that's for another time). As theatre departments dwindle, it is easy to dismiss theatre education. However, the Educational Theatre Association and American Alliance for Theatre and Education disagree. March is Theatre is Our Schools (TIOS) month! Described as a celebration of theatre in our schools and schools in our theatre, the goal of the month is to "raise public awareness of the impact of theatre education and draw attention to the need for more access to quality programs in and out of school for all students" (AATE).

The importance of theatre education goes far beyond putting together a toe-tapping production of Anything Goes or thought-provoking Bang, Bang, You're Dead. It is not about pumping out the next generation of Sutton Fosters or LaChanzes—though that is an added bonus. An arts education creates the next generation of leaders, thinkers, teachers and artists. The arts can "awaken us to alternative possibilities of existing, of being human, of relating to others, of being other" (Maxine Greene). Theatre exposes us to experiences different than our own, teaching us that there is more than one truth or narrative, one different than the narratives we've become accustomed to. Greene argues that theatre opens students up to "new perspectives on what is assumed to be “reality,” that they can defamiliarize what has become so familiar it has stopped us from asking questions or protesting or taking action to repair. Theatre is not meant only to entertain, but to make us think, question, discuss, and formulate our own ideas and opinions—not just those spoon-fed since birth. Through plays such as Fun Home and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, we experience someone else's narrative—that of a lesbian female and a autistic boy, respectively. Theatre teaches us empathy and compassion—something students cannot and will not master in a math word problem.

Involvement in the performance arts has been shown to have a positive impact of students in other academic fields. The College Entrance Examination Boardreported the following

• Students involved in drama performance scored an average of 65.5 points higher on the verbal component and 35.5 points higher in the math component of the SAT
• Students who took courses in drama study or appreciation scored, on average, 55 points higher on verbal and 26 points higher on math than their non-arts classmates.
• In 2005, students involved in drama performance outscored the national average SAT score by 35 points on the verbal portion and 24 points on the math section.

It also keeps students at risk of dropping out in school, as "students considered to be at high risk for dropping out of high school cite drama and other arts classes as their motivations for staying in school" and "students who participate in the arts are 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance than those who do not."

Even for students who do not go onto a career in the arts, an education in the arts contributes greatly to their development. Theatre teaches students the importance of public speaking and presentation, creative problem solving and the cardinal rule of improvisation (and life). Companies such as Google and Pepsi now bring in improvisation troupes to teach their employees the skills of improve—“performers accept whatever their scene partners do or say as part of the reality of the scene and then build on it with their own contributions. They must be present in the moment, listening carefully, and contributing freely" (Forbes). While it may be hard to imagine a cubicle worker in finance as a former theatre kid, it could be their time in the wings that made them successful today.

Even if a student takes their final bow upon graduation, their time in the department greatly shapes them and their future endeavors. Use Theatre in Our Schools month to inform others about the benefits of education including theatre arts. Supporting theatre education is not just supporting the local production of Guys and Dolls with a 16 year old crooning over her love's lack of commitment. Supporting theatre education is providing students with a worth-wild high school experience, higher test score, professional skills, empathy and compassion and higher self-esteem. By doing so, we are supporting a greater and better tomorrow—which in the words of little Orphan Annie, is only a day away.

For more information about Theatre in Our Schools Month and general theatre education, visit: American Alliance of Theatre and Education, Educational Theatre Association and Americans for the Arts.