Thursday, July 6, 2017

A Week of Hope

I have been taking students to the International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln since 1995. People who don't understand why I'd spend a week of my increasingly shorter summer in hot, humid Lincoln give me looks that say, "I'm so sorry" or "how awful." It's hard to explain why living in a dorm with a bunch of teenagers, staying up until 1:00 a.m. for bed check at curfew, eating meals in the cafeteria, and walking miles across campus in blistering heat, on  blistering feet is one of the most enjoyable weeks of my vacation.

Years ago, I read a book by Jean M. Auel called Clan of the Cave Bear.  While I don't recall a great deal about the story, I do remember the impact that the idea of a clan had on me.  According to Webster's dictionary,  one of the definitions of  a clan is a group of people with a strong, common interest.  For theatre students and teachers, being at the International Thespian Festival is like finding one's clan.  This clan is energetic, passionate, generous, kind, helpful, creative, serious-minded, skilled, and accepting. For over twenty years, I have found this to be true.  For as much change as there has been since I first started going to the International Thespian Festival in 1995 (I'm not sure how we managed without cell phones, texting, and Guidebook apps) the essence of the experience has remained exactly the same - students, teachers, guest artists coming together in a massive celebration of educational theatre.

For anyone who has lost hope in the next generation, there is no need to despair. The 2017 International Thespian Festival,  bursting at the seams with over 4,000 theatre artists, proved to me again that our future is bright.  It is a privilege to spend a week where hope is alive and well. We witness remarkable performances by talented young actors, listen to new plays and musicals developed by high school students, laugh together at improvisation and cry together as topics such as teen suicide and gun violence are tackled by emerging theatre artists finding their voices.

Spend a week with this clan, and cynicism melts away. I am more convinced than ever that theatre is one of the most powerful and transformative tools we have as human beings to affect positive  change in our world . Empowering students by giving them the  opportunity to come together with other working artists is affirming, encouraging, and inspiring.

I highly recommend that anyone new to educational theatre, spend a week in Lincoln with this Educational Theatre "clan."  You will come back knowing that your work is not only a noble profession but a calling. What you do matters not only to your students, but to our world.   What greater example of Theatre on Purpose can there be?