In theatre we are constantly telling a story. Our story talks about the power of theatre and the impact it has on the lives of the students we teach and the community that supports them. Stories can fill the hearts and souls of those that support the arts. But without solid facts that help solidify the impact of the arts, the impact of what we can accomplish can be limited.
In the days leading up to the Arts Advocacy Day, I and the other members of the Nevada State Board were hosting our state festival. On the first full day of the conference we were interviewing the STO candidates about what theatre has done for them. I heard a lot of answers that I’ve heard over the last seven years of teaching, family, a safe place, and friends. What struck me as a different response came from a candidate called Ben. Ben said, “Theatre gave me something to say.”
As the weekend went on and the craziness ensued, the words stuck with me. My story began somewhat similarly my freshmen year of college. I happened upon the right class at the right time and found the experience to be fundamentally life changing. I could only hope that the days following in Washington DC could be the same.
While I would not call the three days spent in DC to be life changing, they were definitely life moving. Above all else, AAD helped me find a clearer lens with which to look through when it comes to speaking for the arts.
The first day was spent talking to members of the EDTA, ITO and other theatre educators from across the country about what the different experiences that we have in our day to day lives. Stories from Missouri, Georgia, Oregon and Colorado serve as reminders of how similar our experiences are but how different the worlds we live in can be. No resource is greater to us than our colleagues. They offer advice and serve as support when we need it the most. Advocacy can feel like a lonely task but it should be done with the support of many.
High regard needs to be given to our ITO. These students already have the poise and abilities of men and women as they speak on behalf of EDTA. They, along with large college contingents from Ohio and New York, show the youthfulness of the argument. The arts is not just about the experienced teachers talking about what they need to improve the educational environment, but students speaking for what they need to succeed in the increasingly competitive world.
Day two was the day for us to learn the facts. The things we don’t know can come back to bite us in the butt. The leaders of arts advocacy provided key information to help us in our visit to the hill the next day. One of the major questions I was asking myself was what impact do the national leaders have on the local level? The answer, plenty. Four of the issues that struck to be the most important to me were the following:
- Support the National Endowment of the Arts. (NEA)
- As it often seems to be, the NEA is being threatened by budget cuts.A major part of AAD was to not only protect the current funding, which has remained stagnate despite rapid inflation in the last 20 years, but to increase it slightly.
- The NEA does make a dramatic impact by providing art to the masses and not just the wealthy elite.It also has begun to show the healing and rehabilitation abilities of the arts.
- Reenact the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)Especially change the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Model to Include the arts, or STEAM.
- The majority of employers say that creativity is one of the major factors when deciding who to hire or not.Without the arts we lose creativity.
- Right now arts are the first thing being cut in schools when budgets need to be tightened, the arts should be as essential as the other “core subjects”
- Support Net Neutrality
- While this may not seem to be a major impact to us as educators, it does.What if certain licensing companies get preferred bandwidth over others, would we no longer be able to find the resources for research.
- Also, net neutrality will help teachers and theatre professionals looking to start up businesses or help provide useful resources on the web.
- Help protect wireless frequencies for microphones.
- The available usage parameters are shrinking.Should schools have to shell out $5,000 to $10,000 for new microphones because the frequencies they were using are no longer available?
That night there was the Nancy Hanks lecture for the arts, featuring leaders
of the Americans for the Arts and Norman Lear. I will admit, Norman Lear was before my time, I was not familiar with his work. But his words were still impactful. “Well, I’ve learned something about that very recently. Most of the time, the impact of art cannot be measured. And that’s because the way art works its magic, you don’t often know what’s happening to you.” He’s right, you don’t always know what you’ve learned until after you’ve experienced the success.
That night I finalized my notes in my hotel room, learning everything I could the representatives and senators I would be meeting with the next morning.
On the third day we entered the hallowed halls where the congressmen and congresswomen work are initially intimidating with the loud echoes coming from the tiled floor and the constant rush of men and women seeking the ear of the representatives. We heard from an array of representatives, Republican and Democrat alike, showing that the arts should not be a partisan issue. Most impactful was John Lewis, representative from Georgia. He tells us that there is a major difference between learning about history through a movie screen and actually being there to make history, but that there is also a strong value to inform and educate those who were not, that is power and value of the arts. I joined Gwen Clancy from the Nevada Arts Alliance and we teamed up to talk to those who represent the state of Nevada.
Before even walking into an office I had down my research. Nevada has 2 senators and four representatives and I knew where they stood on many issues before sitting down and talking. I knew with four of the six, without naming names, it would be tough to convince them on our issues. I knew two were supportive and would be receptive to what we were trying to get them to do. With the four tougher arguments I knew the importance of still going in and giving the full-hearted effort to speak for the arts, because you never know what fact or what story might start some sort of action. This was the case with Congressmen Joe Heck, who happened to be my representative. He was honest with us, he would not vote to raise the budget for the NEA, but he did leave us with the impression that he would not cut the budget either. He also was receptive to helping keep the microphone channels open. When I mentioned that one of the theatre programs in his district was being phased out, he had a sudden look of concern on his face; he asked me for more details, we will see if he does anything with the information.
At the end of the day, Congressmen Heck was the only representative that had time for a full meeting with us, Dina Titus was able to talk for a few minutes before going down for a floor speech. But all the staffs were courteous and listened to what we had to say. They took our informational packets and asked us questions. I don’t know how much of an impact I was able to make. For both Gwen and I, it was our first time at Arts Advocacy Day. But I did come away better informed myself and with some ideas of how to be a better advocate.
- Be better informed. If you don’t have the answers, find them.Nothing weakens an argument more than ignorance.
- Speak up. You don’t have to travel to DC to talk to your representatives or senators.Follow them on Twitter, use Facebook, send them an email.Call their home offices.How to contact your representatives is readily available at www.house.gov.
- Step up. Find out if your state has an arts advocacy day.Find out how to make changes on your school board, find a way to be involved with your local, state and national level events.There are plenty of opportunities out there for the taking.
- Network. One person has a voice, a group of people can speak volumes.We need support and the best support we have are our colleagues, both on the local level and the national level.
I don’t know what impact we made on the hill. But I do know that persistence is key. The value of people is good, the value of informed and experienced people is all that more valuable.
We as theatre teachers have a busy job. We go from one show to the next, we teach our classes throughout the day, and we are constantly trying to maintain the professional standards being put upon us. It is hard to take the time to speak on behalf of what we work so hard to build. When I came back from AAD, I went right into hosting a talent show and a big school preview night for the incoming eighth graders. I understand how easy it is to get caught up in the job and maintain our personal lives. But then I think of Ben, a student who is not even one of my own, a think of how I am here not just to improve the opportunities for my students but to serve the students across the state.
But if we wait for others to make things happen, then little will ever get done and we will find ourselves suddenly in a much harder fight when we lose what we failed to protect.