Andrew Wolverton and his fellow theatre education majors at Indiana University are requesting EdTA’s help to create a new Bachelor in Theatre Education (BET) Degree at IU. The department chair has requested a demonstration of larger community support in the form of letters or emails. I hope you’ll consider copying the form email I’ve provided at the bottom of this page into a new email document and sending it to Jonathan Michaelsen, Chair of the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance, at jrmichae@indiana.edu and copying Andrew at anwolver@indiana.edu as well. Please feel free to edit or personalize this email or write your own if you prefer.
Thank you in advance for any support you can provide at this very busy time of year!
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Dear Mr. Michaelsen:
I’m writing to you in support of developing a strong Bachelor in Theatre Education (BET) Degree program at Indiana University. As a secondary school theatre teacher, I feel responsible for helping my students explore the best options for their advanced education. For those interested in a career in theatre education, a top quality BET program at a college of IU’s caliber would be an extremely attractive option.
Theatre teacher training has an impact far beyond the choices of individual degree candidates. Theatre arts teachers prepare tomorrow’s professional performers, technicians, and teachers. We teach life skills that will be invaluable to students in any future career they choose. We also instill in our students a love and appreciation of theatre that will make them the heart of tomorrow’s theatre audiences and patrons.
Here is a partial list of facts that demonstrate the value of theatre education, the need for highly trained theatre educators, and the importance of outstanding theatre education degree programs:
- The arts—theatre included—are a core subject under federal law.
- Researchers have found that sustained learning in theatre correlates to greater success in math and reading, and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds see the greatest benefit.
- Training in acting classes improves language and memory skills.
- According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, students who study the arts develop the following life and career skills: creativity and innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and oral and written communication.
You can find the research sources for the data cited here and additional information about theatre education at schooltheatre.org/advocacy.
I hope you will continue to develop a Bachelor in Theatre Education degree program that I can recommend wholeheartedly to my students. Doing so will provide a valuable service to me, my students, and the theatre landscape as a whole.
Sincerely,
(Name)
(Title)
(School)