We pride ourselves in our many activities and programs, yet perhaps the most treasured is the theatre program.

This activity brings together students from different backgrounds and interests to create one spectacular performance. Junior Lizzie Holland said she has met many people from her participation in theatre, and of her friends, “like 99 percent of them” are from theatre, she said. She has been an actor as well as a tech crew member since freshman year.

Junior Joe Bustamante has done tech since his freshman year as well and found that “it’s as much social as work.” The program allows for students who may not be typically find themselves interacting to meet and become closer. Sophomore J.J. Lay remembers football players who have auditioned in the past.

“Cathedral is very diverse,” Bustamante said. The theatre program unifies the multitudes of different groups and introduces students who may otherwise have remained separated.
“I think it’s a great place to meet people who are open and accepting,” Holland said.

Yet theatre offers more than social benefits. An arts program allows for students to become more well rounded rather than be restricted to sports teams or other extracurricular activities.
“We already have a booming sports program, so it makes sense to have an arts program as well,” Bustamante said.

While volleyball and basketball definitely are beneficial, nothing compares to the creativity students express through acting, creating props or assisting in a theatre production. Studies have found that creativity can improve students’ performance in and out of the classroom, and skills learned from the theatre program can be applied in real life.

Lay now feels more comfortable with fixing cables and other programmable technology due to his work on tech crew. But more than anything, “it’s fun,” Lay said.
Without theatre, school would be a “very sad and disappointing place,” Lay said. Having something to look forward to at the end of the day, as well as friends to enjoy it with, eases the stress typical for high school students.

“(Theatre) has made (school) so much better, honestly,” Holland said.  
The ability to express creativity while interacting with peers does more than provide a fun activity for those activity involved. It also leads to a fabulous performance for everyone to enjoy. So remember to support the theatre program and, as Bustamante said, “go see ‘Little Shop.’”