Several midvalley students say there’s a lack of funding and support for performing arts in their public schools, but that hasn’t stopped them from producing their own shows.
During a “State of the Arts” symposium last week, they explained their determination to a receptive audience of local creative leaders at TACAW.
“I found a home in the performing arts and specifically within theater, and I really wanted to pass that along to other people,” said Sam Stableford, a junior at Roaring Fork High School.
Stableford is now directing the school’s first play in years — “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which takes place at the high school auditorium this Thursday through Saturday. It’s a collaboration with the Stages of Life (SoL) Theatre Company, which helped provide funding and encouragement; Stableford and other students on the panel said they value the involvement from outside organizations, which can fill in the gaps when schools have limited money and institutional support.
“There's been nothing through the schools,” Stableford said. “I think it took a lot of ingenuity, and a lot of proactive talks with a lot of adults who were in the arts.”
Stableford acknowledged that not every student may be interested in theater, and that it isn’t nearly as popular in the school community as athletics. But there are more kids with a passion for the arts than people realize, Stableford said.
When people approach him after a show, and say “I want to do what you’re doing,” he wants to be able to encourage them — to say, “of course,” rather than, “it’s hard.”
Sara Gray Kokish, also a junior at Roaring Fork High, feels the same way. She’s the producer of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” putting in long hours after school with the rest of the cast and crew. It’s hard work, she said, but it’s worth it, because she wants the next class of students to find the same joy in theater.
“I look at students coming up, our seventh, eighth graders, our little freshmen in the show, … they're so talented, and they're so committed,” Gray Kokish said. “And I want them to have that program, and I know that they deserve it.”
Gray Kokish also believes that they deserve an enthusiastic audience. She sees the schoolwide support for athletic events, and wonders how the “pep rally” spirit could be applied to theater, too.
“People go to those games. and I get why: They're advertised, and we see the players wearing their jerseys at school, and the athletic director and the coaches are like, “Let's go … to the games and let's get excited,” she said. “And it makes sense why people come to sporting events and not to theater programs. You know, you'll see a poster, you'll hear word of mouth — that's not the same.”
Nyala Honey, a sophomore at Basalt High School, underscored the significance of that support. She wrote and directed her own play last year, and amid all the possible pitfalls and variables of live theater, her biggest worry was whether anyone would show up. It was a “big relief” to find a solid audience, she said — and it goes to show how community participation can prop up student efforts.
“Let's show everybody that it's here, that it's waiting, that it's ready,” Honey said. “You know, if you want to get into it, we're here, we'll back you up. We'll support you. Let's make that known, I think, is a really important first step.”
Honey appreciates the support from community nonprofits, like Theatre Aspen and the SoL Theatre Company. (She has the added benefit of a family connection to the local arts scene, as her dad Ryan Honey is the executive director at TACAW.) But there’s a gap, she said, between the programs for elementary- and middle school-aged youth and the programs for adults in the Roaring Fork Valley.
And much like her peers at Roaring Fork High, Honey believes there are students with untapped talent. More offerings on campus could engage kids who might not have the same access or awareness of outside opportunities. They could also create more avenues for participation, especially for students who have other commitments like work after the last bell rings.
The student panel was one of several conversations at “State of the Arts,” which was presented by Carbondale Arts with a number of other creative partners. Topics ranged from municipal funding for public art to copyright law for artists.
