Arts lack support from school community

Melanie Kovacs ’15: While sports teams deservedly receive high levels of support from the school community, the arts are constantly underappreciated and should obtain just as much recognition for the time and energy they put into productions.
By now, you probably know that the football team beat Malvern on October 26th on Malvern’s own turf in front of three busloads of cheering EA fans, decked out in their white attire. I’m sure you did not miss the multiple announcements made in chapel, put in the bulletin, and posted in the EAPAAA Facebook group. However, this event only demonstrates the lack of attention the arts receive when compared to the outpouring of support for sports.
What you probably didn’t know is that the cast and crew of The Love of Three Oranges performed four sold out shows that same weekend. It seemed like irrelevant news in the face of a football game under the lights, a football game that takes place almost every weekend.
There’s only one production weekend. The Domino Club works tirelessly, every day, for two months in order to entertain our peers, faculty, and parents. The astounding lack of students in attendance at these plays sends a clear message about the relevance of the arts compared to the importance of sports.
The lack of support and enthusiasm the arts receive is a disappointment to the students who are passionate about theater and hope to share their love of performance and entertaining with their peers. The lights of the football game literally cast shadows on the fall play. Moreover, the attention the football team received during production week made it nearly impossible for the cast of the play to equally promote their hard work and encourage people to come watch and offer support.
This is not an unusual occurrence. Many times, the arts are pushed aside in order to give the spotlight to our sports teams. This is not to say that the athletes do not work hard and deserve support, but the enthusiasm could be distributed equally to both aspects of school life. In this way, more students will feel that they are contributing something important to the community, instead of feeling like an outcast for their passions.
Students tend to gravitate toward the bleachers instead of the plush chairs of the theater because of the hype surrounding sports events. Sports events present them a chance to participate in the competition even if they’re not on the field. They can be loud and boisterous and are not necessarily required to be on their best behavior. This may be more appealing than observing a production quietly, but that does not make the latter any less important.
The effort of the actors is not only underappreciated, but also not respected nearly enough. It’s an extremely daunting experience for a group of hardworking students to perform when the only peers in the audience are ones watching their siblings. The fact that a group of students attended the fall play merely for the sake of making fun of their friend who was performing, only to get up and leave in the middle of the first act, was not only inappropriate but also disrespectful to the entire cast and crew.
When asked about their feelings toward the disparity in support given to the arts compared to athletics, a sophomore noted, “It upsets me to see how supportive people are to the sports teams while the arts are completely neglected.” A junior elaborated by adding, “Because the amount of work put in[to the play] is not recognized, we don’t have the same excuses that some athletes might have during times of high stress. When the football players have a big game, they get a lighter workload because teachers recognize their efforts. When we have late production week rehearsals, we are never given any slack for homework or tests.” Another junior commented, “We don’t really seem to get as much recognition as the athletes do, and we put just as much time and effort into what we do. The focus [EA] puts on athletics deters people from sticking with activities like plays. Some people excel at different things, and they should be able to pursue them while being recognized for their great accomplishments.”
While a performance might not be able to bring in a hulking trophy to present to the head of school for winning a season, productions can offer smaller accomplishments. Whether it’s a sold out show, or four, or a Cappie Award for best actor, these seemingly small achievements mean the world to the students who put in the commitment and energy. The arts need someone to “clap and cheer” for them too.