Sept. 13-19 is National Arts in Education Week

Education, for all ages, has long been an important part of the programming mix at Theatre Lawrence.

In recent years, however, we’ve seen incredible growth in that programming. Last season, enrollment in our classes increased by 29% from the season before. There were 345 individual students who signed up for a class or youth show at Theatre Lawrence last year, with each student signing up for an average of two classes.

Those are great numbers, but they mean even more when you see the individual impact.

Emily Giles, our Education Director, points to a young girl who has been taking classes at TL for about four years. In her first few classes, she didn’t want to engage. She would sit in a circle with the other students with her head down, not looking up and barely speaking.

This summer, she was in the youth production of Willy Wonka Kids. She took the stage with bold confidence. The girl who wouldn’t even share what her favorite food was sang a solo and played a character.



“I got teary-eyed watching her for the first time,” Emily said.

The confidence she has developed on stage has extended to the way she interacts with other students. That is the transformation just a few years of arts education can make in someone’s life.

Stories like hers are why we believe arts education matters, and why it’s so important to make these opportunities available to as many young people as possible.

Coming up on October 9, we hold our annual TL Benefit Concert. Part of that evening’s proceeds will support our education programming and the positive changes it makes in young people’s lives. We hope you will join us for this special event that supports all the impact TL makes in our community.

You can also make your voice heard as part of national efforts. Click here to learn more about Americans for the Arts and how you can tell our representatives in Washington, D.C., that arts funding - specifically through the National Endowment for the Arts - matters to you.