The School Newspaper of Lawrence High School.

The Budget

The School Newspaper of Lawrence High School.

The Budget

The School Newspaper of Lawrence High School.

The Budget

Without funding, stage goes dark

The lights are on in a variety of different colors, the sound has been checked multiple times, the auditorium swept and ready for spectators, the actors have spent countless hours practicing their lines.

But this would not happen if the district decides to cut funding even more. The drama department was given NO money this year for anything extra for example props, costumes, paint; Last year the program received $2,500. Now that might seem like a lot but really it’s not.

When the theatre put on the high school musical, the cost for a typical musical is anywhere from $6-10,000 dollars. This includes everything such as the cast, costumes and props. Additionally, the department has to buy the rights to use the script.

Next comes the cost of using the lights and sound system for the auditorium, for the whole year it cost around $5,000. That’s not just for theatre usage, that is for the whole school using it for assemblies and such. Luckily the cost gets rolled over to the district office and they pay for it.

The last show the drama department did was “The Reduced Shakespeare Company.” The cost was around $1,000. The ticket revenue and the concessions available (soda) brought in $1,400 dollars. So the drama department has $400 dollars for the next show.

Now there are things the drama department could do such as bake sales, car washes, fundraisers. But the problem is who would fund this? And who would set it up?

If the district took away all funding and cut drama from the school it would not only ruin some kids lives because drama is all they know, but it would also take away the tradition that LHS is built on. The district should fund theatre programs at a higher level. If the district can not manage this, then students and faculty should support the high school theatre program by attending the next show.

 

 

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

All The Budget Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest