Theatre In Our Schools Month

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

WHEREAS, the earliest theatre or drama began in ancient Greece and flourished in cultures around the world including Africa and Asia; and

WHEREAS, audience-based participation in the arts and personal participation in creating art are both essential in creating a vibrant citizenry with higher levels of civic engagement; and

WHEREAS, arts education helps to increase students’ ability to manage behavior, make decisions, cultivate virtue, and strengthen student’s connections to the past; and

WHEREAS, middle school students engaged in musical theatre develop confidence, creativity, resiliency, and responsibility; and

WHEREAS, high school students who earn multiple arts credits are five times more likely to graduate than students with low involvement in the arts; and

WHEREAS, arts integration leads to enhanced learning, including developing connections between concepts, increasing analytical skills, and synthesizing information into global conceptual thinking; and

WHEREAS, Theatre in Our Schools Month provides an opportunity for thousands of students and theatre educators to raise awareness of the benefits of theatre education and to draw attention to the need for more access to theatre education for all students;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize March 2023, as THEATRE IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations