By Jarice Hanson
For the Valley Advocate
I recently noticed an article in a magazine for high school teachers titled: “The Last Real Thing: Why Theatre Might Be the Most Important Class of the 21st Century.” The author, Zach Dulli, claimed in his Nov. 22 article that theater education (and I would argue, education in any of the performing arts) is “one of the few remaining structures where students must occupy the present moment … practicing those skills builds the neural pathways that support empathy, resilience and emotional intelligence.” I began to wonder if young people were drawn to performing because they already had the discipline and drive to fully participate, or whether those skills were learned in the process of performing.
Feeling a little like an anthropologist setting out to observe a new culture, I decided to attend two programs to learn about the world of teens in the performing arts. I attended a rehearsal for “Echoes,” the fall performance of The Hatchery Young Artist Project of the School for Contemporary Dance and Thought (SCDT), and a performance of “Briefs 2025,” a series of 10-minute plays directed and performed by Amherst Regional High School students. I came away from both experiences with deep respect for the adults who foster a dynamic world for teens to thrive in performance and who give the teens space to negotiate their own sense of self, but I also came away with extraordinary respect for the teens themselves who bravely, energetically, and very enthusiastically, step up willingly to participate in such high stress, emotionally raw experiences such as those that come with performing before audiences.
The Hatchery, fall of this year.
PETER RAPER / Contributed
The School for Contemporary Dance and Thought’s winter showcase
The SCDT will be performing their winter showcase, “Echoes,” at the Northampton Center for the Arts Workroom Theater at 33 Hawley St. in Northampton on Friday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. SCDT is in its 11th year and serves teens, ages 13 to 18, from towns throughout western Mass. The school also has outreach programs in Holyoke and Springfield, a younger group of students called “The Hatchlings,” as well as a full pit band of musicians called “The Hatchery Pit Band,” that creates original music for the dancers, and a production team that collaborates with video and music.
According to Jennifer Polins, the founding director of SCDT, the philosophy of this pre-professional program is to allow participants to create choreography rooted in their own cultural identity, and develop leadership and confidence in their ability to work together. The participants often create work that is very personal and meaningful to every one of the dancers. The mentorship that teens receive in the program demonstrate the professional standards of the dance, music and visual arts fields, and teach the participants as much about humanity as they do the skills necessary to thrive in the creative arts. One of the things that makes SCDT stand apart from other classes or studios is the position Polins takes that asks: “What happens when you hand a group of teens the creative reins — and pair them with professional artists who treat them like collaborators, not students?”
I attended one of the rehearsals for the upcoming performance and was immediately impressed by the cohesiveness of the teens and the way they talked about their shared experience in the group as a “family,” or a “community.” When I asked what they liked best about participating in the program, I kept hearing the word “joy.” One young woman made the point that the experience was teaching her “how much more dance can be.” When the rehearsal began, I realized how much they were also practicing discipline, strength training, technique and that ability to listen, observe and contribute support to others.
In the upcoming performance of “Echoes,” the 25 members of The Hatchery will perform pieces by acclaimed guest choreographers Ashirah Devi Dalomba (who was an original member of The Hatchery earlier in her career), Molly Rose-Williams, Katherine Kain and Jennifer Polins, as well as pieces developed by Hatchery Performance Company members, Irina Andrews, Serena Gross, Desmond Campbell, Anika Theis, Amber Von Renesse, Veronica Przystas, Jamie Rose and Inna Selman. Members of The Hatchlings, the younger group, will join in for the Dec. 20, 2 p.m. show. The Hatchery Pit Band will also be playing original works.
You can find more about SCDT and the upcoming performances at the Center for the Arts on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20, by checking SCDT’s website, https://www.scdtnoho.com/who-we-are.html, and consider whether the young person in your life could benefit from a program like The Hatchery, The Hatchlings, or the Hatchery Pit Band. The school will be holding auditions for spring participants, and more information can be found on the website. Tickets for “Echoes” can be purchased on Eventbrite.
The Hatchery and Hatchlings in the 2025 spring program, “Wonderland.”
Amherst Regional High School’s Production of ‘Briefs 2025’
On Nov. 21 and Nov. 22, nine 10-minute plays were performed at Amherst Regional High School (ARHS). The plays featured 23 students, and were directed by eight student-directors (one 10-minute show had to be canceled because of illness in the cast). As the annual kick-off to the Theater Company season, the students featured in the plays, directing and behind the scenes, represented some first-time performers, crew and backstage personnel, and more seasoned performers.
From the moment I entered the building until I left, I observed students supporting each other, caring for each other, and celebrating their victories, their flubs (unknown to me) and enjoying the sheer experience of engaging in a group activity where the work of every individual contributed to the success of all.
I asked John Bechtold, the director of the Theater Program at ARHS, what type of student is most likely to thrive in the Theater Program. He responded, “the live, shared experience that theater offers connects students to one another at a time where sustained, meaningful, in-person connection is hard to come by. Theater is essentially a huge group project which provides the social and creative scaffolding for students to connect … that realization that you can be part of a larger whole is huge for students.” The ARHS Theater Company has a student-run leadership team that encompasses all aspects of the production, he said. “That level of agency offers students a personal level of creative ownership that is priceless,” he said.
When I asked Bechtold and Polins what they feel when they see students gaining skill and learning from experience, they shared many of the same observations.
“I love watching students discover how making something new with other people is often such joyful and connective work,” Bechtold said. “And since the work is generative, ensemble-driven and done in-person, theater becomes a tremendous forum for discovery, growth and joy in our school.”
Polins smiled when I asked the same question of her, and said, “When you’re working with original material and seeing participants figuring it out themselves and trusting each other, it’s magical.”
I came away from my foray into the world of teen performance with the feeling that “the kids are alright” and are finding, with the help of friends and teachers, how to develop the skills of respect, hard work, commitment and community that will benefit them, no matter what they do later in life.
As the new year begins, why not introduce the young person in your life, whether a teen, or even younger, to the magic of performing arts? Opportunities abound in most communities, and when you introduce someone to the “now-ness” of in-person performance, you really learn about them, and about who they might become. That’s why Theater Matters.
