The Curtain Call: Celebrating a Year of Student Theatre Success!
Plus, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed!
Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed. In this week's edition:
In this issue, we explore how theatre teachers can meaningfully close out the school year by celebrating their students’ growth, honoring the hard work behind each production, recognizing seniors, reflecting on challenges, and passing the torch with purpose, offering practical, heartfelt strategies to help you end the season with intention, gratitude, and a lasting sense of community.
We also explore how theatre educators can thoughtfully cast their productions in ways that honor both excellence and equity, celebrating standout talent while making every student feel like a valued part of the story, onstage and off.
Don’t miss this week’s free read from Playscripts: Shattered by Molly Horan.
And be sure to catch the latest episode of The Scene podcast, featuring a special conversation with acclaimed playwright Anna Ziegler!
So, raise the curtain and shine the spotlight as we dive into another thrilling week in the theatre world. Welcome to The Scene.
Lea Michele Resuscitated ‘Funny Girl.’ Her Next Move Is ‘Chess.’ by Michael Paulson, The New York Times | The “Glee” star will join Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher next fall in a Broadway revival of an Abba-adjacent Cold War musical. Read...
On Creating a Resonant and Realistic Play about Teen Girls with ‘John Proctor Is the Villain’ by Ruthie Fierberg, Broadway News | Tony Award-nominated director Danya Taymor and Tony-nominated playwright Kimberly Belflower reveal the inner workings of the Broadway drama. Read...
Playwright Sanaz Toossi on the scene from English she had to rewrite for Broadway (With the Help of Ricky Martin) by Diep Tran, and Jeffrey Vizcaíno, Playbill | English is currently nominated for five Tony Awards, while making Tony history. Read...
Brooklyn educator Gary Edwin Robinson to receive the Tony’s 2025 Excellence in Theatre Education Award by Michael Abourizk, Broadway News | Robinson is the first New York City educator to be honored. Read...
Where Did the 78th Annual Tony Award Nominees Go to College? by Dylan Parent, Playbill | Find out which colleges and universities have the most alumni among this year's Tony nominees. Read...
Inspired by “The Crucible,” Miniatures, and “Harriet the Spy” by Sarah Larson, The New Yorker | Kimberly Belflower, the writer of the Tony-nominated play “John Proctor Is the Villain,” starring Sadie Sink, admires doll houses and pays tribute to a childhood hero. Read...
The Big Idea
The Curtain Call: Celebrating a Year of Student Theatre Success!
By Zach Dulli, The Scene
You made it. The school year is almost over. All the shows have closed. The applause has faded. The stage is dark. And now you’re standing in your classroom, black box, or converted cafeteria stage, looking around and thinking: “Should we celebrate our theatre program?”
The answer is: yes. Absolutely. Every year. And not later. Now. Before your students scatter into summer jobs, graduation parties, internships, beach trips, and well-earned naps, take the time to mark this moment, not just for them, but for you.
Because let’s be honest: you didn’t just direct a musical or mount a play this year. You created a space. A world. You built something from nothing and filled it with courage, sweat, laughter, heartbreak, and joy. You gave students a place to belong, to be bold, and to be themselves. And that deserves a proper curtain call.
Here are a few ideas to help you wrap up the school year/theatre season in a way that’s meaningful and memorable.
1. Have a Celebration: Even If It’s Low Key
You don’t need a banquet hall or a big budget to make your students feel seen. You just need intention.
Maybe it’s a potluck in your classroom. A casual awards ceremony with paper plate trophies and handwritten superlatives. Or maybe it’s just an afternoon of sitting in a circle, telling stories, laughing at rehearsal mishaps, and remembering the journey you all took together.
What matters is that you make space for it. Because theatre kids don’t always hear “Great job.” More often, they hear “Louder,” “Faster,” “We open Friday.”
So, take the time to say, I saw you. Tell them what they did right. Be specific. Be genuine. That kind of recognition lasts. It lets students know they weren’t just part of a production, they were part of something real. Something that mattered.
2. Call Out the Little Things, They’re the Big Things
You saw it. That quiet freshman who didn’t speak for the first two weeks and then nailed their one line in every performance. The stage manager who held the whole production together with duct tape and determination. The senior who led warm-ups at the start of every rehearsal so that you could grab a quick snack and a moment alone before rehearsal.
Tell them. Out loud. I See You. Don’t wait for a trophy to say who mattered. If a kid showed up with heart, if they grew, if they gave something of themselves, they deserve to hear about it. We all remember the moment a teacher told us we made a difference. Be that teacher.
3. Talk Honestly About What Went Wrong and What It Taught Everyone
Let’s not sugarcoat it: this year wasn’t perfect. No school year ever is, and no theatre season ever runs entirely according to plan. You had your moments. We all do. The mic that cut out right in the middle of the big solo. The quick-change that wasn’t quick enough. The cast member who got sick and the understudy who stepped in with 24 hours' notice and saved the show.
And you know what? That’s part of it. That’s the work. That’s what makes theatre not just an art form, but a training ground for life. Talk about it with your students. Acknowledge the missteps, the pivots, the moments when it felt like the whole thing might fall apart, and didn’t.
Because every time something went sideways, and your students regrouped, adjusted, supported each other, and kept going, they learned something more valuable than a perfect performance. They learned how to adapt. How to lead. How to stay grounded in the moment and move forward anyway. They learned that the show doesn’t always go on as planned, but it still goes on.
When you discuss what went wrong, you’re not airing mistakes; you’re honoring the truth of what it takes to create something together. You’re showing students that perfection was never the goal; resilience was. Creativity was. Collaboration was. And those skills? They’ll take them a lot further than a clean run of Act II ever could.
So don’t skip that part of the conversation. The chaos taught them something. And so did you.
4. Give Your Seniors the Space to Say Goodbye
They’re ready, but let’s be honest, they’re not ready. Your graduating students are saying farewell to more than a stage. They’re leaving behind a home. A community. A place where they were allowed, maybe for the first time, to be brave, to be weird, and to be unapologetically brilliant.
So, give them a moment. A speech, a gift, a ritual that tells them this ending matters. Invite them to reflect, to take pride in what they’ve built, and to share what this program has meant to them. Because their impact goes far beyond the roles they played. It’s in how they led, how they showed up, and how they made space for others.
Let them speak. Let them laugh, cry, thank each other, the underclassman, their parents, the volunteers, and yes, even you. It might get emotional. That’s okay. That means it mattered. And when they walk away, they won’t just be leaving a theatre program, they’ll be carrying it with them.
5. Pass the Torch with Intention
As the curtain closes on this season, don’t let your younger students mistake it for an ending. Help them understand it’s actually the beginning of their next chapter, and their chance to lead.
The departure of seniors can leave a void. Suddenly, the student who always managed backstage chaos or rallied everyone before the curtain call is gone. But that space? It’s not just empty, it’s waiting to be filled. And your underclassmen need to know it belongs to them now.
So don’t let the year end quietly. Set the stage, literally and emotionally, for what’s next. Let students know about upcoming productions. Tell them what kinds of roles and responsibilities will need new hands. Invite them to imagine how they will step up, whether as cast leaders, crew heads, mentors, or simply the ones who make new students feel like they belong.
Ask them to reflect on the following questions:
1. Who helped them feel included when they were new?
2. What part of the theatre program’s culture do they want to protect and grow?
3. What kind of example do they want to set?
Because when students feel like the program is theirs, when they feel trusted, empowered, and expected to lead, they don’t just show up. They show up ready. Ready to rehearse. Ready to collaborate. Ready to carry the torch.
Leadership in theatre doesn’t come from titles, it comes from action. And when you invite your students into that kind of ownership, you’re not just preparing them for next year. You’re giving them the tools to grow as artists and as people.
6. Say Thank You Loudly and Mean It
Thank the parents who built sets on weekends. Thank the volunteers who sold tickets and swept confetti off the stage. Thank the custodians who turned a blind eye when you stayed late again. Thank your students for their trust, time, energy, and the way they showed up for one another. And don’t forget to thank yourself.
Yes, you. The teacher who stayed long after everyone else went home. Who fixed the broken mic, calmed the panicked cast member, and made magic out of a shoestring budget? You built something from nothing. You created a space where students could grow, take risks, find their people, and become more fully themselves. That’s not just teaching. That’s transformational. And it matters.
7. Don’t Just End, Close the Chapter
Theatre is one of the rare places in a school where students are invited to be fully themselves, brave, vulnerable, messy, magnificent, and fully present. You created that space. You held it open for them. That’s no small thing.
As the year draws to a close, offer them one more gift: the chance to look back. To reflect. To recognize what they built together and what they became along the way.
Because years from now, they may not remember every line, costume, or lighting cue. But they’ll remember how they felt in your program. That they belonged. That they mattered. That for a moment, they were part of something bigger than themselves, something beautiful, true, and unforgettable.
That’s what stays with them. That’s the curtain call.
Ian McKellen to Introduce Trans/Non-Binary Twelfth Night in London by Margaret Hall, Playbill | Theatre company “Trans What You Will” will livestream the performances. Read...
Ride the Cyclone to Get U.K. Premiere by Margaret Hall, Playbill | The cult-favorite musical is finally crossing the pond. Read...
See Who's Joining Adeel Akhtar in The Estate World Premiere at London's National by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The new play from debut playwright Shaan Sahota begins at the U.K. company in July. Read...
Dozens of Festival Plays Worth Traveling to This Summer by Laura Collins-Hughes and Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times | Across the country, you’ll find Shakespeare in amphitheaters, exciting new works on intimate stages, and many regional repertories in bucolic settings. Read...
Guthrie Theater Stages A Dramatic Fiscal Comeback by Rohan Preston, The Minnesota Star Tribune | The theater still reports a deficit, but it’s smaller a year after posting a record $3.8 million shortfall. Read...
Ato Blankson-Wood, Tony Danza, Elizabeth Lail, and More Join the Williamstown Theatre Festival Season by Meg Masseron and Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The screen stars join the previously announced Pamela Anderson, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, and many more. Read...
The Spotlight
Balancing Talent and Inclusion: How to Cast for Success and Participation
by Zach Dulli, The Scene
High school theatre is about much more than putting on a polished show, it’s about fostering a sense of community where students feel valued and included. For many theatre educators, balancing the goal of creating the strongest possible production with the desire to provide opportunities for all students is one of the most delicate and challenging aspects of the casting process. Every student brings something unique to the table, and it’s your job to make them feel like a meaningful part of the production, even if they aren’t in a lead role.
The Dilemma
Prioritizing Talent for Lead Roles: Lead roles carry much of the responsibility for a production’s success. Casting the most talented performers in these roles can elevate the show's quality and inspire the entire cast. However, this can sometimes leave less experienced or confident students feeling overshadowed or unimportant.
Ensuring Inclusion: Theatre is a place for everyone, regardless of skill level or experience. Students who don’t land principal roles may feel like they don’t have a meaningful place in the production, leading to disengagement or frustration. For directors, it’s crucial to find ways to include every student in a way that feels purposeful, even if they aren’t center stage.
Strategies for Balancing Talent and Inclusion
Thinking outside the box when assigning roles can help you craft a cast that reflects both talent and inclusivity. Consider:
Non-Traditional Casting: Could a traditionally male role be played by a female performer or vice versa? For example, swapping genders for roles in a Shakespeare play can create opportunities for underrepresented students. Of course, if you're working with a play not in the public domain, i.e., something that you need to pay royalties for, then don’t forget that it’s essential to check in with the licensing company that represents the title first, because not all titles allow for changes.
Role Expansion: Look for ways to expand minor roles to give less experienced students more time to shine. For instance, a character with only a few lines could be given more stage business, reactions, or even a brief solo. This makes more students feel invested while ensuring the story stays intact.
Casting for Growth: When deciding between two actors of similar talent, consider which student would benefit most from the challenge. Casting someone who needs a confidence boost in a significant role can transform their self-esteem and development.
Elevate the Ensemble
Too often, ensemble roles are viewed as “less important” than leads, but a strong ensemble is the foundation of any great production. As a director, you have the power to redefine what it means to be part of the ensemble:
Choreograph standout moments for the ensemble, such as featured dance numbers or staged “mini-scenes” that give them the spotlight.
Encourage ensemble members to develop unique characters, even if they don’t have lines. Give them backstories and opportunities to create memorable moments in the background.
Recognize and celebrate ensemble work during rehearsals. Point out when someone in the ensemble does something particularly creative or impactful, and make it clear that their contributions are valued.
Provide Opportunities in Tech and Leadership
Not every student shines on stage, but that doesn’t mean they can’t play a vital role in the production. Encourage students who don’t land acting roles to explore other areas of theatre, including:
Technical roles, including lighting, sound, costumes, set construction, and props, offer creative outlets for students who may not feel comfortable performing.
Students with strong organizational skills or leadership potential can excel in roles such as stage managers or assistant directors.
If your production allows for student involvement in theatre design, encourage them to contribute to sets, costumes, or promotional marketing materials.
When students see that these roles are celebrated as equally crucial to the production's success, they’ll feel proud of their contributions.
Foster a Culture of Appreciation
How you talk about roles, both leads and ensemble, sets the tone for how students perceive their place in the production. Make it clear from the start that every role, onstage or off, is vital to the show’s success. Use rehearsals and meetings to reinforce this message by recognizing contributions at every level, from the smallest ensemble moment to the tech crew’s efforts behind the scenes.
Provide Growth Opportunities for All Students
Casting isn’t just about putting on a single show; it’s about helping students grow as performers, collaborators, and individuals. Offer opportunities for all students to develop their skills throughout the process:
Workshops and Coaching: Offer workshops in acting, singing, or dancing to help students at all levels enhance their skills. This can make ensemble members feel like they’re gaining something valuable, even if they’re not in a lead role.
Student-Driven Moments: Students can pitch ideas for choreography, staging, or character development. When they feel a sense of ownership over the production, they’re more likely to stay engaged and invested.
Future Preparation: Provide constructive feedback after auditions and encourage students to see their current role as a stepping stone toward future opportunities.
The Big Picture
Ultimately, the most successful productions are those where every student feels like an integral part of the process. When students see how their role, no matter its size, fits into the big picture, they’re more likely to take pride in their work and approach the production with enthusiasm and commitment.
As a theatre educator and director, balancing talent and inclusion is a delicate but essential task. By thinking creatively, celebrating all contributions, and fostering a supportive environment, you can create a production that not only showcases the best talent but also ensures that every student walks away with a sense of accomplishment and belonging. High school theatre is about more than just the final performance; it’s about the growth, connection, and memories students make along the way.
Free Reads of the Week
Read entire plays for free! Playscripts offers a selection of full-length and one-act plays that you can access for free, which is ideal for use in theatre productions, school performances, or competitions. To explore these titles, click on the cover image below or select the "READ FOR FREE" button at the bottom of this section. This action will direct you to the play's page on the Playscripts website. Once there, click "READ NOW" to begin enjoying the play immediately!
Shattered by Molly Horan
The Story: Janie is a high school student who knows the lay of the land; she is intelligent, quick-witted, cultured, and it seems like Adam, her classmate whom she has had a crush on forever, might actually be interested in her. But after a freak accident at school, Janie is left to reckon with her mom, her friends, how the world sees her now, and if Adam really wants to be a part of her future.
Genre: Drama | Run-Time: 40 - 50 minutes | Casting: 3 W, 2 M
Please note: From May 15 to August 15, The Scene will be moving to a bi-weekly publishing schedule. We'll return to our regular weekly schedule after that. Thanks for your continued support, and have a great summer!
