SAVE THE MOUNT HOPE MASQUERADERS

Please don’t take the theatre department away! It means so much to so many people and it a great way for people putting themselves out there and making friends and having a great high school experience. I have no idea what I would do with my self if theatre wasn’t a thing and I know all the students involved who too.

Theatre is so important indoor many ways!

THIS IS INTEGRAL to so many students and is their safe Haven and refuge where they get to grow and explore their talents. Cutting this program is a crime against our youth.

Come on man

Save the arts!!

I’m in tears thinking about if I hadn’t been in theatre in high school. I say CONSTANTLY it was the best part of school (until the end of junior year.) The theatre room, auditorium and the foyer were our homes away from home. It was our comfort, where we KNEW we were loved, inspired, and encouraged to be ourselves. My entire sophomore and junior years were spent with the actors and techies, every single one of my pictures are with cast, crew or my ASM/SM best friend. We lived for hell week. We literally WALKED TO CUMBIES before rehearsals, and walked back with bags of snacks and slushees (and coffee from Dunkin), we stocked the fridge with dinners, ordered more pizza than we probably should have; we spent SO much time at school- and we LOVED it. For a LOT of students, I know theatre was the one reason we looked forward to being in school, and had motivation to do well. I feel physically sick. I have typed and erased so many feelings and memories and lessons that I learned JUST FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE THEATER PROGRAM at Mt. Hope. Please don’t let this happen.

Theatre at Mt.Hope changed my life. Getting rid of it is telling children in theatre that they don’t matter. When I was in high school I didn’t feel welcome and honestly always felt very out of place, but the theatre room was a safe space and I can’t imagine that space not being provided for future generations. Taking away theatre is unacceptable. It teaches public speaking, confidence, dedication, patience, teamwork, hard work, understanding, and so much more.

So sad for the kids. Very disappointed.

Don't take theater away from Mt Hope! It was my only outlet in high school outside of classes because I didn't play sports.

Art is essential for the minds of children.

Theatre is ESSENTIAL for students, it helped me and so many others survive as teens and thrive later in life with the skills we acquired.

The students should have their theatre program!

this is the stupidest decision bwrsd has ever made

Erasing the arts is erasing opportunities to learn.

Sending love from an arts high school in Florida!!

I hope this decision is over turned, theater was a life saver for me in high school.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I would not be a video editor for GBH’s WORLD Channel without Mr. Hope’s Theatre Program. In high school I had a number of career trajectories I considered, they all came from different movies, but nothing stuck. I decided to join my friends in theatre my sophomore year and quickly I became a stage manger, a writer and even interned at 2nd Story Theatre thanks to Mrs. Schlink. Through that internship I became playwright and that led me to screenwriting which led me to video editing. Without theatre I wouldn’t be happily working in television.

These classes are so important to so many kids. I know we value our traditional academics and our athletics, but this is no side show. This is just as important. Turn on your tv. You watch sports and you watch theater. Shows, movies - it is high school theater programs that sparked it all. Please.

Anyone who gets rid of the arts in any schools does not deserve to be on the school committee. You people need to wake up and understand that those things are just as important as math and science.

Please rethink this decision. It feels as though this is being done for financial concerns as opposed to ensuring that your students have access to diverse and quality programming. What a shame that would be.