When I was a freshman, I wasn’t involved in many activities. The few activities I was involved in had very little commitment, so most of the time, I just went home bored after school. I finally decided that I needed to have something that was mine. That’s when I found theater. Cliché, but it’s true that the arts can let you express yourself. You get to be among people who also show themselves outwardly.
The fact is, at West, boys don’t generally participate in art-related activities. I am currently writing this in a newsroom with a ratio of he/him-ers to others of about 1:8. This isn’t only true for writing but also for performance. The ratio of boys to others in Theatre West’s “The Secret Garden” is about 1:2. Out of every three people, only one is a boy. This is a gaping hole that needs to be filled. Boys should be joining more artistic-related activities because it creates a much more enjoyable environment and increases competition.
Diversity increases how applicable pieces of art are to the audience. There are two main sections of arts: performing arts, such as band and choir, and visual arts, such as writing and painting. For performing arts, most of the time in theater, boys don’t compete with girls over lead roles. However, adding more boys to the pool increases the odds of finding a boy better suited for a character as well as greater diversity in talent. This also applies to visual arts in terms of receiving feedback. For writing, you get comments and suggestions from a more diverse gender pool of people, making your product applicable to larger demographics.
In general, arts allow people to do things they can’t do in other classes because they get to be creative. A class like painting or creative writing is the opposite of a class like calculus because there isn’t one answer. And, unlike sports, you don’t have to follow guidelines or rules. I can’t read over a drawing or speech and say, “This is wrong, it should be this.” The arts allow you to create whatever you want.
Additionally, the community involved in art-related activities is authentic. They are the realest people you will ever talk to. Since everyone can express who they are, they have no reason to hide things. This results in more honest conversations than people who do have something to hide, and so much learning about individuals in general. It’s also easier to be vulnerable in an environment where people aren’t hiding. It allows you to empathize with more people.
There are a couple of reasons why boys don’t join the arts. One big one being that they’re playing sports or doing different activities. However, arts take surprisingly little time out of your schedule if you just want to dip your toe into it; people can easily do both at once. Not only that, but you can even mix different types of activities together, such as doing sports journalism. Another reason is some people get scared of what others think of them. However, like I said, the people in the arts are open to the inclusion of every person and far better than those people who are judging you.
Boys, I know it might not be your thing or seem boring, but trust me. There is no way the arts are going to disappoint you. Every aspect of them is just so fun to do. The community, the ability to express yourself — everything. Let me remind you of that 1:8 ratio. It’s pretty low. So, I really have to end off with one final message. Please join journalism. Please. I’m begging.
