Nowadays high school isn’t as black and white as you would have seen in movies a few decades ago. In most high schools nowadays, the “nerdy” kids aren’t being shoved into lockers and the “jocks” aren’t all douchebags. But from this era of overdramatized high school cliches, there is one that has stayed almost the same through time. And these individuals are known as “Theatre Kids”.
Theatre kids are students who are deeply passionate about school plays, drama clubs, musicals, etc. They are often very high in expressiveness and commonly have a lot of energy to them. And yet in a lot of people’s eyes, these are seen as bad things.
There is this constant negative stigma around theater kids. This negative view stems from cultural stereotypes of these students and people being overly dramatic, loud, and eccentric, behavior that some may find to be off-putting.
There are many stereotypes about theatre kids that paint them in a bad light. One is the idea of there being a constant performance. While yes, some people do break out in random songs sometimes, that’s not a realistic label to place on everyone who likes theatre.
Another aspect that brings very negative views of these students comes from the clear standing out amongst the common student body. These students often stand out a lot, especially through their love for the performance arts that in a lot of ways separates them more from other students, stretching the stigma around these students more persistently.
High School clique culture and the traditional social hierarchy that exists in high school that favors popularity and athletes over the arts place these students who love these art forms to be placed lower on these social ladders; as well as the view on these students for never stopping being themselves can be looked at strangely or even down upon.
Yet, these stereotypes are completely overblown and a bad representation of these students. Theatre is an art form that requires more than just an expressive ego; it requires teamwork, dedication, and true passion. These social spaces, although shown in a constant negative light, are actually great environments, especially for students, as they offer safe, unique spaces for people who are just the traditional students with traditional interests to have a place to express themselves without judgement.
Although Theatre Kids are painted in a way that makes them seem like exactly what the stereotypes say they are, it’s much deeper than just that. The level of dedication and genuine love for performing arts is nothing to be shamed for, as these spaces made for these expressive individuals should be highlighted instead for their great inclusivity and for making everyone who enters them feel like they can truly be themselves.
