March is THEATRE IN OUR SCHOOLS Month- Kelli O'Hara Supports the Cause in New PSA!

Conventional wisdom accepts that Star Wars and the Super Bowl attract an audience of millions. What's less well known is that about 50 million people attend one of more than 37,000 school theatre performances annually in the United States.

The Theatre in Our Schools (TIOS) Campaign, being held in March, is an opportunity to inform them, and millions more, that the pleasure they get from seeing a show on stage is just one of many benefits that school theatre brings to all involved. A January, 2016 article in American Theatre compiled data from licensing houses to estimate the total annual school theatre audience.

Winner of a 2015 Tony for The King and I, Kelli O'Hara, is the 2016 spokesperson for the TIOS Campaign, a program to raise public awareness of the value of theatre education and draw attention to the need for more access to quality programs for all students. The program is jointly sponsored by the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) and theEducational Theatre Association (EdTA).

Ms. O'Hara has recorded a series of PSAs. In the first being released today [watch], she tells what she learned from theatre education-a lesson more far-reaching than learning lines. To promote TIOS she, along with the members of AATE, EdTA and the 100,000 members of International Thespian Society for drama students, will be sharing them on social media.

In a recent interview she elaborated saying, "Education is the most essential tool we can use in order to lead a full and passionate life. I learned what it meant to love art, to embrace differences, to break down walls of insecurity, and to grow as an actress and as a person." O'Hara credited her drama teacher, Dixie Lee Jordan, at Deer Creek High School in Edmond, an Oklahoma City suburb.

O'Hara is known by audiences on Broadway and beyond for South Pacific, The Pajama Game and Light in the Piazza, workin the TV series Sex in the City and for her starring role as Mrs. Darling in "Peter Pan Live" on NBC. She is a frequent guest artist on the PBS Memorial Day and July 4th telecasts.

Gary Minyard, AATE president said, "Being a part of my high school's theatre department helped shape my artistic curiosity. I'm thrilled to celebrate TIOS and advocate for the power of live theatrical experiences with people all over the country."

TIOS is timely in that its March celebration occurs the same month as the Americans for the Arts-sponsored Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. March 7-8. Additionally, both Music in Our Schools and Youth Art Month are observed in March.

The recent authorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which asserts that arts education should be part of the well-rounded education of all students, makes this observance all the more timely. TIOS provides an opportunity for students, parents, communities, school boards and elected officials to become familiar with the benefits of school theatre participation.

Julie Theobald, EdTA Executive Director said, "Just think about how many adults fear public speaking-that wouldn't be the case if there was theatre in every school."

She added that participation in theatre in school is closely aligned with the development of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication, key skills cited in the 21st Century Skills Map, a guide for arts educators developed through a non-profit collaboration of business leaders and arts associations, including EdTA and AATE.

The EdTA-Utah State University 2012 Survey of Theatre Education in United States High Schools found 95 percent of school administrators believe that theatre experiences improve students overall academic skills. Conversely, the National Center for Educational Statistics report, Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools stated that in 2010 only 28 percent of public high schools in high poverty areas offer theatre instruction.

For more information visit Theatre in Our Schools and follow #TIOS16 and #TheatreinOurSchools.