Imagine a group of high school students beginning a club in the fall. They assemble every day for a few hours to practice their positions. They are a team and work for months and months, getting better all the time. They all wear uniforms and they all take pride in what they do. All their practice leads to one final night, the one they’ve been working towards for months. They have had a pep-talk and enter the arena. The curtains open and S*T*A*G*E begins to perform.

What most people don’t realize is how similar theater and sports truly are. Both have practices for months, both have hard-working teams and both put 100 percent of their effort into what they do. Yet, theater is still looked down upon by many. While participants don’t have games every week, they still work hard for four performances and like sports teams, deserve equal respect for those efforts. These are not simply kids on a stage reading lines and playing pretend. These are skilled actors putting forth their best effort to create an amazing performance and should be acknowledged as such.