We need to save the Summer Teen Musical. (Renton Reporter, Oct. 23, 35 laid off, services cut in city budget plan.)

This program is vital to the youth in this area. This not only provides an outlet for their creative development, this is a primary source of real world experience these teens can take with them and become active, productive members of our working society. If you think about all the things that make a good employees, you can see the obvious parallels to theater participants. Not just actors, but backstage and sound/audio workers, costume and prop managers, set builders and designers, directors and instructors are all depended on to make it all work. They have to have solid attendance, a strong work ethic, be willing to learn new things, and new ways of doing things, They have to work together as a team as well as possess leadership qualities. Exercise, endurance, and strength, the importance of taking care good care of your health are all included in the theater. Youth team sports provide a lot of these same skills but in the end everyone gets a trophy; this isn’t the case in theater or in the real world. Theater is much closer to the real-life situations we all face. Theater proves that we all do a good job and the best of our ability, simply because its the right thing to do, and generally it gets its reward in applause, but the next day, it starts all over again and what was great yesterday is a memory and it matters that you do great again today. And if it happens to be recognized as outstanding and gets the trophy then all the better; but if it doesn’t get the trophy, it doesn’t diminish any of the lessons learned and experiences had by these young people.

On a very basic level this program gives our area young people a place to express themselves in a positive and productive environment during the summer months. Parents know their children are being supervised and frankly not out getting into trouble, damaging property, or getting hurt by others that are out there without direction. This program creates a profit for this city bottom line, and it also turns a profit financially too.

Amanda Briggs

Renton