Unless you live under a rock, its likely that you’ve heard of ERHS’s  theatre program. They put on several wonderful productions every year, one such production this year being Willy Wonka. In addition to these productions, Merica Frost teaches several drama classes in school. One such class is her fifth period advanced musical theatre class. It is an elective class based on improving theatrical performing skills (singing, dancing, and acting). According to several accounts, the class includes a lot of physical exertion and there have been some past arguments that the class should count towards Physical Education credits at our school.

Luke Silva is a sophomore who is currently enrolled in the Advanced Musical Theatre class.  When asked if he believed that the class should count for PE credits, he immediately answered “Yes, without a doubt!” he took a regular physical education class last year, and he felt that his new elective is much more physically demanding.

He described the class as very rigorous. ‘In fifth [period], every single week I’m sweating so much, my body is sore… [and] we’re always working out.” If a class is making its students sore nearly  every week, it can be concluded that it is very similar to a PE class and therefore deserves to be treated as such.

Christian Sanchez is a junior who has been in Frost’s Advanced musical theatre class for all three years of high school.  He agrees that the class should get PE credits because “it’s a lot of work and it’s a lot of commitment.” It’s not unusual for warm ups alone to work up a good sweat. Sanchez says “we do a lot of cardio, like in workouts and in dances.”

Exercise is almost always involved in a typical class. Luke Silva said that choreographers come in every Monday and that “we do a lot of dancing.” The class is kicked off with a warm-up consisting of cardio and stretching, according to Christian Sanchez. After that, the routine changes from class to class. Currently, the class is preparing for some future competitions and performances, so “usually we’re rehearsing for vocals for that or we’re working with a choreographer to stage everything,” as stated by Marley Naguna, an experienced dancer and student of the performance class.

While it seems that the class is mainly focused on dancing, it is not the sole component of theatre. Students often sing together, rehearsing their vocals in groups. Because of this, it is arguable that the class isn’t really a physical education class as its sole purpose is not to get its students to exercise. Nevertheless, the class is exhausting and its students get a workout from its activities, which does correspond with the goal of fitness for ERHS’s physical education classes.

If there’s one word each of the students interviewed would use to describe the class, it would likely  be “rigorous.” Sanchez rated the class’s rigor on a scale of one to ten, giving it an eight. Naguna feels that the class is difficult because of how one must “balance dancing and singing at the same time, while still performing, so it’s a lot harder than people make it  out to be.” Silva gave a similar statement, emphasizing that students in the class “need to have a lot of strength,” since difficult choreography requires that “the guys need to be able to lift the girls” while the girls “need to have enough core [strength] to be lifted.”

It seems to be a general consensus that Frost’s fifth period class should count for PE credits. Students feel that the class is just as, if not more, demanding than a regular PE class. In addition, Sanchez shared his sentiment that the class  should qualify for varsity letters, since other performing arts groups like band and choir are able to.

It’s impossible to know if there will be any changes made to these policies, but until then, we can all look forward to more astounding performances from theatre.