A Creative Haven in Rural Vermont

At the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury, VT, local high school students learn practical skills ranging from engine repair to sustainable agriculture. But within this setting, a unique program thrives: the Addison repertory Theater (A.R.T.).

In March, the 14 teens in Eric Reid-St. John’s classroom were putting the finishing touches on I’ll Tell You a Secret, an original play they would perform for the community. The production is set in the 1970s at a high school party in an abandoned house. Its themes—peer pressure, alienation, and betrayal—resonate across generations.

The students spent months building the set, composing music, and crafting characters, dialogue, and scenes. The show was set to open in just two days.

Reid-St. John, whom students call Eric, gave them notes.”Slow your delivery,” he directed one young actor. “I like the tender moments,” the teacher said. “But the tender moments need to be heard.”

Another student asked if he should actually sip from a can of seltzer—a stand-in for beer—during the performance. “If you’re supposed to be drinking on stage, drink on stage,” Reid-St. John told him.

A Unique Opportunity for Young Performers

For many young people, theater is an extracurricular activity. However, Addison County teens can hone their drama skills during the school day for academic credit. For 30 years, hannaford Career Center has housed the Addison Repertory Theater program, or A.R.T., alongside more typical technical education classes such as automotive technology, advanced manufacturing, and culinary arts.

The program provides a unique opportunity for students to participate in the performing arts in a hands-on, intensive way, with peers who share their creative interests.

“A.R.T. isn’t the type of class where you ‘just sit on a computer or learn about what mitochondria are,’” said Gabe Schmitt, a Middlebury Union High School senior. “We actually do stuff here.”

Students from Middlebury union, Vergennes Union High School, and Mount Abraham Union High School in Bristol can enroll in either a morning performance class focused on writing and acting or an afternoon technical class covering costuming, lighting, sound, and scenic design. Each class meets for two-hour blocks, five days a week, for the full school year. Students enroll for a year or two and earn credits in English, fine arts, and electives.

Transformative Impact

For some students, A.R.T. is more then just a class; it’s a lifeline. Alumnus Ben Isenberg, now a renowned fight choreographer, credits the program with setting him on his career path. Isenberg “remembered school as a mostly disappointing experience until he found a creative outlet in A.R.T.”

Raised in Cornwall, Isenberg attended A.R.T. from 2000 to 2002, then went to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a competitive theater arts conservatory. He later embarked on a career as a fight choreographer teaching actors how to use their bodies and weapons to create the illusion of violence onstage. Isenberg was the first resident fight director of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He currently works as a fight choreographer for New York City’s Metropolitan Opera.

“I would not be where I am today without A.R.T.,” Isenberg said. “Everything they set in place created a chain reaction that led me to where I am.”

Facing an Uncertain Future

Despite the program’s transformative power, its future is uncertain amid education-reform efforts and funding concerns.Across the U.S., arts programs in public schools are increasingly vulnerable as districts prioritize STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects and face budget constraints.

“We’re in a world where you have to justify things economically,” said Chris Yeaton, a Middlebury College professor. But some of what A.R.T.cultivates—connection, engagement, community—is not easily quantifiable.

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that between 2009 and 2019, the percentage of public high schools offering drama or theater courses decreased from 53% to 49%. This decline is more pronounced in schools with higher percentages of low-income students.

the effort to make the state’s education system more efficient and centralized could place programs such as A.R.T. on the chopping block, said David MacTavish, Hannaford’s superintendent.

A counterargument frequently enough raised is that arts programs are “non-essential” and divert resources from core academic subjects. Though, studies consistently demonstrate that arts education enhances academic performance, boosts student engagement, and fosters creativity and critical thinking skills that are valuable across all disciplines. Furthermore, a vibrant arts scene contributes to a community’s economic vitality and quality of life.

The Power of Performance

Those by-products were on display when students presented I’ll Tell You a Secret to a packed house of friends, family, and locals one Friday night last month. Costumed in ’70s-era jumpsuits, letterman jackets, and Chuck Taylors, the troupe put on a show that was equal parts funny, poignant, and creepy. The crowd reacted with laughter, gasps, and a standing ovation during the final bow.

The actors stood in the hallway after, greeting audience members as they filtered out.

“That was intense,” one person remarked.

“Really fun, guys,” another said.

Praise like that can count as much as a perfect mark on a test.

It’s confirmation that “you made an impact on another human being,” said Cosgrove, one of the student actors.