At REACH! Partnership School (REACH!), the stage has become more than a place to perform; it has become a place for students to find their voice.
“A lot of students come into high school still figuring out who they are—this gives them a place to explore that,” said Jamaira Johnson, a senior at REACH! “Theater helped me feel more confident in myself.
In just a few short years, theater at REACH! has grown from a single class into a full program, offering students opportunities to act, sing, design, produce, and collaborate. For many, it is their first exposure to the arts.
“Every year, we’ve added a new level of challenge, and the students have met it,” Xander Conte, Biology, Chemistry, & Fine Arts Drama Teacher said.
Conte remembers his first class had around 60 students, mostly seniors, across two periods. “Those first students were willing to be authentic and expressive in a way that theater requires—and that’s what made it work.”
Conte found a stage manager and partner to help grow the theater program in the form of Marina Fazio, English teacher and stage manager and director.
“I had done theater in high school,” Fazio said. "I remembered how great and influential it had been for me as a part of my high school experience and like helping me shape the person I was today. So, I really wanted our kids to have that same experience.”
In the first year, students who had never performed put on a short production of “Almost, Maine” for their school classmates. The result was electrifying. Some of the students who watched the performance came up to ask how they could get involved—including Jamaria, who was Cinderella in last year’s performance.
From there, the program grew. “Almost, Maine” was a 20-minute performance. The next year, the school did a production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which was thirty-minutes and had elements of musical performance as well.
“We went from an in-school performance to a full weekend production—that’s when the culture really started to take hold,” Conte explained.
Then, last year, “Cinderella” was fifty-minutes and included not only musical numbers but choreography, costume changes, and set changes. The program had also grown with additional staff including Liam Gladding (Technical Director), Nicholas Bavani (Music Director), Katie Busch (Costumes), and Ciara Hall (Dance Teacher/Cinderella choreographer).
In addition to their fall and spring productions, the students also help produce performances for special events like Black History Month. These smaller productions allow for more student involvement, especially students who may be busy with athletics or other commitments throughout the year.
This year, The REACH! Partnership Players will be performing Disney’s “Frozen,” and the production is even more challenging than previous shows. “We just keep growing the program and showing what Baltimore City students are capable of,” Conte said.
Reflecting on the program’s success, Fazio emphasized that it’s measured not only by strong productions, but by each student’s individual growth. “We have a number of students [where] their attendance improved once they had a reason they knew they wanted to come to school every single day.”
“The wonderful thing about theater is that it’s easy entry and there’s many different aspects to theater to engage student interest. You can come in and be a complete newbie, and there is still a place for you to be able to find something you can do in this program,” Fazio said.
The students agreed. Daisy Diggs, who plays Elsa in “Frozen,” said, “You get a lot of experience... there's a lot that you can get from theater.”
Tyle Moore, a senior, said, “theater is important because it helps students express their creativity. It’s a place where you can act, sing, work on set, or design.”
Jamaira agreed. “I enjoy the costumes and stuff mostly because I like dressing up. I always have. So theater was like an outlet for me to just be myself and enjoy being with people.”
Carrie Knight, who plays Anna in “Frozen,” says, “I believe that theater in school is important as it allows students to express themselves freely.” She believes that students don’t always get that opportunity and credits theater for giving her and others the space to be themselves.
The program also introduces students to new experiences—from rehearsals and productions to field trips to local theaters—and, in some cases, even shapes their future goals. Jamaria, for example, recently was able to participate in the Bloomberg Arts Internship.
As City Schools’ Fine Arts programs continue to grow, access to the arts is expanding for students across Baltimore City. Theater, like the program at REACH!, is more than just performing on stage—it is a space where students discover their talents, develop new skills, and gain confidence that carries inside and beyond the classroom.