Why Theatre Matters in the Mat-Su Valley: Growing Confidence, Community, and Creativity Close to Home
Contributed by Elizabeth Stout
If you ask a young performer why they love theatre, the answers are often joyful and immediate: “It’s fun!” “I get to pretend to be someone else” “My friends are here!”
But behind the costumes, laughter, and applause, theatre does something deeper, especially here in the Mat-Su Valley. It builds community. It gives young people a place to belong. It provides structure, expression, connection, and opportunity in a region where access to the arts isn’t always guaranteed, and where distance, winter isolation, and limited enrichment programs can leave students searching for connection.
That carries special weight in the Mat-Su Valley where, for many families, community organizations provide the only consistent pathway to performing arts education. When students participate in organizations like MASCOTarts, VPA, Alaska Theatre of Youth, or school drama clubs, they’re not just performing — they’re filling an educational gap.
Through rehearsals, script analysis, staging, and performance, students develop: Reading fluency and comprehension, memory and focus and verbal and nonverbal communication, As well as critical thinking, creative problem-solving and executive functioning skills.
Youth in the Mat-Su Valley are facing real challenges. According to the 2024 Mat-Su Public Health Report, 42% of teens report persistent sadness or hopelessness, and nearly one in four have seriously considered suicide.
At the same time, school engagement remains an ongoing concern, with graduation rates hovering near 80% and chronic absenteeism increasing. Research shows that participation in the arts and theatre in particular is tied to higher academic motivation, improved emotional regulation, and increased school connectedness.
Theatre provides community, purpose, and belonging key protective factors identified by the Alaska Mental Health Trust and CDC. In short: the more meaningful opportunities our youth have to connect, create, and belong, the stronger and healthier our community becomes.
For some kids, theatre isn’t a hobby — it’s a pathway to confidence, purpose, and hope.
As one MASCOTarts parent put it,
“My child didn’t just find theatre — they found their people.”
Research doesn’t just show that theatre is beneficial — it shows that the benefits deepen when opportunities expand. Communities with multiple, layered arts pathways see stronger outcomes in leadership, creativity, civic engagement, and school success. Our community is growing faster than almost any region in Alaska. With new families arriving every month and schools with budget restraints, youth programming and enrichment infrastructure must scale to keep up.
When there are more classes, more productions, more rehearsal spaces, and more opportunities at different developmental stages, young people don’t just try theatre — they grow with it.
More theatre programs here means:
· More children are included, not turned away
· More students find their niche (acting, costumes, tech, directing, writing)
· More families become engaged
· More performances bring the community together. With increased opportunities for local partnerships with libraries, schools, the borough, and business sponsors
· A stronger creative workforce in Alaska
In a region where distance can create isolation, abundance matters. The more stages we build, the more voices we hear. The more we invest, the more young people step forward.
When a child in the Mat-Su Valley steps onto a stage, they are stepping into possibility. The possibility to grow confidence, empathy, creativity, leadership, and voice. The research proves its value. Our youth feel its impact. Our community strengthens because of it.
The Mat-Su Valley is uniquely Alaskan: mountains rising beyond neighborhoods, moose crossing sports fields, auroras dancing above winter skies. Our children grow up surrounded by wonder, and theatre gives them a space to process, express, and celebrate their lived experience.
Whether rehearsing indoors with fresh snow outside, performing Shakespeare under summer sunlight, or bringing new Alaskan stories to life, youth theatre reinforces local identity and strengthens community pride.
Our voices belong here. Our stories belong here. The arts belong here. Theatre doesn’t just transform individuals. It transforms entire communities.
This is why theatre matters, especially in the Mat-Su Valley. And why having more theatre matters even more. Ready to find your people? Your stage? Your community? MASCOTarts spring classes are open — join us. Find us at MASCOTARTS.org.