Fort Worth ISD Expanding Theatre Access While Many Districts Cut Back

At a time when many U.S. school districts are reducing or consolidating their arts programs, Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) is moving firmly in the opposite direction. This year FWISD announced a major expansion of its theatre offerings with five brand new programs: three full-time middle school programs and two full-time programs for grades 6-12. The district will now support 39 theatre programs in total with 18 high school programs and 21 middle school programs. FWISD has signaled a bold commitment to arts education at a moment when such commitments are increasingly rare.

To understand the significance of this growth, StageAgent spoke with C. Nicholas Morris, Coordinator of Dance and Theatre for FWISD. His insights reveal not only why theatre matters in Fort Worth, but also how the district is nurturing a thriving ecosystem for young performers, technicians, and arts-minded students.

C. Nicholas Morris, M.A. Ed. Dance and Theatre Coordinator | Visual and Performing Arts. Fort Worth Independent School District

The National Context: Theatre Educators Are Doing More With Less

The Educational Theatre Association’s most recent ‘State of Theatre Education’ survey paints a complex picture of theatre in U.S. schools. On the one hand, engagement is high: programs report an average of four productions and eleven performances each year, and 86% of theatre teachers say they’re at least somewhat satisfied with their programs. Nearly 46% of educators even reported growth in 2023–24.

But these successes coexist with troubling gaps:

• 13% of theatre educators were notified of cuts for the 2024–25 school year.
• Theatre is offered in 69% of high schools, 27% of middle schools, and a mere 6% of elementary schools.
• Theatre teachers often teach alone—the national average is 1.4 educators per school.
• 42% of theatre teachers cover non-theatre subjects, and 51% of programs receive little to no district funding, including 39% that receive none at all.

As Morris notes, “It’s not uncommon the theatre teacher is the English teacher and the journalism teacher and the yearbook teacher and then teaching theatre in addition to all the other subjects.” The pressure to multitask, combined with ever-shifting budgets, has left many educators feeling isolated and overwhelmed.

Against this backdrop, FWISD’s expansion stands out as an important—and hopeful—counterpoint.

Why Fort Worth ISD Is Bucking the Trend

Texas has long been a powerhouse in competitive fine arts, from marching band to drill team to theatre. Morris believes the state’s cultural context plays a major role in supporting the arts:

“It seems Texas is an anomaly. …Texas is renowned for its fiercely competitive football culture, where the sport isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life… which contributes to big competitions in other areas… band is big, cheer is big, drill team is big… and therefore theatre is big, musical theatre is big. ‘Go big or go home!’.”

This “go big” spirit fuels ambitious theatre work across FWISD. Some campuses produce five or six shows each year, though the district standard is three: a fall production, a UIL one-act play, and a spring production.

The results speak for themselves. “Our schools are getting better, our programs are getting better in all fine arts content areas,” Morris says. “We had a school last year that was one step away from the state one-act play contest… one of the top 20 plays in their classification.”

FWISD’s recent decision to expand access to all secondary campuses is part of a broader vision: ensuring that every student has meaningful access to arts education.

“We want our students to have access to every art program that’s available… With the exception of one leadership academy that has a dance program, all of our middle schools have theatre now.”

In a national context where the arts are often shrinking, FWISD’s investment represents a tangible belief in the academic, social, and emotional value of theatre.

FWISD students performing in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" | I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM & VPA

The Challenges Behind Growth: Teacher Support & Burnout

Even in a district committed to the arts, structural challenges persist. Like educators nationwide, FWISD teachers face packed schedules, large class sizes, and the constant risk of burnout.

“If there’s one thing that truly makes a difference, it’s showing your teachers and staff that they matter. When they feel valued, everything else falls into place,” Morris says. “If you’re looking for a way to truly support the arts and really want your arts programs to grow, then value your teachers… because the burnout rate and the exodus rate in education right now is at an all-time high.”

Schools with robust theatre programs sometimes have hundreds of students participating in classes, tech crews, and productions.

“When you’ve got four directors and 600 kids in the program, you have to provide opportunities for those kids because they can’t all be on stage at the same time.”

FWISD’s expansion means more schools now have the staffing and infrastructure needed to support those opportunities—and more students can discover where they belong in the world of theatre.

Creating Consistent, Flexible Curriculum Across Schools

One of the district’s major recent initiatives is the development of curriculum “profiles”—clear, skill-based benchmarks for each level of theatre and dance.

“We started last year, building profiles [the scope of content] for every course at every level… What do we want our kids to know at the end of middle school theatre 1? What should they know before they move on to theatre 2?”

Morris highlights that fine arts educators teach core standards and global skills, but often through imaginative and creative avenues. FWISD supports teachers by giving them robust resources and the flexibility to choose the best path for their students.

“It’s been a balance of guiding our teachers… ‘Oh, you need discussion starters? Great—here’s four pages.’ ‘You need warm-ups? Here they are.’ … Getting them to a place where they feel equipped to pick and choose what’s working for their kids.”

This combination of clear goals and adaptable approaches helps teachers meet standards, while encouraging student creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Theatre as Cross-Curricular Learning: STEM, Humanities & Beyond

Many educators view the arts and STEM as separate worlds. Morris sees them as deeply interconnected.

“It’s all connected… especially in theatre and dance. We’re using robotics. We’re using hydraulics to move sets. When you get into talking about haze, there’s an entire lesson incorporating science… What’s the chemical makeup? What’s the molecule structure?”

He notes that theatre naturally weaves together engineering, physics, design, history, literature, and social-emotional learning.

“There are many opportunities to create cross-curricular lessons… many people, including educators, don’t always understand or perhaps see the value of how all of those components can work collaboratively to make a lasting impact on students and develop the whole child.”

By expanding its theatre programs, FWISD isn’t just supporting creativity—it’s strengthening academic engagement across subjects.

FWISD students performing in "The Old Man and the Old Moon" | Arlington Heights High School

The Human Element: Why Theatre Matters

For Morris, the heart of the work is the students themselves.

“I’ve had a lifelong passion to make a difference in people’s lives… I believe the arts can change lives. It changed the trajectory of my life.”

He stresses that theatre programs must welcome students of all interests and abilities.

“Our students need to understand that there is a place for everybody in theatre.”

These values—access, belonging, and personal growth—are at the core of FWISD’s expansion. The more programs that exist, the more students can find their voice, their community, and their confidence.

How FWISD Uses StageAgent for Schools in the Classroom

The district provides StageAgent for Schools for all of its theatre programs. FWISD teachers have integrated StageAgent as a core resource in their theatre classes, particularly as their programs continue to grow.

“It’s like a wonderful rabbit trail of information you can go down with the StageAgent tool,” Morris says. “We want our kids to be inquisitive and to think critically… and they can’t do that if they’re only told to do XYZ.”

StageAgent supports both beginners and advanced performers:

• Teachers use the platform for warm-ups, discussion guides, theatre terms, and structured units.
• Students explore show guides, monologues, character descriptions, and audition material.
• College-bound students benefit from access to audition resources and deeper dramaturgy.

“Part of StageAgent that is so valuable is for those advanced students that are college-bound… They can research monologues… or learn about a show they’re auditioning for.”

With FWISD’s recent theatre program expansion, StageAgent for Schools is now reaching an even broader population of students—helping them discover the joy of theatre and the tools to pursue it.

FWISD students in "Little Women" | Paschal High School

A District Leading the Way

In a climate where arts educators face shrinking budgets, staffing shortages, and rising burnout, FWISD has made a powerful statement: the arts are essential and students deserve access to them.

The district’s expansion of theatre programs—paired with thoughtful curriculum development, teacher support, and integration of tools like StageAgent—shows what’s possible when leadership invests in creativity, skill-building, and student growth.

As Morris reflects on the work ahead, his belief in the power of theatre remains unwavering: “I believe the arts can change lives.”

FWISD is proving that when schools make space for the arts, they make space for students to thrive.