“Hire a Theater Kid” – How Theater is Helping Students Prepare for Success

Published April 15, 2026
at 2:51 pm

Experts have found students who participate in theater exhibit higher test scores, improved analytical thinking and communication skills, and are more likely to graduate. Look no further than theater students right here in Canyons District to see the proof. The theater departments at all five of Canyons’ traditional high schools are competing in the state championships this week.

If that’s not proof enough, Alta and Hillcrest have a combined 14 finalist nominations for the 2026 Utah High School Musical Theatre Awards. Winners will be announced Saturday, May 9 at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City.

“These are the kinds of people you want to work with,” Josh Long, Hillcrest’s theater teacher says about theater students. “They’re who you want to be your bosses and your CEOs, people who can not only be excellent themselves, but bring out that excellence in other people.”

In a recent episode of Connect Canyons, theater teachers from Alta, Brighton, Corner Canyon, Hillcrest, and Jordan high schools shared how they’ve witnessed theater change their students in a myriad of ways. Students in theater become part of a community comprised of fellow students they may not have met otherwise, learning to work as a team, to overcome feelings of inadequacy, and develop skills that transfer into becoming successful after high school.

Corner Canyon Theater Teacher Phaidra Atkinson points to acclaimed singer Josh Groban who encourages employers to “hire a theater kid.”

“They know how to come on time,” Atkinson says. “They know how to meet deadlines. They know how to be creative. They know how to collaborate. They are going out into the world with these skill sets that so many people don’t have and they’re able to walk into jobs and do a much better job in college and in all of these other fields they go into because they’ve had theater.”

Beyond the easily transferable skillsets, Canyons theater teachers say they love the sense of community in theater and share how students come together and how each school’s shows are chosen in a way that will provide opportunities for students while also granting an opportunity to share a meaningful message with the Canyons community as a whole.

The thespian educators sum up theater in seven words – passion, love, community, necessity, importance, fun, and humanity.

2026 Utah High School Musical Theatre Awards Finalists

Best Actor – Top Twelve Finalists

Taylor Fairbourn – Orpheus – Alta High School

Best Supporting Actress – Top Ten Finalists

Myka Hopkin – Carlotta – Hillcrest High School

Best Musical – Top Ten Finalists