‘Rise’ up for a new chance
While scouring the infinite amount of channels on TV I came across a show that filled my reminiscent heart full of inspiration.
While I was scanning around for some distraction from everyday life, I
was faced with the show ‘Rise,’ which immediately gave me a sense of ‘Friday Night Lights,’ if it was focused on a musical rather than on football.
This show brought back many wonderful memories for me, as I was a full-on drama geek fighting for my days in the spotlight.
This television show, which was inspired by a true story, focuses on the high school theater department of a working-class community that is brought together by the courage of the new theater director.
The director gives kids a platform to have their voices be heard, by performing a controversial musical (Spring Awakening) and also in their everyday lives by giving them the confidence to rise above the stereotypes that are cast upon and be their authentic selves.
This show brought so many wonderful memories as it reminded me of the familial community that my theater group surrounded ourselves in.
In our little group we were able to be as crazy, loud and weird as we could and not feel a single sense of judgment as we all had a passion for the arts and were all unique on how we expressed it.
This sense of community and togetherness is not always accessible to many teenagers and they are left to figure themselves out individually. But why? Why can’t adults always provide a safe space for kids to be themselves and not be judged or bullied?
Why can’t we give kids a platform to have their voices be heard, without the sense of being put down for their young age?
This television show got me thinking of all the wonderful things that the youth of today are doing in creating a change.
Many adults, myself included, have always looked down to the next generation, due to their lack of experience as we figure that they have not lived long enough to know right from wrong.
I started to think back to when I was in high school, trying to decipher in my political views, religious beliefs, and ethics have changed at all since that time.
I came to the conclusion that they haven’t. At least not a noticeable amount.
So why do we believe that these kids can’t do the same? Why not take the show ‘Rise’ as an example, as we rise up from our stereotypes and prejudice and prove that we are able to give people a chance to have their voices be heard and not judge the youth of today but instead, embrace their individuality.