Storytelling: A Skill Dismissed by Parents — Worth $274,000 to Companies
- Ms. A
- Jan 22
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Thinking about enrolling your child in a theatre program?
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Table of Contents:
I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal titled 'Companies are Desperately Seeking Storytellers' that stopped me dead in my tracks.
Across industries, in tech, finance, healthcare and consumer brands, companies are naming storytelling as a valuable skill in business and leadership.
They are hiring storytellers not to "perform", but to bring clarity, alignment, and meaning to complex work.
For example: Vanta, a compliance tech company, is hiring a Head of Storytelling with a salary reaching $274,000/year.
Not for a CEO.
Not for an engineer.
For a storyteller!
When I read the job description, they were explicit in the type of person they're looking to hire. The posting says this role isn’t a “content calendar” job.
They want someone who can:
Lead a storytelling/content team — guide and grow people who create content.
Define Vanta’s narrative — decide how the company talks about its mission (trust/security tech) across writing, social media, blogs, etc.
Make storytelling drive real business results — not just fun content, but content that helps the company get known and support sales/brand goals.
Own organic social strategy — plan where and how Vanta shows up on social platforms.
Try new formats & channels — experiment with new kinds of content and build repeatable ways of doing it.
Work with leadership — partner with executives (CEO, security leaders, product teams) to tell big-picture stories.
This kind of storytelling doesn’t begin in the C-suite.
It begins in a drama class, where children learn how to tell stories using their voice body and imagination.
They learn how to:
sequence ideas
step into other perspectives.
move an audience through emotion, intention, and action
Most importantly, they learn that stories don’t just entertain, they influence how people understand and respond to the world around them.
And if the business world is finally naming storytelling as an essential skill
The real question isn’t why companies are paying for it.
The question is:
In what ways are parents, unknowingly, dismissing storytelling as a skill not worth learning?
The BIG Disconnect
While companies are investing top dollar in storytelling skills, when I ask parents if they’d consider enrolling their child in a theatre program, the most common responses I hear are:
“Drama is only for kids who want to be actors.”
“We don’t have time — we do sports.”
“My kid is shy.”
“They just act in plays, right?”
“Theatre? I’m not sure I see the point.”
These responses suggest that many parents haven’t been given the full picture of what theatre offers children today.
So let's get into it. Let's paint the picture.
“Drama is only for kids who want to be actors.”
Yes, some theatre programs are designed as pathways to acting on stage, television, and film.
These programs focus on helping young performers develop the foundational skills needed to work across genres and mediums.
But not all theatre programs serve that purpose.
You have specialized theatre programs which are built around a specific lens — such as storytelling, culture, identity, community, or purpose.
Think:
Shakespeare-focused programs
Hip-hop or bilingual theatre
Cultural, identity rooted like LGBTQ+ theatre or Latino Theatre etc.
Theatre for social change
These programs use theatre as a tool for voice, meaning, and belonging, rather than focusing primarily on polish, performance or acting.
This is where Peak Theatre Arts lives. Our residencies center student voice and storytelling.
Our programs look like creative studios, where students explore ideas, experiment with choices, and learn how stories take shape.
If you’re looking for a theatre experience that develops how your child thinks, communicates, and collaborates — not just how they perform — this approach may be the right fit.
“We don’t have time — we do sports.”
This one I hear a lot. And I get it.
Sports require a serious investment of time, money, and emotional energy.
For many parents, that investment is wrapped up in hope to secure opportunities for their child's future.
According to a survey from Project Play (an initiative of the Aspen Institute), about 11% of sports parents believe their child could eventually play professionally or at the Olympic level.
The same research also shows the biggest driver of early sport specialization isn’t professional dreams, it’s simply making the high school team.
And just like theatre, sports is also pathway that begins with big dreams.
As Asia Mape, a parent and speaker at the Project Play Summit, shared:
“Dreaming is a big part of what we’re doing for our kids. That’s sort of our role. We support, we guide, we grow.”
Mape goes on to explain that one of the biggest challenges in youth sports isn’t dreaming; it’s staying attached to an early vision even when a child’s interests, needs, or joy begin to shift.
This is where theatre can offer something different.
Our Stagecraft residency, our introductory level to drama, is designed to give your child a space to:
explore ideas without pressure
collaborate without competition
practice communication without stakes
build internal skills that travel across every activity — including sports
It's not about choosing theatre instead of athletics.
It’s about offering a counterbalance.
A place where children can slow down, explore their choices, and practice thinking, storytelling, and self-expression without the weight of rankings, performance, or future outcomes.
"My kid is shy.”
Many families assume a child needs to be outgoing, theatrical, or eager for the spotlight for theatre to be a good fit.
That’s a common misconception.
In reality, many shy children don’t struggle in theatre, they often thrive. Not despite their
temperament, but because of it.
Some of the most reflective, observant children become powerful storytellers.
Why?
Because shy children often bring:
Deep observation — they notice details others miss
Thoughtfulness — they think before they speak
Emotional awareness — they sense tone, timing, and feeling
These aren’t obstacles in theatre. They’re storytelling gifts.
You’ll often see these children contribute by:
Watching scenes closely as they unfold
Offering a thoughtful idea that shapes the group story
Developing a character through movement rather than words
Listening carefully and remembering details others overlook
For many children, especially reserved ones, performance participation takes time and emotional safety. That’s why trust matters.
At Peak Theatre Arts, we design our programs with this in mind.
Trust isn’t something we hope will happen. It’s something we build intentionally.
Our residencies are structured so children are never asked to perform before they feel ready.
Participation unfolds gradually and with purpose.
We build trust through:
Predictable routines that help children know what to expect
Clear expectations that reduce pressure and uncertainty
Collaborative games and storytelling that emphasize shared creation
Small-group work where listening and observation are valued
As trust grows, many shy children naturally begin to step forward, not because they’re pushed, but because they feel safe.
As a result, many shy children learn a life long lesson:
They don’t need to be louder.
They learn their voice already carries meaning — and with the right environment, they learn how to use it.
"They just act in plays, right?"
Plays are the most visible part of theatre so it makes sense why this would be focus.
However, a performance is simply a moment of sharing, not the measure of success.
In our Stagecraft residency, our introductory level to drama, acting in a play is never the starting point, and often not the point at all.
The real learning lives in the creation process: in the thinking, the collaboration, the problem-solving.
Our work is centered on storytelling, not just performance.
That means students spend most of their time:
exploring ideas and questions
improvising and experimenting
building stories together
listening, responding, and revising
making creative choices as a group
Rather than memorizing someone else’s script, students learn how write their own.
They might:
take a familiar story and imagine it from a new perspective
step into a historical moment and explore what people might have felt
create original characters and situations through improvisation
collaborate with peers to shape a story that reflects their ideas
So no, they don’t “just act in plays.”
They learn how to:
make sense of stories
communicate ideas clearly
work with others
and understand how their voice fits into a larger narrative
This kind of storytelling skills is something children can practice early, and without pressure.
"Theatre? I really don't see the point."
This response usually isn’t about theatre at all.
It’s about clarity.
Parents want to know:
What is my child learning?
How will this help them later in life?
Is this worth my time, money and energy?
Those are fair questions, and ones you should ask prospective drama programs.
The challenge is that theatre is often evaluated by its most visible outcome, the performance, rather than by its deeper purpose- the transformation.
When theatre is understood beyond the performance, it becomes easier to see its value, not as an “extra,” but as a place where children practice thinking, communicating, and developing skills in ways that support every part of their lives.
If you’re curious about enrolling your child in a theatre program but don't know where to start, I got you.
I created the Spotlight Checklist™ a simple, practical checklist to help you ask the right questions and choose programs that support your child in all the right ways.
Grab The Spotlight Checklist™
Download The Spotlight Checklist™ today!
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