Most everything at Mill Valley is big. It’s a big school, with a big student population. There is one thing that’s not so big; true to its name, the Little Theater is too little, and it’s becoming a problem. The administration needs to make getting MV a bigger theater a priority now, rather than something they might consider 10 years down the road.

 The Little Theatre holds a grand total of 356 seats. While it may seem like a decent size, you might also like to know that there were 90-plus students in the fall musical this year. The drama department has had to up the total amount of shows from four to six in the past few years just to make sure all of the cast’s family members could attend. Even then, all six shows were sold out. The size is also problematic for choir, for similar reasons. With a growing school and such a small space, the theater can no longer be used for class meetings, and it restricts the school from ever forming an orchestra. To put it simply, it is just too small.

 Of course, a new theater would cost millions of dollars to build. Then again, didn’t the school board just spend a million dollars on a new wireless technology system? While I understand the district doesn’t have that kind of money always lying around, they could at least add the theater to their list of potential projects. I’ve heard people say that our school isn’t big enough for a large theater, but Shawnee Mission North’s main theater holds 935 seats, and Olathe East’s holds 890. Both schools are only slightly larger than ours.

Say what you want, but the Little Theater is officially too little for Mill Valley. The school’s outgrown it, and in the next few years, it will most likely be unusable. Whether or not you realize it, the theater affects everyone at Mill Valley. So get the word out there, or we might not ever get this issue resolved.