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\u201cI love getting to see kids grow from being able to use their imagination and being able to try new things,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery single new show we do, there\u2019s always that growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marshall described her role as both teacher and mentor. While many students she works with are enrolled in her theater classes, others join productions without ever stepping into her classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where it turns into more of a mentor role,\u201d she said. \u201cI get to know a lot of kids I wouldn\u2019t normally see and have insight into what they\u2019re going through and what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the core of Marshall\u2019s teaching philosophy is empathy, a skill she believes theater uniquely nurtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy biggest focus is first and foremost empathy,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing able to put yourself into someone else\u2019s shoes and think from their perspective\u2026 I think that just makes them better people in general.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating a family-like atmosphere within the theater department is intentional, Marshall said. Students help protect the environment by looking out for one another and making sure everyone feels supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t have that, then you can\u2019t be at your top ability as a performer,\u201d she said. \u201cThey know it\u2019s super important, and I\u2019m really thankful we have such amazing kids here who are totally on board with that environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That sense of safety allows students to take risks, especially those who enter the class with stage fright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn the very first day, I ask them on a scale of one to five how much stage fright they have,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cWe say from the beginning that progress looks different for each person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students begin with nonverbal exercises, like mime, gradually building toward full performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve never had a kid get to the end of the semester and just not be able to do the monologue,\u201d she said. \u201cThey figure out how to work through that anxiety.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The growth Marshall witnesses is often dramatic. This year marks the first time she has taught a full cohort from freshman through senior year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have one student who was really, really shy and didn\u2019t talk very much,\u201d she said. \u201cNow that student is a senior, and he was just the lead in the musical last semester and even got nominated for the Spotlight Awards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall sees students develop confidence and life skills they carry into interviews, presentations, and everyday interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve had kids tell me they just feel more confident as a person,\u201d she said. \u201cThey realized it was okay to put themselves out there, and at the end of the day, the floor was still underneath them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the productions Marshall is most proud of are \u201cNewsies,\u201d staged in November, and her first musical at the school, \u201cAnastasia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith \u2018Newsies,\u2019 the kids and I totally took it on as a creative project,\u201d she said. \u201cThey really took ownership of it, and we were just on our A game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Opening nights remain emotional for her, especially now that students run much of the show themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI sit in the audience, and I\u2019m just watching,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cIt\u2019s nerve-racking because I have no control, but it\u2019s also the biggest sense of pride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Running a high school theater program is not without challenges, particularly scheduling and the technical demands of productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are long nights and sometimes tears of frustration,\u201d she said. \u201cBut that\u2019s all part of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As her first group of students prepares to graduate, Marshall hopes they carry creativity with them, no matter their career paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s never my intention to convince them they need to make their career in theater,\u201d she said. \u201cI just want them to always have that imaginative outlet that brings joy to their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall also hopes the broader community understands the value of arts education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cArts education is not something to just add on,\u201d she said. \u201cIt shapes lives, teaches critical thinking, and provides a place of belonging for kids who need it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall said it\u2019s that purpose that keeps her passionate year after year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m honestly just so humbled to get to do what I do,\u201d she said. \u201cI love my job.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WHEN LYDIA Marshall talks about her theater students at Lincoln County High School, she often calls them her \u201ckids\u201d \u2014 a habit she jokes she now has to clarify as she prepares to welcome her first child. \u201cBut really,\u201d she said, \u201cI don\u2019t think that theater works if there\u2019s not a safe environment for creativity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":25402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/Photo-submitted-by-Lydia-Marshall-1024x683.jpg\")
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