The Rural Theatre Collaborative brings this vision to life by offering rural high school students hands-on experiences that simply can’t be replicated in a classroom setting. Live theater is essential to our cultural and emotional well-being, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) provides an exceptional example of this impact. This year, 40 theater students and their teachers from Kerman High School, Mendota High School, and Justin Garza High School—immersed themselves in five professional stage productions over three days: Little Shop of Horrors, Macbeth, Jane Eyre, Much Ado About Nothing, and Lizard Boy, a new musical. They also participated in pre-show “Preface” discussions, and an OSF resident actor led a workshop, where the students gained firsthand insight into acting. That very night, they watched that same actor perform in Macbeth! These three days were as intense as they were rewarding, leaving each student with a transformed perspective on theatre and the doors it can open. The arts ARE alive in Fresno County schools!