While parents, teachers and students celebrated Francis Willard Elementary School’s production of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” Friday night, the thought of losing the benefits of fourth- and fifth-grade drama still rested on some of their minds.

“They have to make cuts somewhere,” said Kathy McGonigle, the parent of a child in the play. “But cutting drama will affect every child in the school system.”

The Evanston/Skokie School District 65 school board is continuing to consider cutting programs including childcare, instrumental music and drama in an effort to close a $1.7 million budget deficit.

School board member Jonathan Baum said the district hasn’t yet discussed the drama cuts.

“If we can make all the reductions without cutting fourth- and fifth-grade drama, then we will try to do that,” Baum said.

Baum said the drama program will be discussed at the May 10 board meeting.

Until then many people are worried that drama, a highly prioritized program in District 65, may not be an option next year.

“Evanston is the cradle of creative drama,” said D65 drama department chair Anne Lefkovitz.

Lefkovitz said Evanston schools founded the first creative drama curriculum in the nation.

When D65 cut drama in kindergarten throughout the third grade two years ago, Lefkovitz said, the district began to see the impacts immediately. Drama reinforces subjects taught in other classes. For example, when students are studying Africa, the drama program will incorporate lessons about African culture.

“It is an active way to get kids engaged in learning,” she said.

Drew McAllister, co-director of the Willard play, said the cuts two years ago made plays outside of the curriculum more difficult to produce.

Two years ago McAllister taught drama for kindergarten through third grade, but the drama program was cut to balance the budget.

Now she teaches third grade at Willard and she must use her own time to direct Willard’s annual plays.

She worried that losing the fourth- and fifth-grade drama program will hurt the participation in plays that, like Willard’s annual play, are funded by the Parent Teacher Association and other organizations.

McAllister is also concerned that without the class students drama skills will not be strong enough for performance. Not only will the children have less exposure to different dramatic pieces and have less experience, but they will also feel more uncomfortable working together in plays, she said.

“It gives boys and girls something in common so that they can understand each other by working together,” McGonigle said.

Drama also helps shy children build confidence, she added.

Erica Anderson, the parent of a child in the Willard play, is afraid that younger children may not get the opportunity to participate in fourth-grade drama next year.

“I think the program is still strong … but now they are moving in the wrong direction,” Anderson said.

Rives Collins, an associate professor in Northwestern’s theatre department, said the program is an essential component of D65’s curriculum.

“D65’s program is regarded with a lot of prestige,” he said. “The program is very sophisticated.”

Collins and his drama students at NU teach gifted drama students in fourth- through sixth-grades on weekends.

Last weekend, Collins said, a fourth-grade student showed concern about the possible cuts.

“It’s poignant that a fourth-grader can recognize drama is very good for education and success,” he said.

Collins said drama can help students academically and added that research shows children in drama have better reading skills and can create images in their minds while reading.

Drama also can encourage more openness among children. He cited another study that showed children who were engaged in drama were less likely to be prejudiced because they are required to play so many different roles.

“There’s a whole bunch of reasons why drama is good for the children and good for the community,” he said.