Theater is about telling stories on stage, and it takes many people working together. You will watch and review plays, write one of your own, and try a role in a production. Whether you love the spotlight or prefer working backstage, there's a place for you.
Why it's worth it
Theater takes a whole team to pull off: actors, writers, designers, builders, and the crew that keeps the show running. On this badge you'll watch plays with a sharper eye, write a short play of your own, and take on a real role in a production. You'll get more comfortable speaking in front of people, learn to collaborate under a deadline, and find out whether you love the spotlight, the backstage world, or both.
Start this week
- Look up shows at your school, a community theater, or a local college, and plan to see one with your family.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Theater counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Start a notebook for play reviews and ideas for your own one-act play.
- Ask your school drama teacher or a community theater whether they need help on an upcoming show, on stage or backstage.
Plan ahead: Getting a role in a production for requirement 3 often depends on a theater's season and rehearsal schedule. Look for a show early and work on the other requirements while it comes together.
Stay safe
- Use ladders, power tools, and stage rigging only with adult supervision, and follow the crew's rules about clear walkways and exits.
Requirements · 5
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
See or read three full-length plays and write a review of each. Discuss each plot with your counselor, and if you watched them, comment on the acting and staging. Plays seen on TV, video, or film don't count
Tip: Check your school or community theater for shows, or borrow plays from the library. Jot down what you liked and why.
For example: For each play, write a short review: what the story was about, a moment that worked really well, something you would change, and how the set, lights, or costumes helped tell the story.
- Requirement 2
Write a one-act play that runs at least 10 minutes, with a main character, a conflict, and a climax
Tip: Start with a simple idea and a few characters. Read your play aloud to family to check the timing.
For example: Start with two characters who want different things, like siblings arguing over who gets the last spot on a camping trip. Write a beginning, a turning point, and an ending, then read it aloud with a timer to check the length.
- Requirement 3
Discuss with your counselor the safety steps that protect cast and crew in a theater, then do THREE of the options below. Choose 3 of 10
Tip: Join a school or community show as an actor or crew member, and learn the safety rules backstage.
For example: Pick three that fit you, like acting in a play, helping build and paint scenery, and running lights or sound for a show. Learn the backstage safety rules, like never walking under the fly system during a scene change and keeping exits clear.
- Requirement 3a
Play a major role in a full-length play, or play a part in three one-act plays
- Requirement 3b
Direct a play of at least 10 minutes: cast it, rehearse it, and stage it
- Requirement 3c
Design a set for a play or theater production and build a model of it
- Requirement 3d
Design costumes for five characters in a production set in a past historical period
- Requirement 3e
Show hair and makeup design skill: as directed, turn yourself or a friend into a historical figure, clown, extraterrestrial, or monster
- Requirement 3f
With your counselor's OK, help build and paint scenery for a production
- Requirement 3g
With your counselor's OK, design a play's lighting, or help install, focus, color, program, and run lighting for a production
- Requirement 3h
With your counselor's OK, help install, focus, equalize, program, and run sound for a production
- Requirement 3i
Be stage manager for a production, recording every cue and stage setup in your calling script
- Requirement 3j
Be the musical director for a musical production
- Requirement 4
Mime or pantomime a scene your counselor picks. Choose 1 of 6
Tips for this section: Practice in front of a mirror, showing actions and feelings without words.
Example for this section: Your counselor picks the scene from a short list, so practice a few of them, like boarding a bus after dropping your books or eating a banquet vegetable you dislike, without any props or words. Use a mirror to check that every movement is clear and that your face shows how you feel.
- Requirement 4a
Entering a big room full of pictures, furniture, and other interesting things
- Requirement 4b
Dropping your books in a puddle while boarding a bus, which leaves before you pick them up
- Requirement 4c
Explaining a failed school test to a teacher who doesn't believe your story
- Requirement 4d
Helping a slow-learning new Scout at camp pass a cooking test
- Requirement 4e
Eating at a banquet: good meat, a vegetable you dislike, and ice cream for dessert
- Requirement 4f
Doing a routine as a circus performer, like a juggler, lion tamer, or high-wire artist
- Requirement 5
Explain these terms: center stage, central (arena) staging, cyclorama, downstage, flies, floodlight, ground plans, lighting control board, portal, proscenium arch, sightlines, sound mixing desk, spotlight, stage brace, stage crew, stage left, stage right, thrust staging, and upstage
Tip: Make flash cards of stage terms and use them while watching a rehearsal.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A community or school theater during a rehearsal or tech day
You can see how lights, sound, sets, and actors come together before opening night.
How: Have a leader contact the director or drama teacher and ask if your patrol can watch part of a rehearsal or take a backstage tour.
A professional or college theater
Many offer backstage tours, student matinees, or talks with the cast after a show.
How: Have a parent check the theater's website for education programs, student discounts, or free preview nights.
Where it can lead
- ActorPerforms on stage, screen, and in voice work, often after years of classes and auditions.
- Stage managerRuns rehearsals and calls every cue during a show.
- Lighting, sound, or set technicianSkilled backstage trades that can start with high school or community theater crews.
- Playwright or screenwriterWrites the stories that actors bring to life.
- Drama teacherTeaches acting and theater skills and directs school productions.
Ask yourself
- Which play you saw or read moved you most, and why?
- Where did your own play idea come from, and what did you change after hearing it read aloud?
- What was it like working on a team to put on a show?
- When did you feel nervous during this badge, and what helped?
- Do you see yourself on stage, backstage, or writing, and what would you like to try next?
Good questions to ask a director, drama teacher, or stage manager
- How do you decide which plays to put on?
- What happens behind the scenes during a performance that the audience never sees?
- What do you do when something goes wrong in the middle of a show?
- What makes a good audition or a good crew member?
- How did you get into theater, and what kept you there?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Plan a troop skit night so scouts can practice performing in a relaxed setting.
- Connect scouts with a local community or school theater group.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Community theater — Shows to see and chances to help backstage.
- Public library — Collections of plays to read and borrow.
- Educational Theatre Association (opens in a new tab) — Theater for students, including school theater festivals and the International Thespian Society.
- American Alliance for Theatre and Education (opens in a new tab) — Theater programs and plays for young people.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.