The benefits of arts education have been widely explored by researchers. However, much of the research conducted has been done with broad strokes encompassing all arts disciplines. Additionally, the studies conducted have focused primarily on quantitative data and relationships of student achievement to their participation in the arts. There is little research about the benefits of theatre arts education and still less qualitative research examining student perceptions about their participation in their theatre arts programs. Finally, one of the perceived benefits of participation in theatre arts could be student connectedness to their school. However, although the benefits of participation in the arts and the benefits of school connectedness have been individually explored, a linkage between the two remains undetermined and uninvestigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore students' experiences in their theatre arts program in high school, with specific focus on how they perceived their participation in terms of their connectedness to their schools. In order to accomplish this, a qualitative phenomenological approach was used to obtain the perceived experiences students had in their high school theatre arts programs. For the study, 12 current seniors and recent graduates from a moderately sized suburban school in south Riverside County were interviewed. The interviews provided a comprehensive view of student perceptions concerning their participation in their high school theatre arts program. Coding was used to determine thematic categories that emerged from the interviews. The findings indicated the students perceived a number of academic benefits and life skills developing from their participation in their high school theatre arts program. Additionally, the students perceived that participation in their theatre program contributed to their sense of connectedness to their school. Finally, the students perceived a number of other benefits resulting from their participation in their theatre arts program in high school. Taken holistically, the research indicated that students perceive theatre arts programs to have an array of benefits and to be a crucial part of the connection they felt to their school. This serves to demonstrate the reliability of past research and indicate the need for further research, examining not only theatre arts programs, but also the other arts and other extra-curricular programs. It also indicates a need to expand the scope of the research to other schools and other theatre arts programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]