Theater Merit Badge
Five requirements, with the three plays of requirement 1 marked as the part that takes time, requirement 3 (a safety discussion, then three of ten production roles) drawn as a multiple-choice question with the counselor's approvals marked, and the mime of requirement 4 set by your counselor.
6 steps (10 parts inside them). 10 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Theater Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the question at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering one question will take out the parts that are not for you.
Your progress
14 steps can be started now; 1 is waiting on something else.
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The steps
Stage 1 of 6
1 step
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1. See or read three full-length plays, and review each Requirement
Write a review of each and discuss the plot or story with your counselor. If you watched them, comment on the acting and the staging. Not on television, video, or as a movie.
The requirement notes: "Watching plays on television, video, or as a movie is not permitted." See them live, or read them.
Stage 2 of 6
1 step,
all ticked
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2. Write a one-act play of at least 10 minutes Requirement
It must have a main character, conflict, and a climax.
Stage 3 of 6
1 step
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3. Theater safety, then THREE production roles Requirement
Discuss with your counselor the safety precautions for working in a theater to protect the cast and crew. Then the badge states the choice: three of ten.
10 parts
Stage 4 of 6
1 step
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4. Mime or pantomime one scene your counselor chooses Requirement
One of six: a large room full of things of interest; books in a puddle as the bus drives off; a failed test and a teacher who does not buy your story; helping a slow-learning new Scout pass a cooking test; a banquet with good meat, a vegetable you dislike and ice cream; a circus performer's routine.
Stage 5 of 6
1 step
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5. Explain nineteen stage terms Requirement
Proscenium arch, central or arena staging, center stage, stage right, stage left, downstage, upstage, stage crew, flies, portal, cyclorama, stage brace, spotlight, floodlight, lighting control board, sound mixing desk, thrust staging, ground plans, and sightlines.
Stage 6 of 6
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. See or read three full-length plays, and review each, 3. Theater safety, then THREE production roles and 2 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.