All the world’s a stage, and its people are having fun with it.

The Dallas County High School drama club certainly is. It begins &uot;playing&uot; at 8:30 a.m. today with &uot;Once Upon a Camelot,&uot; an award-winning play filled with characters such as King Arthur and a dragon called &uot;Gigantisaurus.&uot;

The play will be performed at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. today and Friday for elementary school students. Adults will get a chance to watch the tale unfold at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at J.A. Pickard Auditorium.

According to Amy Reeves, the drama club advisor, the 22 students have been working on the play for weeks.

And what do the kids have say about the play? We’ll just have to watch the story for ourselves to find out.

In a time of diminishing school budgets and financial fears, a high school play such as &uot;Once Upon a Camelot&uot; is a gem. Mathematics and science shouldn’t be overlooked in favor of the arts, but neither should the arts be forgotten just because money is tight.

We’re glad that isn’t the case.

Brittany Anderson, one drama club member, said she thought being involved in the club had helped her become better equipped for the &uot;real&uot; world. We believe the arts are as vital to teaching our children about the world as more traditional subjects.

Our schools shouldn’t just teach reading, writing and arithmetic. They should teach our children how to think, and the arts is one way of doing that.

Everyone might have something to learn by watching the Dallas County High School drama club reveal just how King Arthur will put his kingdom to rights.

And we can have fun doing it, too.