Education.com: Want to boost literacy? Teach your child to imagine the unimaginable? Cultivate curiosity? Get thee to the theater, and bring your kids.
The children's theater movement is led by Europe, but the U.S. is not far behind. And we're not just talking about the bustling theater town of New York. The third largest children’s theater in the world is tucked away in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Other mid-sized cities—from Dallas, to Tempe, to Nashville, are also cooking up kids’ fare in full-time children venues.
6 comments:
I appreciate that this article cites that Theatre for Young Audiences is beneficial for all kids, not just those who are already pretty smart and from well-off homes. My mom is a middle school Special Education teacher and most of her students are bused in from some pretty tough areas of Las Vegas. This is the second year that she will be taking a group of over 100 students to the Utah Shakespeare's Festival's Educational Tour. (My sister just so happens to be in this tour.) She is excited to do it because her students get so excited and so into the story and the language once they see the show. In the days before the field trip, she goes over the play's script with the kids in order to help them feel more comfortable with the language and the plot line. This way they do not feel intimidated or confused when they go in to see the performance. The students who went on the same field trip two years ago still talk about it! What I'm getting at here is that these kids would not necessarily have the chance to be otherwise exposed to theatre but when they are introduced to it, it helps to get them excited about learning. Theatre can really help change the lives of students like these for the better as long as they are exposed to it often enough. I am glad to hear that the theaters listed at the end of this article are finding considerable success and are able to reach out to so many young people. I would love to be a part of this kind of theatre company some day, because it is a great way to contribute to the well-being of society through the arts.
This is a great article that I hope educators and parents alike read and take to heart. I really think that participation in the arts exercises parts of your brain that aren't stimulated in schools anymore. In theatre especially, young kids learn about teamwork, and the process of putting a play together, and the importance of rehearsal--all important life skills that most classroom-only children just aren't learning.
This article made me think of a specific situation where I admired the effect (and power) of theatre. In my hometown, a local director wrote a version of Rumpelstiltskin with 2 endings--one with the Princess as the bad guy and one with Rumpelstiltskin as the bad guy. The play itself showed different sides of the story from each character's perspective. At the end, the audience chose how the play ended. I think that was such a cool lesson to introduce to little kids-- the idea of perspective, and how things aren't necessarily how they seem, and maybe the "bad" guy could REALLY be the "good" guy after more thought and information.
That's a lesson that we presented to elementary school kids, who probably won't formally examine such concepts until high school.
My jumping-around point here is that children's theatre is a great thing.
I recently worked at a fringe theatre in London for several months. Although the theatre hosted mostly "adult" plays, I was pleasantly surprised by how many plays and musicals were running that were meant for children. It is part of British culture to attend the theatre as a family, and I thought it was wonderful. Families seemed closer-knit, and the kids seemed to have a much longer attention span than I have observed in America. I think the article makes an excellent point when it says that it helps children to focus while capturing and inspiring their imagination. During the Christmas season in England, it is traditional to take your kids to see a pantomime, which is a children's musical where the audience is supposed to participate (by booing at the villian, warning the hero that someone is sneaking up on them, etc.). This was a fantastic experience for the kids I saw because it helped them stay engaged throughout the performance. I think the growth of children's theaters in America is indicative of a very positive trend, and I look forward to seeing how this develops over time.
Children's Theater and Educational Theater in elementary-high schools have an unbelievable power and influence that, I find, is often under recognized. Theater is an incredible medium for children's education and has the power to seriously impact kids on an individual level. It is always heartening to see articles like this.
I can't help but think about the 2002 documentary: Our Town about a production of Our Town in Dominguez High in Compton, CA. While this was a show that the student's were putting up, rather than going to see, a change in the students' attitudes and understanding of the play is clearly visible. A theatrical medium made reading and literature more appealing, helped the kids work on speech and grammar, taught valuable lessons about collaboration and working as a team. Not to mention it really helped each kid be more confident. I would recommend this documentary to absolutely everyone. It's just a good reminder of how important it is to expose kids to theater in any way possible. The existence and prominence of children's theaters really does have a big effect on children. Making children's theater available to children of all demographics is vital and I'm always thrilled to hear about programs that address this.
I think this article is so true. I am happy to read that children's theaters are thriving more and more. I know first hand how being involved in theatre can help shape you into the person you are meant to be. Watching my brother be involved in children's theatre brought me to where I am today. Being involved in theater is like having another support system in your life besides your family. It not only builds self esteem but brings one a sense of camaraderie. I also agree with the part about becoming a better reader since when reading a play one has to bring it to life in their head before they act it out. This allows for better retention which leads to better grades.
Yes I think that theater for children is important. But I do have to ask the question does children's theater just feed theater? or does it help the larger world around us? Many kids who would say that theater taught they a lot, helped them to be more confident, helped them in school, and flourished because of it are the same kids that are now working or doing theater as a career or they ones paying of shows. Is this just self serving, I understand that it does help other children to develop crucial skills but is it mostly for the kids that will go on to do theater else where? How self serving of an industry are we?
Post a Comment