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| Take a child to the theatre and see the wonderment in their eyes |
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| Sarah Hampson who plays Sleeping Beauty |
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| Drama Teen visits his friends in the cast of Sleeping Beauty |
Fun fact. In 2011, for the first time the number of visitors to the
Queensland Performing Arts Centre passed one million for the first time.
Last year that figure rose to 1.4 million bums on those rather comfy
QPAC seats. The performing arts are not just a way for an elite few to
fill in a few hours. The performing arts are big business. But it's not
just that. Getting young bums on those seats has real benefits and not
just $$$ in the pockets of performing arts companies. It's an
unfortunate fact that in an increasingly crowded curriculum things such
as trips to the theatre are considered a luxury and often a luxury
reserved for the wealthier schools. But let's look at the research. A
study of 25,000 students undertaken by UCLA's Graduate School of
Education no less found that consistent participation in the performing
arts not only improved test scores but it also created students more
involved in community service and less likely to drop out of school.
Theatre brings stories to life. Theatre is a living breathing example of
the power of the possibility and of the imagination. It builds
confidence. It makes the soul sing. Well that's how it works for me and
I'm not the only one. Seattle Children’s Theater
artistic director Linda Hartzell told
education.com "theater
makes for smarter, braver, human beings. Theater helps connect the head
to the heart.” Having taken my son to literally hundreds of live
theatrical productions in the past 15 years I can say I speak from some
experience when I tell you that if you take a child to the theatre you
will see their eyes light up. I saw it today when I watched the little
people file out of the audience of Fame Theatre Company's performance of
Sleeping Beauty. I can almost guarantee had I been around to
listen to the conversation in the bus, train, car or ferry on the way
home it would have been equally enlightening. Parents will have found not
just found a way to stop the whinging for a bit in the school
holidays. They will have opened a window to another world. That's what
theatre is. Here endeth the lesson. Excuse me while I go and book a seat in a few Broadway shows.
Fun fact. In 2011, for the first time the number of visitors to the
Queensland Performing Arts Centre passed one million for the first time.
Last year that figure rose to 1.4 million bums on those rather comfy
QPAC seats. The performing arts are not just a way for an elite few to
fill in a few hours. The performing arts are big business. But it's not
just that. Getting young bums on those seats has real benefits and not
just $$$ in the pockets of performing arts companies. It's an
unfortunate fact that in an increasingly crowded curriculum things such
as trips to the theatre are considered a luxury and often a luxury
reserved for the wealthier schools. But let's look at the research. A
study of 25,000 students undertaken by UCLA's Graduate School of
Education no less found that consistent participation in the performing
arts not only improved test scores but it also created students more
involved in community service and less likely to drop out of school.
Theatre brings stories to life. Theatre is a living breathing example of
the power of the possibility and of the imagination. It builds
confidence. It makes the soul sing. Well that's how it works for me and
I'm not the only one. Seattle Children’s Theater
artistic director Linda Hartzell told education.com "theater
makes for smarter, braver, human beings. Theater helps connect the head
to the heart.” Having taken my son to literally hundreds of live
theatrical productions in the past 15 years I can say I speak from some
experience when I tell you that if you take a child to the theatre you
will see their eyes light up. I saw it today when I watched the little
people file out of the audience of Fame Theatre Company's performance of
Sleeping Beauty. I can almost guarantee had I been around to
listen to the conversation in the bus, train, car or ferry on the way
home it would have been equally enlightening. Parents will have found not
just found a way to stop the whinging for a bit in the school
holidays. They will have opened a window to another world. That's what
theatre is. Here endeth the lesson. Excuse me while I go and book a seat in a few Broadway shows.
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