  Drama
This week: Introducing Children to Theater Arts Edited by: Joy  
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“"I was very touched by the beauty and love behind the efforts of the Children's Theatre to provide children with a magical yet practical approach to life and a new way of viewing themselves as noble creations…"
James Earl Jones
"I've always felt that if every child were expected, allowed, and encouraged to do the great things that they're capable of doing, it would change the world...you are changing these children, and hence the world."
Michael Douglas –to The Children’s Theater Company
"Growth as an actor and as a human being are synonymous."
Stella Adler
"Acting isn't really a creative profession. It's an interpretive one."
Paul Newman
"Acting is the art of speaking in a loud, clear voice and the avoidance of bumping into the furniture."
Alfred Lunt
Hello, I am Joy , this week's drama editor. Our discussion in this issue is about the benefits of giving children a hands-on experience in theater arts. |
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Welcome to the Drama newsletter
Many years ago, when my kindergarten-age cousin was too shy to speak to her class in show-and-tell, my aunt took her to the local college’s child psychology division. After two months of play therapy and one stage performance for parents, my cousin overcame her shyness.
Having learned from this success, I stayed on the lookout for some theater experience for my children in the town we lived. There weren’t very many opportunities available then, but luckily, I found a drama teacher, Margo, who was about to put on a play with local children as the actors. Margo had been a Broadway actress and, after getting married, she had moved to the suburbs. She wanted to do more for her own children and the community. So she ran acting classes in the local YMCA, close enough to where we lived. Although she wanted her students to be at least seven years of age, she accepted my five-year old together with his eight-year old brother.
As always, there were questions and doubts. Did I want them to be actors? Or would those few months of acting hinder their academic progress?
Quite the contrary. Their school work improved, and later on, neither of them took a serious interest in the dramatic arts; the older one became a chemist, and the other studied marketing. The experience, however, helped them grow tremendously. Looking back, I think this was one of the best things I did for my sons.
As narrow as my opinion and familiarity has been on the subject, it confirms the findings of educators who seriously teach drama and attest to the benefits of exposing children to stage arts, as they claim, the earlier the better. Gai Jones, theater educator of people from kindergarten to senior citizens, stresses on the benefits of stage on five areas of development: physical, mental, artistic, personal, and social. http://www.gaijones.com/
A 1999 UCLA study http://gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/files/catterall/catterall.involvement.pdf has also proven the benefits of performance arts for adolescents in several areas such as interpersonal and social skills, memory, imagination, thinking skills, and artistic and physical development. At this time, UCLA provides performing-arts camps for middle and high school students.
PACE or Performing arts in Children’s Education has committed to developing stage skills in young people ages four to eighteen. http://www.kidsintheact.org/ Likewise, many other organizations and groups have sprung up here and there in the country after assessing the benefits of studying theater arts.
Surely, this doesn’t mean that a child should be pushed into acting, but some experience even a tiny part or singing in a chorus on stage can be encouraged. Not every child is ready for the starring role, but he or she can still reap the benefits of stage through smaller roles. If nothing else, he or she will learn the skill of showing up prepared for any other performance in life.
Where public education is concerned, it may be a frustrating job for classroom teachers to include performance arts in their curriculum. Resources in a school or library may not be appropriate for the age group or they may be non-existent entirely. In addition, it may be time-consuming and difficult to insert acting instruction into daily activities. On the other hand, some communication exercises can be incorporated into the schedule, to at least get the children to work and act in groups.
For a taste of history, children’s theater started during the 1900’s in the United States, with shows for young audiences. Charlotte Chorpenning (1873–1955), an influential person in the theater world of Chicago, adapted fairy tales to children’s plays. After her, an award was established for playwrights for young people.
From the site of American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE):
“Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award
Honors a nationally known writer of outstanding plays for children. This award recognizes a body of work and not a single play and is named in honor of playwright Charlotte B. Chorpenning of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Prior to 1967, it was given for exceptional exhibits and displays at the national convention.”
During the first half of the 20th century, another educator, Winifred Ward, founded the Children’s Theatre of Evanston and the first national child drama organization, still in action as the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE).
In our day, many opportunities exist for youngsters to take part on stage and for those of us who work with children and may want to write plays for them. Here is a link to an interactive map of the United States of playwrights for children, http://usaplays4kids.drury.edu/
and a theater for toddlers:
http://newvictory.org/show.m?showID=1034027&gclid=CKSf7Pn_jasCFcdw5QodQVhApA
For further information:
http://www.nationaltheatre.com/ntccom/
http://www.childdrama.com/mainframe.html
Enjoy all our children and the stage.
Until next time… |
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Your Drama Newsletter Editors: NickiD89  Fyn  Joy
Thank you for reading our newsletters and for supplying the editors with feedback and encouragement.
 This Issue's Tip:
The one key element any character must have to gain the reader's empathy is the ability to care for others, at least one other person or living thing.
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If you have a recommendation, a few words on a book or a product review, send it to me or to this newsletter. I'll highlight it here. 
A feel-good book reviewed by StephBee 
Mara ♣ McBain 
"I found your NL on goals and the difference between needs and goals fascinating. Thanks for food for thought and for including "Night and Day" in your editors picks!  "
Thanks, Mara.
Truth is, your story picked me. 
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Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ 
"Loved the Newsletter, Joy!
Great tip on plot building, intensity. It gets the readers craving for more and hooked from the start.
Thanks so much for the highlight. 
Look forward to your next Drama NL!
WW"
Thanks, WW.
Your words taste of honey, as always.
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BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
Submitted "Eggnog and Werewolves Part 2" [18+] by BIG BAD WOLF is Howling
":Always be careful."
Yup, werewolves are scary.
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Drama: September 21, 2011 Issue [#4608]
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