Stage Presence

Posts Tagged ‘Child’

 

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Many parents groan and cringe when they hear that their son or daughter will soon be performing in a school-sponsored play or concert. These events can be long and boring and they are often held in gymnasiums or auditoriums with poor ventilation and uncomfortable seats. Most parents care only for the few brief moments that their own child will be center-stage, belting out ”Tomorrow” or doing a passable imitation of a tree. Having to stay for the whole production is thought of as torturous.

However, parents should understand that they are teaching their kids a valuable lesson in attending these plays and concerts. Not only are they sending the message that the child is worth the time spent, regardless how stuffy or uncomfortable, but they are also teaching kids that other people matter, too. That’s a big lesson for most little ones, and a hard one to learn. More than a few adults seem to have never picked up on it. Learning to work together as a time, cooperate and strive for the greater good is only the external reason behind such school-sponsored events. The fact that Mom and Dad also go, stay through the whole thing and try to keep an open mind speaks volumes to our children and tells them what we really want them to know: they are the most precious things in the world to us, but they are not the only people in the world. The next time your child brings home an invitation to the holiday choral concert or spring play, think about the kind of person you want your child to be.

As parents it’s important to encourage kids to do the things that will make them better people and live happier, more productive lives. If a child is interested in the world of medicine, for example, it makes sense to encourage that child to visit a local hospital, or talk to a doctor about the field. Any parent would want to encourage that sort of good behavior and forward thinking.

When it comes to performing arts such as acting or working in the theater world, it’s just as important to fully encourage a child to pursue their interest and help spurn their creativity. There is so much to enjoy about the theater experience, from learning to create sets, engage an audience with a great acting performance, and hone public speaking—all which can help to build a child’s confidence and give them a positive sense of self.

With that, the most important part of the theatre experience is the life lessons it can teach. The world of drama and acting is all about support and having the backing of your scene partner and producer. It’s also about adapting to situations around you and throwing yourself into it full force. These are things that can carry a child through the rest of their life.

So if your child is interested in the fine art of theater, encourage them by allowing them to see shows and read plays. This will further their appreciation. Let them build sets at home and allow them to be creative enough to envision the design from start to finish. Having them make kids costumes is another great way to foster their creativity, as it another facet of the theater process.

While the theater may not be right for every child, for those that show an early interest do whatever you can to encourage them to dream big and believe in themselves whether they stand behind the scenes or under the bright lights.

One of the greatest life changing experiences of all is when a child becomes involved in performing arts.

Performing arts from orchestras to theatre to dance can give a child many things that nothing else can do. One of the greatest gifts is for a child to find that they are worthwhile and valuable within a performing arts scenario. Many children can come into a theatre or dance experience feeling extremely shy and sometimes worthless. With the right kind of leadership, a child can learn that they not only have value but, most important, they are NEEDED.

Children can go from a shy awkward place to dynamic leadership in a very short amount of time. The theatre experience can be especially rewarding because the results are usually quicker than dance or music. Theatre is something that one can learn in a fairly short amount of time, while still growing and developing in acting. Music and dance, although extremely valuable, take a bit longer to have skill enough to allow the child to actually be useful.

In theatre, extremely shy children can become full of self-confidence, fairly quickly, and hone in on their abilities to lead or be responsible in various aspects of theatre. Children are also extremely flexible emotionally and once they trust, it is easy to have them mentor other children who were once as frightened and shy as they were when they started.

Children can also accept responsibility and can soon be leading in several areas. Kids make great assistant directors, dance captains, or even technical leaders or over props or costumes. Children can learn that everything is theatre pretty quickly, which helps them to present themselves, as well as others, in a good light.

Over all, there is nothing like the performing arts, and especially theatre, to help kids find out where their abilities lie and exactly who and what they are, personally.