Johnston: Theater offers much for which to be thankful

Published 10:29 am Thursday, November 14, 2019

love looking at social media where people post each day about something for which they are thankful.

I will jump on that bandwagon this week and say something I’m thankful for.

This weekend was opening weekend for Leeds’ production of “James and the Giant Peach,” and I realized while watching it I am thankful I have theater kids.

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Sometimes it wears me out. They love to sing, dance, twirl and do all things theater all the time.

I never thought I would have to say “Stop dancing in the grocery store,” or “Remember there is no singing at the dinner table,’ as much as I do.

I have sat through many a “performance” in their rooms, watching them work together to develop a play or dance show that is usually loud and involves multiple costume changes.

But I am thankful they are theater kids and I am thankful our community is so supportive of the performing arts.

Carter has been doing plays since he was in kindergarten.

I knew he enjoyed acting, but I didn’t realize how much until I saw him in his school’s production during his third-grade year.

He was Aladdin, and when I watched him come out on stage, it was clear this was “his thing.”

Autumn has watched her brother perform for the majority of her life. She kept telling me she couldn’t wait to be a star like him. She seems to have caught the acting bug like her brother and this will be the first year she is in a play without him.

I am thankful for theater because acting and drama are helping my kids develop a ridiculous array of life skills.

Here are just a few I see them and their fellow theater peers developing on a daily basis.

— Self confidence. From the audition to the actual performance and all the preparation in between, children are gaining the confidence needed to speak in front of groups. They are learning it is OK to make mistakes in a safe and nurturing environment that teaches them how to learn from those mistakes and get better.

— Problem solving and flexibility. Just like life, things on stage do not always go as planned. Theater kids are forced to improvise, to think on their feet and work through unplanned mistakes during performances.

They must be flexible and go with the flow as well as find ways to keep the audience from knowing there may have been a mistake.

I have to problem solve and be flexible nearly every day, so the fact my kids are learning it early is huge.

— Teamwork. Acting is a team sport and every player is vital to the production. Everyone in a scene is important and depends on each other.

Participants must cooperate for the production to succeed, even if you don’t always agree.

There is no room for “we” versus “they” behavior. If someone forgets to come on stage, misses a line, forgets to move somewhere, etc., the whole show is impacted.

Understanding how to work as a team will be an important skill as you navigate relationships with significant others, workplace and community spaces.

— Motivation and commitment. Being involved in theater productions demands commitment and motivation.

My theater parent village had shirts made that said “I can’t, I have rehearsal” for our kiddos because there are many things our kids have to miss since they had made a commitment to a show.

They sign on knowing the time involved and rarely complain as they understand these commitments are important and the success of the show depends on them showing up and working hard.

As kids who participate in theater grow, they learn to transfer these skills to their relationships with others and activities such as classes and jobs. These are qualities that can help them become successful adults.

Some of these same things can be learned from simple dramatic play at home. As parents, we can encourage unplugged, unstructured play with costumes, props and puppets.

The $1 store is a great place to go to get ideas. They have the best dress up and play things for super cheap.

If you have children who are more motivated by technology, you can encourage them to make their own films or record their own stories. The things they come up with will probably have you rolling on the floor laughing.

As your kiddo does more of this type of play, I bet you will start to see some of these traits grow and evolve.

If you would like more information on child development or engaging children in play, contact the Clark County Extension office at 859-744-4682. It is one of my favorite things to talk about.

In case you were wondering if you could see any of my drama children in action, “James and the Giant Peach” still has shows this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Carter will also be Olaf in Baker’s production of “Frozen Jr. in January (17-19). Autumn will be a squirrel/candy chorus in Shearer Musical Theater’s production of “Willy Wonka KIDS” in March (6-8).

Shonda Johnston is the Clark County Extension agent for family and consumer sciences. She can be reached at 859-744-4682 or by email at shonda.johnston@uky.edu.