Years ago, a Columbus school class took its students on a field trip to visit the Tupelo Mall, which left one parent incredulous. A mall?
Yes, one of the teachers said, explaining that some children had never been to a shopping mall.
It was a sobering realization for the parent that the worlds of some children are incredibly small.
Thursday, the Golden Triangle Theater staged two performances of its fall youth production. Roughly 900 area school children attended the productions of “Seussical Jr.” For many in the audience, it was likely the first time they had ever attended a live theatrical performance.
For earlier generations, performing arts were a staple of a public school education even at the smallest of schools. Every school had a drama teacher and dramatic and musical theater productions at the end of the fall and spring semesters were a culmination of weeks of dedicated school hours.
Somewhere along the way, beginning in the early 1980s, the emphasis shifted. Today, many schools have no drama/theater programs and those that do offer it more as an extracurricular program than a part of the curriculum. The funding for fully functioning and diverse arts programs simply isn’t there.
The arrival of the Golden Triangle Theatre in 2021 has been a revival of those efforts to expose children to the performing arts. While the GTT stages largely adult productions, a major part of its mission has been to reach children through theater classes and by productions that not only allow young performers to hone their skills, but bring exposure of the performing arts to all those children who may have never seen a live play or musical.
Previous generations of parents instinctively understood that providing children with opportunities to participate in performing arts made them more well-rounded, better students.
A multitude of studies conducted in recent years confirms what those parents believed to be true.
The performing arts — really all arts programs — promote and enhance motivation, confidence and social skills. Children have the potential to embrace a lifelong appreciation for the arts through school curriculums that support comprehensive, interdisciplinary arts programs. As children enter their teen years, their involvement in arts programs provides opportunities to collaborate and interact with others, develop leadership skills and become global citizens.
In short, the arts enlarge a child’s world to all the wonderful things that lie hidden from their view.
The GTT’s youth productions offer children not only the opportunity to see theatrical productions, but to see productions staged by their school-age peers. That’s a powerful message, we believe.
For the GTT the youth productions are a recruiting tool. For schools, it is almost certain to increase interest in their own arts programs.
We applaud both GTT and attending schools for recognizing the value in the performing arts.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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