This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 16, 2010 - Playing well with others is a goal most parents have for their children. But there's also a lot of value in children watching others play -- on the stage, that is. In St. Louis, local theater companies are teaching kids about honesty, compassion, literacy and other qualities. The best part is that the kids just think they're having fun.
Frogs are popular this year. But purple crayons, children's classic tales and St. Louis neighborhood themes are also part of upcoming presentations that those in the local performing arts scene hope will result in a lifelong devotion to theater.
"We know statistically that young people introduced to arts will stay with the arts and carry it on for a lifetime," said Nancy Tonkins, marketing director of Metro Theater Company.
Generation To Generation
When St. Louisan Daryl Rosen-Huitt was a little girl in the 1970s, she loved when the original Metro Theater Troupe would come to her Clayton elementary school.
"I remember they were a bunch of awesome young adults in striped shirts coming in with their traveling sets," Rosen-Huitt said.
Just a few years ago, when her own son was turning 3, she took him to Metro Theater's "Go Dog, Go."
"Now, whenever we read that book, he always mentions the play we saw. It had a big impact on him," Rosen-Huitt said.
That handing down to our children a fondness for theater and literature, and the teaching of life lessons are at the heart of theater productions, according to Gary Gaydos, artistic director for the St. Louis Family Theatre Series at the Florissant Civic Center. The series' ultimate goal is to expose every child to at least one hour of literature-based theater between kindergarten and fifth grade.
"It's really how we pass along from one generation to another the great philosophies of life," Gaydos said. "That's what adult theater is for and it's the same for children's."
Sharing Values, Providing An Outlet
Even teenagers enjoy the 30-to-45 minute fairy-tale productions staged by Marble Stage Theatre. And it's never too late to absorb the fundamental lessons each play provides, according to artistic director Greg Matzker. For example, the current run of "The Frog Prince" teaches time-worn lessons such as "Don't judge a book by its cover" and "If you make a promise, keep it."
Marble Stage audiences are hardly passive participants. There is opportunity for interaction in each production. In January's staging of "King Midas," the audience was invited to set the king's table. They were called upon to clap their hands and stomp their feet to produce the sound of thunder. Sometimes, an actor will "have to" leave the stage and children are asked to come up and "audition" for a quick scene.
"When we needed somebody to be Baby Bear in 'Goldilocks,' we got the kids onstage for a minute or two," Matzker said. "Right now, kids are so glued to the TV or playing video games; we try to show them there are other kinds of entertainment out there."
For many children, experiencing theater has another benefit: They find a new way to express themselves.
"Some people are good at sports, some are good in English, and some are good at drama and theater and art and music," explained Rosen-Huitt. "If they're not exposed to the arts, how will they know it's OK to do those things?"
Layers Of Meaning
It's important that the theater experience be a good one for both parents and children. Each processes onstage events in their own way, according to Stephanie Riven, executive director of the Center of Creative Arts.
"Adults will enjoy the performances on one level and the children on another," Riven said in an e-mail.
Matzker illustrated that difference, recalling a courtroom scene from "Little Red Riding Hood," when the wolf was on trial and a fur costume was placed in evidence.
"The wolf grabbed the fur and said, 'If the fur doesn't fit, you must acquit.' Of course, the parents, taking us back to the O.J. Simpson trial, just roared, and the kids were like, 'I don't get it,'" Matzker explained.
Riven is keenly aware that for at least some of the children at every COCA family shows, this is their first introduction to theater. Gaydos agreed that the initial experience sets the tone for a lifetime.
"Those first visits are keenly important to them coming back ever again," Gaydos said.
Nancy Fowler Larson is a freelance writer who covers theater for the Beacon.