Education from the stage
Theatre offers youngsters exposure to different perspectives, experiences
Entertaining a child without a screen — it’s still possible.
In fact, it can even be a more intense and memorable experience, particularly when it comes to live performance.
“What I find about the theatre is that it’s so immersive,” says Allen MacInnis, artistic director of Young People’s Theatre (YPT). “The way you engage your own imagination along with the actors — there’s a depth of impact that theatre has that is potentially more impactful than stuff you see on screen. And maybe that’s because you’re sharing the same space together, and breathing the same air.”
Visceral, evocative entertainment isn’t the only aim of theatre, MacInnis points out. It’s also a chance for young viewers to learn about other perspectives and experiences, and see dilemmas they can identify with — or at least understand when others face them.
“In a way, it’s a bit of a rehearsal for, ‘How might I respond to that?’ by seeing characters on stage respond to that,” he says. “Developing resiliency has to do with being able to experience a variety of emotions and not be crippled by them. I think it’s terribly important for kids to develop socially.”
Last month, playwright Christine Quintana’s Selfie premiered on the YPT stage. MacInnis says the show, geared toward teen audiences, explores “difficult conversations” about sexual consent and power dynamics.
“( Selfie) allows an audience of young people to see that it is an issue, it does need to be talked about, and it isn’t just about really bad people,” he says. “It’s also sometimes about good people who just didn’t think about what’s happening, didn’t think about the power that they wield in a situation.”
For younger audiences, ages 5 to 10, YPT’s recently launched production of Salmon Girl contemplates our living environment — and our connection to it — through language, dance and puppetry.
“This piece really teaches a fundamental notion about living with the planet and respecting the fact that what we take, we have to put back,” MacInnis says. “Otherwise everything around us begins to deplete and decay.”
Selfie runs until May 11 and Salmon Girl continues until May 12.
For very young audiences — from infants to kindergarteners — Theatre Direct Canada’s WeeFestival takes the stage May 11-21, bringing acclaimed theatre companies from South Africa, Italy, Germany, France, as well as other Canadian groups, to Toronto. Most performances are hosted in small- er spaces to ensure children can enjoy the show up close.
Opening May 26, Solar Stage’s production of Treasure Island presents the Robert Louis Stevenson classic for ages 5 and up with a fresh jolt of energy. Four performers swap costumes to portray a cast of colourful characters. Treasure Island runs on weekends until July 1. Solar Stage will then reopen the energetic Memorable Munsch, based on the books of Robert Munsch, for a summer run until Aug. 5.
The famed Toronto Fringe Festival — running from the July 4 to July 15 — welcomes the usual throngs of theatre-loving adults, but also offers up KidsFest for children of all ages.
“It’s super-economical, that’s a huge thing for us,” says Lucy Eveleigh, the festival’s executive director. “The kids’ tickets are five bucks; it’s really hard to find less expensive theatre in this city.”
Like MacInnis, Eveleigh says live performance is hard to match when it comes to sheer excitement for young audiences.
“I think, when the lights go down, it’s magical.”