Young Students Enter World of Performing Arts

The power of live theater might be fading in favor of television and the Internet, but for the first-graders of it’s opened up a fun way to enjoy stories only found in the pages of books.

“It was really important,” first-grade teacher Carlee Muenzer said. “It showed how literature can be brought to life on stage. It’s a good exposure for the kids."

Muenzer’s first-grade class, along with all other first-grade classes at Lake Fenton's West Shore Elementary School, attended Duck for President, Fancy Nancy and Other Storybooks, a traveling theater show presented by Theatreworks USA at The Whiting, 1241 East Kearsley Street in Flint, late last month.

The troupe travels throughout the country to perform the show for young students. Last week, the performers came to Flint, thanks to the Flint Youth Theatre (FYT).

“Seeing live theater is an essential part of life for anyone,” FYT education manager Sam Richardson said. “You get to see live people bring stories to life and bring life lessons out.”

Some of the first-graders enjoyed the humorous parts of the plays. Emma Lynch was a fan of Pirates Don’t Change Diapers, one of the six stories showcased in the production, because she thought it was the funniest.

First-grader Madeline Gibb agreed.

“My favorite part was when they changed the baby’s diaper because it was really funny,” she said, but she understands the humor might be a little ridiculous.

"Why would a pirate change a diaper? It’s absurd,” Madeline said.

Richardson remembers when he saw live theater for the first time, and that's what most of the West Shore Elementary School first-graders were experiencing that day.

“It was a new sense of seeing things for me,” Richardson said of his first theater experience.

William P. Ward, executive artistic director of FYT, understands the importance of young people becoming familiar with theater early.

“For a lot of kids, it’s the only exposure to performing arts — and theater specifically,” he said. “There’s always been a lot of emphasis put on growing audiences for the future. Seeing theater early becomes habit and a part of life.”

The students of West Shore Elementary School didn’t just see a performance; they were guided into the world of those stories, thanks to FYT’s program of educating audiences before and after shows.

“We have an education guide for teachers to access online,” Richardson said. “There’s information about pre- and postshow activities, styles of learning and sometimes specifics about the author.”

All of this gives teachers information on how to instruct their students in learning more about the show than just attending it. It also give the teachers an idea of what the show is about and what to expect when exposing the students to it, Richardson said.

Ward, who has been at FYT for 33 years, is proud to have his organization offer this for young people in the area.

“In other parts of the world, arts play a role in the fabric of everyday life,” he said. “A program like this fills the void — not just seeing the show, but a whole array of activities.

“It enhances life, it teaches lessons.”