5 Reasons Why Theater is Good for Kids

1. Theater fosters emotional intelligence.  Acting requires that we examine the motives of a character in a story.  This is called empathy and it helps us to become more harmonious human beings. The Theater is a fun and safe place for young people to practice this very important life skill.

2. Theater encourages reading and written communication.  This is true of early readers especially.  Participating in a play requires actors to read and re-read a script.  Through the rehearsal process, young people develop an awareness and recognition of new vocabulary.

3. Theater strengthens confidence. Public speaking (actual speaking, not just posting on social media) is one of our biggest fears.  By providing young people with an opportunity to appear and speak in front of an audience, we empower children and condition them early to face their fears.

4. Theater enhances phonics, vocabulary and oral communication. Through the rehearsal process, young people learn to speak up, raise their voice, annunciate and inflect their dialogue so that the story can be heard and understood.  Young people explore words and sounds and, more importantly, how their character’s words impact other characters and contribute to the progress of the whole story.

5. Theater is reliant upon the contributions of unique individuals.  Theater is a great place for kids who, for whatever reason, think of themselves as "different."  Acting requires that we portray interesting, sometimes extraordinary characters in order to tell a story and entertain an audience.  The most creative young people (as well as successful adults) that I have encountered in the theater are folks who proudly describe themselves as “weird.”  

Thanks to the theater, “weird” kids like me found a comfortable place to be ourselves at an age when pretty much everything felt uncomfortable.

-Valerie Remillard Myette

ExperimentsinTheater.com

RIActress.com