The play’s the thing
Readers of this column know our family loves going to live theatre – pantomimes in particular. Well, all of that has given Grace the acting bug, for which we’ve found an excellent cure. It’s called Red Room Studio in Nanaimo and they offer year-round acting programs for kids 7 – 15. What we love in particular is that you’re involved from day 1 in an actual production – learning while you prepare to go on stage.
In Grace’s case, they’ll be putting on the musical Aladdin from May 22-24th, and considering that the classes only began in late January it’s moving along at quite a pace. The discipline of having to learn lines, practice songs, rehearse dance steps, all while attending three-hour sessions twice a week, has been very good for Grace. The energy she spends making up her own dances and songs has been given a direction. It’s made her more focused, while still having lots of fun.
The other thing I like is that the kids around her are all focused too. No one is there for “child-minding” purposes and that means everyone is on the same page; there’s a show to put on! Instructor Eliza Gardiner is great with the kids – keeping a firm hand while allowing the creativity to continue to flow.
Oh, and did I mention that when Grace comes home she immediately starts practicing her steps and her songs; no prodding required? As Aladdin would say “A whole new world” is opening up!
