Watching a play is about as alluring as white bread to any average kid. So it will take some serious convincing before you can take your 12-year-old to go to the theatre and see the latest production of “Macbeth” or “Death of a Salesman”.
Still, you want to introduce your kids — you family, really, to another form of entertainment, preferably one that creates a different kind of connection with the characters on stage. Live theatre does just that and more. It will encourage further interest in literary works, and according to a study published in the Science Daily, watching live theatre develops your appreciation for other people’s thoughts and feelings.
But there is no need to drag everyone to the theatre. There are other ways of encouraging an interest in staged productions. And it all begins with finding the ideal theatre group to watch. Here’s how to do it:
Pick a theatre group that does productions suitable for your kids.
Unless your kids truly are into stories of ruthless ambition and an ageing salesman’s spiral into nervous breakdown, then pick a theatre group that does productions designed for kids. Think “Peter Pan”, “Beauty and the Beast”, or “Hairspray”. Think light and fun and colourful. Leave the complex plots of murder, greed, betrayal, depression, and failure for adult audiences.
Find theatre groups that also offer summer workshops.
Why settle for simply watching a live production of “Peter Pan” when you can, in the future, watch your own kid on stage? If your kid shows interest in live theatre, beyond sitting in the audience and picking which ones to watch, then develop that interest into a potential passion or even, a career.
Look for theatre groups that hold classes on acting and theatre production. And watch your kid play a role on stage or off stage.
Look up interactive or immersive theatre.
Finally, most people find plays boring or dull. Today’s audiences are so spoiled by technology in film and the short bursts of entertainment they get from the Web that attention spans have shrunk. People want to be entertained instantly. And immersive theatre does that — but while elevating the audience’s consciousness and pushing the envelope all at the same time.
With immersive theatre, you become part of the landscape of the show; productions are not confined to an actual theatre but may sprawl out into neighbourhoods, and you even get to choose which characters, which stories you want to experience as you move through floor after floor of carefully staged scenes.