5 Life Skills Children Cultivate in the Performing Arts

People join the Encore family through many different avenues. Some come to us first as audience members during our season of shows. Others have a blast during summer camp and decide to come back for more. Still more find Encore through our auditions for cast and crew throughout the year. There’s yet another path that perhaps you haven’t considered: after-school enrichment. Encore partners with PTAs and enrichment partners to bring fun and creative theatre-based classes to students grades K-8 across several counties. Read on to learn how bringing theatre into your school can benefit the young learners in your life.

Photo by Clarence Chan

#1 – Empathy
Theatre allows children to imagine themselves, however briefly, in the story of someone oftentimes very different from them. This act helps young people relate to others and to value differences in experience, opinion, and circumstances.

#2 – Confidence
Creative spaces offer children a place to take big risks and fail safely. This helps kids grow confidence in their abilities and ideas, both in the classroom and out in the world.

#3 – Teamwork
Theatre is most definitely a team sport. Drama classes help children develop effective and kind communication methods by cultivating positive working relationships: between actors in a scene, between actor and director, between director and creative team, and more!

Photo by Clarence Chan

#4 – Creative Problem Solving
Theatre enrichment sets the stage for imagination and creative problem solving. Students ask, “How can we create a castle or a spaceship here in our classroom?” They achieve their goals by working and learning together.

#5 – Leadership
Theatre transforms students into leaders. When challenges arise, students use their collection of skills to keep the show moving forward. Students learn how to empower their peers and be positive role models onstage and off!

Ready to roll out the purple carpet and bring Encore Stage & Studio into your school for after-school enrichment? Interested in Encore facilitating your school play? Contact Education Programs Director, Madaline Langston, to get started: madaline.langston@encorestage.org.

Photos by Aileen Pangan Christian, Clarence Chan, and Connie Polnow. Video edited by Shannon McCarthy. Blog conbribution by Shannon McCarthy.