Wow, theater makes a difference

I have to admit that I really, really love playing in the Flying Theater Machine.

I love the giggles, the unfiltered kid feedback, and having the kids on-stage is always a bit out of control in the best possible way. I can always tell immediately that I am entertaining kids – believe me we know the second that we become a bit too slow- but I guess I just take it on faith that I’m also teaching kids good lessons about theater, empowerment, and creativity. Or mostly on faith because every once in a while we get a letter like this:

———–

“Both my daughters had a huge time and have been talking about it since then, telling anyone who would listen their recreation of the story of the ants and sandwiches and the hysterical cow. They get some confused looks, especially when they segue into describing the talking lemon, but it’s clear they had a great time.

I think it also had a bigger impact on my younger daughter, who is six. She has a performance coming up at school – her first grade class is going to recite a poem on stage in front of the several other classes, and she has been nervous about this. But yesterday, as I picked her up from school, I heard her talking to her friends on the playground, telling them about the show.

“Being on a stage is not scary at all” she told them. “I was on a stage twice – one as an ant, and once dancing – and it was super fun! It was fun and not scary at all!”

She was clearly delighted and proud and excited. Her whole attitude about her upcoming performance has changed from thinking it as some kind of test or judgment, to approaching it as a chance to share and have fun. She is now eagerly awaiting the chance be on stage again – and the chance to come back to the Hideout.

So please pass on to the rest of your troupe my appreciation of the show, and of great work you are doing.

See you soon,
Rob”

How great is that? I created something that I love AND it is a force for positive change – can’t get better than that!

-Jessica