It was exciting to have so many regional schools attend this season’s school performances of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. We strive to choose TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) productions that address your curriculum, as well as social issues that children face.
We want to thank the schools that traveled to our theatre to see shows like this put on by the students’ peer group. A special thank you to Minneapolis Elementary School, Central Plains Elementary School, Ottawa County Head Start, and Lincoln Elementary School. We recognize that it’s a lot of effort to put together a field trip, and you all went above and beyond! Your students were exposed to something that not every child in the middle of Kansas gets to experience – live theatre for young people, done by young people.
Field trips to live theatre enhance literary knowledge, tolerance, and empathy among students. According to a study published in Education Next (Fall 2014) “…seeing live theatre produced positive effects that reading a play or watching a movie of the play does not produce.” Jay Greene, Professor at the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform says, “Plays are meant to be seen performed live. You can’t always take your kids to a play but if you can, you should. The story can be conveyed in a movie, but it doesn’t engage the viewer in the same way.”
Please consider this a special invitation to see our first school show of next season, James and The Giant Peach, The Musical in October 2016. Whether you’ve joined us in years past or this will be your first trip to Salina Community Theatre, please contact me in advance so I can make your reservation process easier. I can also suggest other activities that could make a full day out of your trip. We have a wonderful museum, library, and art center just a few blocks away.
Thank you again to all the schools who joined us this school year, and we hope to see you in October for James and the Giant Peach, The Musical!
Shannon Garretson, MA RDT
Education Director
