MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPANY
Middle School Company: ANYTHING GOES, February 2019
MAY 21–24, 2020
Middle School Company
Rehearsals start March 10
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Middle School Company: VENUE ON BROADWAY,
May 2018
Purpose and Goals of the Middle School Program
CREATE MEANING THROUGH NARRATIVE & METAPHOR
Middle School students express an instinctive human need -- to mimic, to project stories, and to create meaning through narrative and metaphor. We see this instinct expressed in children when they act out real or imagined characters and events and have evidence of theater-like rituals in some of the oldest human societies. Theater matters, in essence because we can’t help it -- it’s part of what makes us human.
MODEL PUBLIC DIALOGUE AT THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY
Theater students model a kind of public dialogue that lies at the heart of democratic life, building skills for listening to different views and empathizing with the struggles of fellow humans. Middle School students learn what happens when conflicts don’t get resolved, and what happens when they do, and begin to develop the ability to imagine the outcomes of choices they may make in their own lives.
ENHANCE EDUCATIONAL SKILLS AND LITERACY
Making (and attending) theater contributes to education and literacy -- the condensed dialogue of theater requires sharp attention, quick mental shifts and nimble language skills. Middle School students learn about human motivation and psychology, and studies have shown that theater students do better in school. Participation adds to self-confidence and allows students to socialize in a productive and healthy way.
