Homeschool Field Trip!
A Day At The Theater
I don't know about ya'll, but I loved field trips as a kid. Heck, I even love field trips as an adult. There is something quite smashing about wandering into an educational scenario set in some distant place and gleaning morsels of mind enhancing knowledge. It may seem obvious now that I think about it, but my entire life, as evidenced by my blog, is sort of one big field trip!
That said, I have homeschooled my kids from the beginning. However, I believe an important part of any education is getting out and experiencing "things", and by things I mean everything from visiting a local blacksmith's forge to going to the coast to wander through an aquarium and absolutely everything in between!
Drama is an important part of any culture. Oh! Excuse me, I meant dramatic performance arts of the theatrical kind. Both my kids have had multiple opportunities to participate in plays and dance recitals, but to go watch a production of the next level kind is a bit of a mind enjoyment treat. Hello mind moonpie!!
My dear neighbor homeschools her four boys. She is always so sweet to let us know when the CYT kids are putting on a grand production and let us buy a few tickets as part of her homeschool group. CYT stands for Christian Youth Theater.
Christian Youth Theater (CYT) is the largest after-school theater arts training program in the nation. Affiliates across the country offer classes in drama, music, dance, technical theater, and more!
Each CYT production that I have ever attended was incredibly well done. The lights, the costumes, the music, and the acting! This fall's production was a musical that most Americans know well, Annie. Growing up I probably watched the 1982 Annie movieat least 50,000 times. Carol Burnett's turn as Miss Hannigan still gives me goosebumps, and I know that I annoyed my family with the constant rewinding of that video tape so I could sing "It's A Hard Knock Life" over and over again. Ah, the good old days...
That said, even though I know the story well, I had never seen Annie performed live on the stage before. Until today. The ladies at the Kroc Center in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho ushered us in to the large auditorium, and much to my surprise I found that I had a front row seat!
The adult to kid ratio was probably about ten to one, but the kids in the audience were marvelously well behaved. I have a feeling it was because they were enraptured by the performances from the kids on the stage. All of the actors and actresses were between the ages of 8-18, and what made it even more fun for my kids is that we knew some of them. In fact, my daughter has tap danced with a couple of the kids since they were all small, it was great to see how much they had progressed in their studies!
My favorite actress was the girl that portrayed Lily St. Regis. She was channeling her inner Marissa Tomei off of My Cousin Vinny accent, and her sashaying killed me! The girl that played Miss Hannigan was beyond believable in her role, the way the words "Little Girls" rolled off her tongue just dripped with authentic, child-hating disdain.
The whole performance was two hours long, but I swear it felt like two minutes! We were a very enthusiastic crowd that clapped and cheered appreciatively in all the right moments, and I felt like a somewhat excellent mom right after the show when my kids both beamed at me with smiles that could have only shone from engaging in an activity that was enjoyable.
As we walked out of the Kroc Center toward our little blue chariot, my kids inquired if we were to be attending whatever drama filled bit of outstanding awesomeness that CYT North Idaho would be presenting the following spring,
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I have been to two CYT performances, and they were both fantastic! So glad you and the kiddos had the opportunity to go.
It was a ton of fun! I can't believe how much work they all put in! Glad you got to see some of their performances too:o)!
Haha, quite true!
Your trip to see Annie reminded me of our homeschool excursions to Totem Pole Playhouse. Everything from Helen Keller to Sherlock kept our young minds attune to the fine arts. Ahh, good memories....
The Totem Pole Playhouse pretty much has to be the most fantastic moniker for a facility that houses the dramatic arts that I have ever heard! AWESOME!
Also, it sounds like you have a whole storehouse full of fond theatrical production memories, so incredibly happy for you😊
What a fun way to spend the day! Don't you love those small venues where you can feel the energy of the actors on stage. It's been a while since I have seen a play. Great educational activity. Guess we will have to find some tickets to Broadway when we hit the road! Lol🐓🐓