Earth with out “art” is just eh
Shakespeare once said, “all the world’s a stage…” No, he didn’t say a science lab or math room. He said stage.
“The arts, theater specifically, is the ability to think and create,” said Grae Greer, TWO play director. “Science may heal us and keep us alive, but the arts is why we want to live. We need to instill that early.”
And next month you can enstill the importance of the arts for your children, when TWO presents Wiley & the Hairy Man.
Wiley is a spine-tingling tale of a boy and his worst fears in the swamp. Eventually these fears are overcome by Wiley himself. Wiley & the Hairy Man centers around a young fatherless boy, his conjure-woman mother, his faithful dog, the Hairy Man who haunts Wiley’s days and dreams and the swamp.
The cast and crew are made up of approximately 30 local children between the ages of 6 and 14. Two local high school students are the lighting designer and the stage manager. To further educate children about the arts, TWO hosts Summer Drama camp starting in June, which runs for three weeks.
There are different camps, each focused around an age appropriate area such as Intro to Theatre, Acting and Design, Puppetry & Puppet Making, and Playwriting/Storytelling.
If your child missed out on the current performance, do not worry. The next TWO youth show will be William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Youth between the ages of 13 and 18 can audition at the Trinity Center on June 2, from 2 – 4 p.m. and June 3, from 6 – 8 p.m.
Because arts can be so important to a child’s development, TWO youth shows may be the perfect outlet for your child to explore the arts, specifically theatre. As “The Longest Running Show in Town,” TWO has impacted thousands of adults and youth in the Owensboro area.
“Community theater is ‘home’ to many people regardless of race, sex, age, religion or social status,” said Emmy Woosely, assistant director of Wiley. “People from all walks of life can come together to create a piece of art that not only cast and crew, but also the community as a whole can be proud of. For many people community theater is the first type of theater they get to experience, and this impact reflects on their love of the arts forever. Theatre Workshop of Owensboro also invites people to enjoy the beauty and unique architectural features of two local historical treasures, the Trinity Center and the Opryhouse on Frederica in which performances are held.”
Theatre Workshop of Owensboro has seen countless young people come to auditions as shy and bashful children, according to Teresa Wills, TWO Youth Activity Chair. “But we watched them blossom during the rehearsal process and through their participation in the production of the plays,” Teresa said.
At Theatre Workshop, kids have a chance to interact with peers from different schools and backgrounds perhaps unlike their own, and enjoy the acceptance that comes with making friends with similar interests. Teresa says many of the children that have been involved in TWO’s drama clubs and camps have gone on to careers in theater and the ones that have chosen different paths have benefited from their experiences during the youth productions.
“The arts, especially theater, encourage children to use creativity and teamwork to create a final product,” Emmy said. “The arts allow children to see the beauty in the world in which they live. The arts are also an incredible place to build self confidence, I’ll never forget when we cast Body, as the dog in Wiley– He (and his mother) were beaming with pride…that is a feeling you can not get from a book.”