Individual, community efforts needed for child involvement in the arts

Winnie the Pooh KIDS! at the Grand Theatre. Photo courtesy of Sam Guerrero

CARTERSVILLE, Ga— “I drove about thirty minutes to see my daughter do what she loves best,” Sjhonell Johnson said. “I don’t mind commuting and seeking theatre opportunities for her, but how come these other cities, with large ethnic minority populations aren’t providing these options for children? Why is their main focus on sports?”

Green Room Initiative

Sjohnell Johnson represents a plethora of parents who are forced to travel outside of the city they reside for their child’s involvement in the performance arts realm. For this year’s spring production of Winnie the Pooh KIDS, Johnson commuted not only for the initial audition from Dallas, but also for castings, rehearsals, and the opening night. In March, she became aware of the Green Room program’s production for children when her sister came across an advertisement on Facebook.

Kristy Montgomery, program director, mentioned she was asked to create more opportunities for youth development after she was hired on full-time at the Grand Theatre. 

With only one previous production in its reputable toolbox, the Green Room program is in its infancy in terms of existence. However, the valuable impact it has had on its community is related to its mission statement– providing high quality theatre programming and education in a safe, welcoming environment.

 “This program is a two-pronged collaboration between the Grand Theatre and ACT I, Inc. that targets actors between the ages of 5 and 12 years old,” Montgomery said. “I began directing shows very young through ACT I’s programming, so I know the merits to learning those leadership skills at a young age. For some of our youngest, these programs are their first steps into independence before they start at school. They’re learning how to socialize with others without their parents there to guide them.”

Education Through Arts

Johnson’s daughter, Leah, is an active 8-year-old full of creative energy who loves to sing and dance. Johnson stated she sees how every play her daughter is in holds a unique learning experience for her. 

“Auditioning for a role was something she had never done before, so this time around was highly exciting for her,” Johnson said. “She learned what an audition was and how to prepare for it by learning her lines and coming in with a song to perform.” 

Similarly, Montgomery stressed the importance of creating opportunities that would allow the teenage leaders to grow while also offering chances for the young actors to develop their skills.

Gabby Coleman, a senior from Cartersville High School, was this year’s director for Winnie the Pooh KIDS. Her vast experience in performance arts along with her knowledge of last year’s production brought extra stability within the program. 

Support from Community, Sponsors

Coleman gives credit where credit is due to the Grand Theatre’s professional staff along with the direct connection she had to an educational directing team.

“I don’t think many other programs exist like the one the Green Room presents,” Coleman said. “The community’s dedicated effort in supporting the theatre is prevalent and drives the program’s success.”

Leah Johnson as a bee in this year’s Green Room production.

Photo courtesy of Sjohnell Johnson

The devotion of parents, like Johnson’s, to their child’s development and social engagement prompts them to seek places that do invest in the arts. In recent years the Georgia Council for the Arts has partnered with the Georgia Municipal Association to invest in the arts and raise economic development efforts. However, some cities still display discrepancies, as Johnson stated at the beginning. 

“We’re a very lucky community because we have tremendous support for the arts,” Montgomery said. “For both the Grand and ACT I, we have tremendous retention rates for all of our programs. For our Green Room programming, our participants paid nothing to participate aside from ticket costs. We welcome everyone, and we’re able to do most of it at a very low cost or no cost at all. We’re very proud of that!” 

Debunking Children’s Theatre

A misconception about children’s plays is that they are only for children and that they convey simple messages. Johnson disagrees with that notion as anyone is able to grasp some kind of takeaway.

“The last play Leah was in focused on the topic of bullying and by the end I was in tears,” Johnson said. “I realized the themes it covered were one’s adults need to be aware about, not just for the kids.” 

Theatre is storytelling brought to life. It is an inherently human pursuit. People tell stories for entertainment, but they also use them to teach lessons.

Coleman mentioned children’s plays introduce the young demographic to things they may not yet fully understand. She added the following instance: “Our rendition of Winnie the Pooh’s character was sassy, so we worked with the child portraying him to get him to express mannerisms he had never expressed before. 

The significance of acting is that it shows children how to communicate an array of expressions. Moreover, it creates a way for them to become familiar with a variety of situations yielding distinct emotions as well as identify when others are communicating their own feelings. 

“Theatre is the perfect place to teach everything from memorization and creativity to team skills, leadership, and confidence,” Montgomery said. “It helps teach literacy and speaking skills, and it can also help with higher order abilities like sequencing.”

Need For More Programs

The need for people like Kristy Montgomery and programs like the Green Room is noticeable in the way Sjhonell Johnson commutes occasionally for her child to explore creative avenues. She represents the need for people in their community to establish opportunities involving the humanities for the young demographic. Montgomery mentioned one of the parents let her know just how much they appreciated her dedication to the theatre and their community. One of the parents openly expressed about their son, “’For a kid who doesn’t really take to sports it’s a huge deal to have a place he feels at ‘home.’”

For more information on the Green Room visit their website at https://thegrandtheatre.org/the-grand-youth-theatre/.