Oh no you didn’t! Oh yes you did! Live theater is an experience that you can’t describe! Some kids count down the days until they get to finally see the curtains draw back, and some kids love the moment they first walk into the rotunda and see all the excited faces just like theirs.
When you go up the stairs and see just how pretty the theater is, you will get your very own program (don’t forget to keep it for autographs later!) before you take your seat. The lights will dim, and the play begins.
Watching the characters you will become lost in the story, and engrossed in what is happening on the stage – just like you do in the movies!
Then, the lights will come on, and the audience will applause, and you will be caught up in the excitement! Don’t forget to head to the Rotunda to get those autographs!
Then you’ll go home and think about all your favorite moments and look forward the next time you get to experience something like that with other kids who are having just a great time!
For those kids who watch the play and get the acting bug, the theater have an acting academy where they can take various classes to one day maybe get them on the stage!
They also have field trip opportunities, as well as a great program for middle school students to submit plays with important anti-bullying themes.
And….action!
My daughter’s been going since she was about 7 – she’s 14 now. The classes have always been a really great experience for her. The teachers are chosen carefully and, as far as I can tell, really know their stuff. So the acting instruction is outstanding. That said, the founders of OCT – and it seems all the staff and teachers – care first and foremost about how our young people grow up to be big people. The acting comes second to behavior, self-esteem, treatment of others, and so on. I can’t say enough good things about the place.
My two daughters had a phenomenal experience in the classes for 4-7 year olds, and I can’t say enough good things about Teacher Amy! Amy LaRosa is a total gem. It is rare to meet a teacher who is so well-versed in both theatre-making and child development. You either *get* where little ones are in their development, or you don’t. Amy not only *gets* it, but she can meet them where they are and enter into that joyous, creative space with them.She brought out wonderful confidence in both my girls. They are two very different little people, and I loved seeing how she approaches each kid in the class with kindness and respect for where they are in their growth. My 4 year old literally FLOATED out of class one time, and as we bounced around the neighborhood waiting for her older sister to be done, she said “Teacher Amy really knows FUN. She makes it SO FUN for us!” This from the little girl who has never enjoyed or even stuck it out through ANY class before. She loved being with Teacher Amy. She makes it a magical and substantive experience, and our family benefited.
Let me start by saying that this place has great qualities and they do try to do the best they can. I have seen wonderful things happen at this place. I wish this had been the case for my son when he went to the zombies and monsters class over the summer. I was told every day that he was ‘doing great,’ I was discouraged from sitting in to avoid distraction (okay, i get that). To my surprise on the day of the little skit I found his teacher ‘picking on him. For parents this has happened to you know how heartbreaking it is. For others it will be dismissed as me wanting special treatment of my child. I wanted to burst into tears when after the third time she chastised my son for doing what three others were doing. This was in front of the audience, on the ‘big day’. He loved the other kids and Andy. His teacher was K.H. All in all i am sorry that I put my son in her class and I am even more sorry that after being told how great everything was going that I paid for another class. I hope everyone else has a better result. Maybe this teacher had some personal stuff going on that made her act like that. Maybe she just did not like my kid. I don’t know. proceed with caution.
The instructors are phenomenal with all ages. Worth every penny.
Big fan of Oregon Children’s Theatre! It’s a great organization, and they consistently produce top-notch productions!