All the World’s a Stage

Let’s face it—kids are born with a flare for the dramatic.

Dramatic Play is another thing altogether. During the toddler years, role-playing games (playing house, teacher, fireman, etc.) help children to understand themselves, their family and the world around them. Who hasn’t seen that piece of toast at breakfast doing double duty as a steering wheel, or a building block masquerading as a check-out till?

Once your child is talking, there are plenty of places that can excite their imagination further and inspire any budding thespians. If your child would rather watch than perform to start, professional and amateur theatre groups regularly put on productions geared towards young audiences which make for great family outings. The Calgary International Children’s Festival is hosting 11 different shows catering to all age groups from May 24 to 28.

For those effervescent kids ready to take the stage, there are drama and acting schools prepared to nurture young talent in a safe and non-threatening environment.

The Calgary Young People’s Theatre has two locations and offers half-day morning camps for kids four to six with a maximum of eight campers per session. For the 6 to 12 age group, there is The Summer of Glee week-long, full-day program. For busy moms, ‘before and after’ care can be provided, along with healthy lunch and a snack option when signing up. 

Similarly, The Storybook Theatre has two-week camps for 6 to 18 year-olds, with themes based around Disney, Broadway and Classic Literature. They also provide child-minding before and after and a pizza lunch on the last day. Both theatres have shows running (along with the classes) all year round.

Centre Stage is a theatre company that offers both plays and an acting school for children three and up. The Little Stars Program runs weekly classes using costumes and storybook themes to develop acting skills. For the older children, they can choose from musical or traditional theatre.

The Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts offers SummerACT, a series of camps in July for children over 7. Held at one of Calgary’s premier stages, the innovative program taught by artists not only inspires creativity, but also helps build confidence in your kids, as well as teamwork and critical-thinking skills.

Quest Theatre is dedicated entirely to children, and offers summer theatre camps for one or two weeks for children aged six and up, as well as classes through the year.

So get the kids signed up for an acting class—and keep the theatrics on the stage where they belong. Tested by Christina C., Calgary

Comments