[ Top ]
It is with great enthusiasm and concern that I write to you.
I am enthused because it is another year underway and we have three shows ready to teach and tickle funny bones with. I can’t tell you what a treat it is to share fun and wisdom with a gymnasium full of happy kids. I have done hundreds and hundreds of children’s shows, and each time I am more and more impressed by what the imagination and immediate response we see from kids can make possible. No other form of theatre is so spontaneous or mutually enriching, for actor and audience alike, as children’s theatre.
Unfortunately I am concerned because the future of children’s theatre in Ontario is truly in question in a way we have not seen for decades. Cutbacks at every level have left education, the arts, community services and daycare all seriously deprived. Several of Ontario’s older, established companies, have had to buckle under, because of grant and subsidy cutbacks. So, it is positively essential that younger artists continue the work of our predecessors. The work must go on, in more resourseful and cost effective ways perhaps, but it must go on. It is essential that we keep affordable children’s theatre of the highest possible quality available for Ontario school children.
Now more than ever I think it is crucial that companies who work in the schools recognize the terrible fiscal reality of our customers. I have spoken at length with many of our clients about the profound lack of funding and artists MUST respond, or children and the theatre, will both suffer. Luckily, because of the powers of imagination of our audience, quality children’s theatre need not be expensive. Our kids may have the upper hands on fiscal reality after all!!! Affordable, imaginative, inventive, participational theatre must continue to flourish and make the magic of live acting available to our schools and school children. Theatre has a unique ability to reach, enrich and inspire our kids.
IN RESPONSE TO THE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OUR SCHOOLS ARE FACING I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT theatre essential ONCE AGAIN HAS THREE NEW, THRILLING, AFFORDABLE PLAYS AVAILABLE. WITH EXPERIENCED CHILDREN’S PERFORMERS BOTH ON STAGE AND BACKSTAGE, WE MAKE IT OUR MANDATE TO a) IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILDREN’S THEATRE AVAILABLE TO SCHOOLS AND b) LOWER THE PRICE PER PERFORMANCE FOR SCHOOLS, LEST THEATRE RISK ITS PLACE IN THE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES OF ONTARIO, ALTOGETHER.
We are pleased to say that we have never increased our prices. WE HAVE LOWERED THEM!!! The price now is LOWER than it was in our first season. Inflation...Ha!
At theatre essential we are deeply concerned about the
state of theatre
in the schools of Ontario. Money for education is being cut by
billions in this province. Artistic concerns aside, traditional
governmental sources of funding are turning their backs on the schools
and, cough, as of yet there is very little coming from private sectors
to compensate. In the meantime, opportunities for exposure to
theatre become more and more rare for Ontario’s school children.
At theatre essential we are:
Determined to keep affordable theatre of the highest quality alive and available for our school children.
We recognize the great tradition of touring theatre. We will have three plays available from the beginning to the end of each school year, and with minimum notice we will be prepared to perform any of the three plays in our repertoire for one set fee that always includes travel expenses. Each show will have extensive accompanying classroom materials to better the value and enrichment for children.
theatre essential will take its art to the kids, wherever they are!!!
Because we are friends of children and schools much more than we are business people theatre essential never requires a deposit or contract.
theatre essential has never applied for a grant or outside funding, and doesn't ever plan to. Good art has an audience that will pay a fair price...only bad art needs grants.
We will never bore them!!! We will be modern, cool and funny!!!
We will reach today's kids with timeless stories...VIA THE FUNNY BONE!!!
No one who thinks of kids as second class citizens, or kid's theatre as second class theatre, will ever work for us.
Our plays will be child friendly, and all that implies: colourful, energetic, peopled with animals (hee hee it is possible!), fast paced, with lots of room for child involvement...with heroes, villians, action and comedy. Ours will be shows to reach the child in all of us. We will perform socially important shows that promote values of generosity, tolerance, honesty, responsibility, kindness, community, family, and education for education sake. Let ours be only stories with impecible teachings, performed in good taste.
[ Top ]