Playhouse 2000
Mission of Playhouse 2000
Gains for Children|Serving the Community
To operate a year round performing arts school and community
theater for the purpose of teaching and practicing all the disciplines of the
performing arts including acting, singing, stage movement, dance, mime, set,
costume and lighting design, playwriting, directing, and other related skills.
This will be achieved through ongoing classes in all of these areas with classes
formed based on age and experience and/or education. Students will be welcome in
all age groups and scholarships for underprivileged and at-risk children will be
made available. No interested students will be denied involvement due to lack of
funds. In addition to classroom experience, regular theater productions will be
presented to the public, allowing students to practice their acquired skills in
front of an audience. These productions will also provide an opportunity to
others in the community to perform in shows overseen by a professional staff.
Performances will also provide area residents the opportunity to view live
theater in an indoor setting, enhancing their appreciation of the fine arts. The
facility will also serve as a venue for selected outside performing groups in
all the performing arts be it dance, music, or theater.
What do children gain from drama?
First of all…enjoyment. Then comes a wide range of benefits:
it provides an outlet for self-expression and helps the
development of
imagination and artistic awareness, it increases social awareness (particularly
through role-play), mental awareness, fluency of speech, self-knowledge,
self-respect, self-discipline, and self-confidence. It gives children the
opportunity to cooperate with others and helps develop orderly thinking and
ability to organize. It improves physical coordination and physical fitness. It
also may have a therapeutic effect, through helping children to deal with their
real-life problems, or a cathartic effect, by enabling them to act out violence
or frustration. It provides social and moral training and helps young people to
mature emotionally, preparing them for adult life.
Drama is a marvelous vehicle for general knowledge, and in schools there are many ways in which it can be linked with English, History, Music, Art etc. It also provides a good outlet for the ability of bright but non-academically minded children on whom society may tend to force low expectations, for racial or other reasons.
The benefits do not only accrue through children participating actively in drama; they can also learn from others, particularly if they are encouraged to watch positively and critically by being asked to comment and give praise afterwards and learning to be good audience members.
The
needs of the community at large
A community can be judged by the quality and diversity of its cultural assets. The many retirees that come to our area do so because they feel they are in a small community that has many offerings only available in larger cities. Tourists come from all over the country and enjoy the Hill Country Arts Foundation, the Kerrville Folk Festival, the Cowboy Artists Museum, and the splendid offerings by Kerrville Performing Arts Society. A new venue would not only enhance the enjoyment of these patrons of the arts but also put yet another feather in the cap of Kerr County increasing its uniqueness in the beautiful Texas hill country, attracting more visitors and stimulating the economy.