When you think about touring shows, you may think about national Broadway tours. However, you may not know that many regional theatres bring theatre to students around the county. We are thrilled to join the ranks of school tours starting this February with Pinocchio–a found space actor-driven musical event. Market Theatre's tour aims to make theatre accessible, help young people develop emotionally and socially, and expose students to an art form that forms communities.
Actors load up the truck for the first tour stop, a tedious and specific process they repeated many times over the course of 6+ weeks.
Market Theatre believes that "Arts are for All" includes accessibility, but there are significant barriers in our community to accessing theatre: cost, time, and availability. Going to the theatre is expensive! Each theatre has financial responsibilities that make ticket prices costly, including rent, utilities, and paying staff and artists. Parents may also have to bear the cost of taking off work to accompany their child to the show. Second, getting to the theatre takes time and money. Once there, a play can take a considerable amount of time. Seeing a play could take at least two hours. The proximity of professional theatres is also a hurdle. For Anderson residents, the closest professional theatres are about an hour away. In addition, there are few professional theatres producing content suitable for children. Thanks to the South Carolina Arts Commission Anderson Five School District, we are bringing Pinocchio to local schools at a low cost. Plus, if a school is considered Title I and in-district–it's F-R-E-E! This tour is an opportunity to break down the blockades between Anderson youth and professional theatre.
Tour photos courtesy of Casey Bates.
From the beginning, people have created and passed down stories. The purpose of these stories or the stories themselves may change over time. Despite that, we know tales are significant to people around the world. Theatre is simply storytelling. At its heart, it uses movement and voice/sound. These elements engage students because they have been fed them repeatedly through bedtime stories and nursery rhymes. Because of this, theatre can be more digestible to many students. Children's theatre often encourages audience participation, further captivating students. Engaging with the storytellers is a way to keep their focus, provide a sense of being part of the creative process, and is fun! Having an enjoyable learning experience makes students excited to continue their education. Thirdly, storytellers have used narratives to teach morality and answer questions about the world, interpersonal relationships, and human behaviors. Pinocchio is a morality piece about the virtue of honesty and what it means to be brave. Bringing reflective shows to students can teach important life lessons that will impact their future. This tour is a significant step in continuing to educate our youth with engaging, relatable art!
The Pinnocchio tour concluded with four home performances at the Market Theatre.
Familiarizing Anderson youth with theatre is essential to their growth as community members. Forming resilient communities is vital to self-identity and to having support systems throughout life. Likewise, seeing shows from other points of view provides children with opportunities to learn empathy. Young audiences can feel for the characters and learn to care for others, an essential trait to creating thriving relationships. Theatre also showcases collaboration skills between many people – actors, a director, management, designers, and other crew positions. Everyone working on the project must communicate clearly and decide what ideas make it into final production. Without discussion and teamwork, the show could fall to pieces. Finally, theatre shapes the artists of the future–artists that provide comfort, entertainment, laughs, and tears. Whether we recognize it or not, artists are who we turn to after a long day at work and on the weekend. Their work keeps us company and speaks to us. Art is medicine for the soul.
Throughout my life, I've had many incredible theatre experiences. I've moved to my feet with tears in my eyes. I laughed until my belly hurt. I've sat in silence, "what now?" Out of these, one of my most significant theatre memories was seeing Cirque du Soleil live for the first time. I was ten years old at the Bon Secours Arena. My mom had won tickets through a local radio station. There was a magnificent hot air balloon that whisked the young main character into a magical world. I remember the wonder and excitement I had seeing magic happen before my eyes. Many children will not get to experience a visionary show as I did at ten years old; however, I hope when we perform Pinocchio, they can feel the overwhelming joy this art form can bring to life as it does for me.
Pinocchio may have come to a close, but next year, Market Theatre will be back with another touring production: Dragons Love Tacos, based on the wildly popular children’s book. Click here to learn more about the tour and how to book a performance for your school!
