Showtime Experience

The Sundance ShowTime Experience provides children with a nurturing, inclusive and supportive environment in which to participate in performance work. It is an excellent model for cooperative learning where all students are engaged in their group’s project from inception through the final production. The process is specifically designed to help children understand the benefits of collaborating and of being an active part of their cast community.

Learning lines, stage directions, and choreography as a soloist and/or an ensemble performer requires concentration, self-control, focus and of course practice. This type of work presents a different set of challenges when compared to academics. Hence, our musical, spatial, kinesthetic, and interpersonal learners enjoy demonstrating their area of strength at show time.

Every child’s well being is carefully considered at show time. Great care is taken to develop roles and create opportunities for children to participate in some capacity at a level with which they are comfortable. Participation at any level is encouraged and welcomed. We make every effort to find the happy medium between fun and challenging so that each child feels valued and accepted. During the rehearsal process, our inclusive approach nurtures not only confident, creative, caring performers, but also those who are happy to share the stage with their peers. Some of the most precious moments occur offstage and in the wings while children beam with pride as they admire the performance of their fellow classmates. Some children have actually been so captivated by the action on stage that they missed their own entrance!

Our plays and skits are important for their moral value, the lessons they teach and the messages they convey. Our children enjoy the incomparable magic of theatre while developing a keen sense of citizenship alongside their achievements. Themes of love, hope, friendship, self acceptance, responsibility to self and others, global responsibility, and persistence (to name a few) shine through as our young performers proudly stand before the audience accepting applause for a job well done.

The overall goal for all students is for the performance itself to be a celebration of self-expression, personal success and teamwork. Children demonstrate for an audience the tremendous gains made in both their enjoyment and understanding of the creative process. Our stage program is rooted in the belief that the arts have the ability to elevate and educate while honoring and nurturing the inherent nobility of children, early in their development. Stories abound of children for whom their Sundance show time experience was a springboard for personal growth, transformation and inspiration. We are grateful to be able to offer our children this unique opportunity to learn and grow during the course of their school day. The lessons our children learn here are those which will resonate in all areas of life lasting long after the final bow.

Love,

Ms. Joann

Performing Arts & Communications Director