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Oh the Drama!
Encourage Your Preteen's Theatrical Side
By Teri Brown
Collins says that putting pressure on children to perform when they are not comfortable with it usually backfires, but if your child falls in love with the theater, the sky is the limit! Ask Lynn Heidebrecht, a homeschooling mom from Portland, Ore. Heidebrecht's 12-year-old daughter, Colleen, holds an impressive professional resume. "When my daughter was still very tiny (still crawling), she was what I would describe as a ham," says Heidebrecht. "I used to catch her practicing facial expressions, including the efficacy of her cry, in front of the full-length mirror in her room!" Now, her daughter studies dance, acting and voice and has been involved with some of the most prestigious theaters in the Portland area.
Heidebrecht says the benefits of theater include giving her daughter the opportunity to meet wonderfully creative people of all ages and a sense of belonging to a community. "Would my daughter be as happy, confident and well-rounded a person if she were not involved in theater?" Heidebrecht says. "I would like to think so, but I really don't know."
Giving your preteen experience in the dramatic arts may not create a performer, but it may just give an abiding appreciation of the many art forms drama has to offer, an appreciation that can only enrich and enhance their lives.
