Theater Program

So the school district we live in is well known for their sports program.  Every year we have some team ranked in state competitions.  Many district decisions are made with the athletic programs in mind.  Some people complain that it is all that is ever considered.  They worry about the lack of arts or other such nonsense. 

For me I don't always know what they are complaining about.  Because I see that our elementary school's PTO sponsors the "theater program" every other year, by sending every student to see a show in the local theaters from Lancaster to Harrisburg to Reading.  Then our first grade teachers put on a little musical for the first graders every year.  It used to be a play by a fourth grade teacher but when she retired they took over with this.  Last our community has a volunteer led theater program called iStage for students from 4th-12th grade. 

These programs show me that people care about the arts and that since the school lets all of these programs use their buildings for practices and performances I'd say they're doing okay.  And all of this doesn't even speak to the actual musicals and plays that the high school puts on.

Here are the pictures of my little kiddos in their performances.  I love watching them!

Dutch Apple Day

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre is a local live theater.  Our elementary school, being awesome, sends our kids on theater experiences.  This year Kody's class went.  I have missed feelings about this.  They are as follows: the play was Sleeping Beauty.  Safe right, well not so much.  Not only did they drastically change the plot of the play, but they made Trollerina, the evil fairy sister, as part of the changes.  Not only that, but then they cast a male to play the role.  So we have a cross dressing actor.  Not the first time this has occurred, but either the actor was very poor or their intention was not to really disguise him as a girl.

Because as we left the show there were lots of kids confused.  They wanted to know why they would dress a boy like a girl.  And as a parent, I was struggling to answer these questions that parents should have the right to answer for their kids.  I highly suspect the parents knew to expect this.  When did we take a children's theater show and purposefully and intentionally start trying to distort it to confuse kids or push a controversial social issue.  Sad day.

Pair that with the absolutely appalling food, geared to kids - pizza, nuggets, spaghetti, French fries, etc... and I left thinking, I don't ever need to go back there.  That aside, I still loved my little group of boys and as long as I'm with my kids I'm usually having fun!

(Matthew, Gus, Me, Kody)