Chaos of the Most Beautiful Kind
An afternoon of imaginative fun with Stage Kids Summer Camps
Friday afternoon I sat down in the Quincy Middle School PAC with low expectations. I have worked with young kids in a variety of ways throughout the years and so I had some idea of what was ahead. They only had one week with a bunch of first through fifth graders, which is a lot to take on in any scenario. They had to cast it, learn lines, learn songs, learn choreography, cues and so much more. It was a momentous undertaking by Stage Kids of Washington and a handful of local volunteers.
If you have ever attended a kids program like micro soccer or kids choir, you know it is not about it being good; no one expects it to be Broadway. That is why only friends and family members usually turn out for these events. That is why we were there, our friends’ kids and my daughter being a volunteer. So we settled in for what was about to happen as the director took the mic.
What happened in the next 40-some-odd minutes was what I will call chaos of the most beautiful kind!
I am a fan.
Quite honestly, I would gladly watch their performance again over a Broadway production of Cats even though I am an Andrew Loyd Webber fan, the blend of Rainbow Fish and Once Upon a Tide was a lot more fun than Cats will ever be.
I am sure some uptight theater critic probably retched a little when they read that last statement and thinks I am a theatrical Philistine, but critics are about as useful as….
I come back to that thought when I figure out what they are useful for.
I have seen some of the very best performances over the years. I have seen the Broadway productions of Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King and a few others. I have seen college, high school and community theater. I have even seen some spectacular Shakespearian adaptations made into movies. I am one of the only people I know that truly love to watch Kenneth Branagh’s 4 hour production of Hamlet.
As a theater kid myself, while I don’t want to participate in them, I have a deep love of children’s theater and while I enjoy the other, seeing kids light up the stage is truly a magical experience.
Let’s Be Honest
No one goes to a micro soccer game, a recital of any kind, a Jr sports anything or any other kids program expecting much. We do it because we know the kids, have a kid in it ourselves, know their parents or are tied to it in some other way. I have exchanged knowing glances with other parents at basketball games, soccer games, football, drama and other things. We do it because we love someone.
That, however, is where the magic starts.
Programs like Stage Kids, start with love, imagination and joy.
About Stage Kids
Stage Kids is an educational theater program that focuses on developing character based out of Wenatchee. Confidence. Humility. Teamwork. Responsibility. Creativity!
Theater skills are life skills delivered in an incredibly fun, engaging, age-appropriate way. Whether your child already loves singing, dancing, and acting, or could just use an opportunity to explore who they are and make new friends in a positive environment.
Stage Kids summer Camp Came to Quincy June 15th-19th to work with kids in our area for Grades 1 through 5.
Stage Kids’ summer camps are a great way to create more empathetic, creative, and outgoing children. It’s great for new children to give Stage Kids a try, as kids have a chance to build friendships and have fun over a short period of time. (taken directly from their website)
You can’t run a successful children’s program without loving kids and really seeing them. The Stage Kids team and their local volunteers clearly do
Willy Wonka Would be Proud
The magic of a children’s production is that it truly is what childhood is supposed to be. Children should sing, dance, play and laugh out loud for no reason at all other than the joy that resides in their hearts naturally. Childhood is a magical time in life that they will never have again; it is a time to explore, create and try. Childhood is a special time; a Journey of Pure Imagination and children’s theater allows them to embrace that.
There is also something deeper happening when children play, imagine and express joy. Child development experts have long recognized that imaginative play helps children develop language, emotional regulation, problem-solving abilities and social skills. Pretending to be someone else, singing loudly, acting out stories and creating imaginary worlds allows children to practice empathy, build confidence and learn how to navigate emotions in a safe environment.
Joy itself is not a frivolous thing for children. Laughter, play and creative expression are essential parts of healthy development. They help reduce stress, strengthen social connections and foster resilience. Children who have opportunities to create, explore and express themselves often develop a stronger sense of identity and a greater willingness to take healthy risks and try new experiences.
In many ways, play is the work of childhood, and imagination is one of the tools children use to discover who they are and who they may become.
So many kids were singing, dancing, cheering, acting and trying their very best on stage for the very first time. They laughed and were silly. Some spoke their first lines into a microphone, and for some of them, that moment may change their lives forever.
Some of them just got to shine brightly as children should every day.
All of them got a chance to try new things; to learn new skills, to experience something fun and extraordinary. They all stood proudly as people cheered for them, some maybe for the first time. They all got to be what children are meant to be, bright lights full of life, hope and love.
Some of the older kids involved got to be mentors for the first time. To help shape young children, to help them experience something new. They learned responsibility and leadership, to help children pursue new adventures and dreams.
There’s Magic in the Arts
I love the fact that there are a lot of options for kids these days. Sports, scouting, church programs, community programs and arts programs.
As a former 5th and 6th grade boys’ basketball coach and little league umpire, the thing that gets me about kids and sports is the parents. Maybe it is the competitive nature of sports, but once you get past “micro” level sports then parents start to develop expectations. We want our kids to get better, improve their skills and become better at the game. Then we want them to win, we want them on better teams, we want them to be champions, win titles, trophies and scholarships.
It’s no longer about being a kid.
In the arts young people separate themselves based on their own passion over time. They find what they love and work on that. Very few ever pursue it as far as college. So when I say there is magic in the arts it is this. Last week, not one parent sent their kid to Stage Kids thinking their child would be the next Sir Ian McKellen, Kenneth Branagh, Julie Andrews or Idina Menzel.
Not one parent was angry because their child didn’t perform up to expectations. Instead, a room full of parents and friends; laughed, smiled and even sang along with some great old favorite songs. They cheered as kids stumbled through their lines and at times looked a little lost. There were warm smiles for kids who looked a little intimidated and overall there was joy.
In the end there were some really tired volunteers as things got packed up and a lot of happy kids who had a great moment in the sun just being themselves.
What it Means to You
Programs like Stage Kids are important to kids, families and communities. They give children a chance to step out of their comfort zones; they build skills, confidence and abilities that will go with them for the rest of their lives.
In small communities, there often are not many opportunities for children to step beyond their daily lives and explore unique possibilities. Our children get those opportunities through programs like Stage Kids, Micro Soccer and countless other community activities.
Communities often focus on youth sports, which leaves a lot of young people out. Not every child wants to play basketball, football, baseball or soccer. Some want to sing. Some want to dance. Some want to tell stories, paint pictures, act on a stage or simply be part of creating something magical with other kids.
The truth is that communities thrive when there are places for every child to belong.
These kinds of programs create those places. They help shy children find confidence. They teach outgoing children how to share the spotlight. They build friendships, encourage creativity and give young people permission to try something new without fear of failure.
Even more importantly, they remind us as adults that children do not need every moment of their lives measured by wins, statistics and trophies. Sometimes they simply need a stage, a little imagination and a room full of people cheering because they were brave enough to try.
For one week in June, a handful of volunteers and the Stage Kids team gave dozens of children permission to imagine, create, perform and simply be kids. That may not make headlines very often, but communities are built in moments exactly like these.
Those moments matter. They become memories, and memories become the stories people tell years later about what it was like growing up in Quincy, in George and throughout the 98848.
It is easy to look at a program like Stage Kids and see only a children’s performance, a few songs and some costumes. But what is really happening is much bigger. A community is creating a safe place for children to take risks, make friends, learn to work together and discover abilities they did not know they had. Some children may never step on another stage. Others may discover a lifelong passion. All of them, however, leave with the knowledge that they were seen, encouraged and celebrated by the adults around them. That is the kind of experience children remember long after the songs and lines are forgotten.
Some Final Thoughts
Friday afternoon, I walked into the Quincy Middle School PAC expecting exactly what most people expect from a children’s production. A few cute moments, some forgotten lines and forty minutes of organized chaos.
I got all of those things.
I also got something more.
I watched children sing loudly, dance fearlessly and laugh with complete abandon. I watched volunteers pour themselves into young people. I watched parents smile at nervous kids and cheer for every little success. For forty-some-odd minutes, I watched childhood happen exactly the way it should.
And that is why I would gladly watch this production again.
Because the best performances are not always the polished ones. Sometimes the most memorable productions are the messy, joyful, imperfect ones where children discover they can do something they never thought possible and a community gathers simply to celebrate them for trying.
It was chaos.
The most beautiful kind.
