For many of us, musical theatre has subtly and definitively woven itself into some of our most enduring memories. Given just the starting line or two of a song, most of us could launch into gusty renditions of at least some of the classics, complete with character voices and the key moments of action!
Let’s try one…
‘I’m gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!’
‘Well, I’ve never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair!
Did you get it?
It is, of course, The Lion King’s ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’, which although originally a cartoon version, has since toured the world with a full cast of well costumed humans singing, dancing, and acting up a storm.
Or, for one that is quite possibly going to be etched in you and your child’s psyche forever…
‘Let it go, let it goooooooo!’
Apologies, apologies, you probably didn’t want that classic from 2013’s ‘Frozen’ stuck in your head again! But it’s been made into a real, live singing, dancing, and acting musical theatre extravaganza too and is still touring with great success.
There’s also a noticeable trend towards turning any piece that was a great literary or film success into its musical theatre equivalent. ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, ‘Pretty Woman’, and ‘Mean Girls’ are all Broadway hits. Musical theatre is a dramatic art form that is growing in impact and opportunities.
Other classics that were originally musicals, or have since been made into musical theatre productions, include ‘Singin’ in the Rain’, ‘La La Land’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘West Side Story’, ‘Mary Poppins’, ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘The Greatest Showman on Earth’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’. We’re willing to bet that at least one of those titles got you humming to a favourite song.
The point is, musical theatre has probably been a bigger part of your own creative and entertainment foundations than you may have originally thought. And it’s likely to play a part in some of your child’s most joyful, enduring memories of their own childhoods. Just think, in a few years time, we’ll have legions of teens and young adults who gleefully start yelling the lyrics to Frozen when they’re indulging in a moment of childhood nostalgia!
At Perform Australia, we want to help expand those joyful memories. Imagine being able to belt out the lyrics to some of the most iconic musical theatre songs of the time AND be taken straight back to memories of friendly camaraderie, creative exploration, great teamwork, and the thrill of being on stage! That’s the experience we want to help create for your children.
Our musical theatre program for children is heaps of fun and is perfect for those young performers who are already interested in drama and would like to expand their repertoire. Musical theatre is a great vehicle for becoming a more well-rounded performer as it combines the top three performance skills of singing, dancing, and acting into the one program.
New students don’t need existing singing or dance skills as Perform Australia has a strong focus on building from wherever your child is up to currently. As always, it’s not just about musical theatre; it’s about your child learning great communication, presentation, and teamwork skills. And having lots of fun while creating some of what may well become some of their strongest creative foundations.
New opportunities to join Perform Australia musical theatre programs are available throughout the year, get in touch to find out more.
Elizabeth Avery Scott is the co-founder and CEO of Perform Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communications) from Macquarie University, a Master of Arts Practice (Scriptwriting) from Charles Sturt University, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, and a Graduate Diploma of Relationships Counselling among other qualifications.
