Red Deer youth theatre encourages virtual creativity
Red Deer’s Cornerstone Youth Theatre has responded to ongoing social distancing requirements by providing free online lessons and workshops, hoping to give their young performers and other interested viewers their regular dose of creativity.
The lessons aim to offer a variety of theatrical tips and creative prompts. The first task, given on March 26, was a “songologue” – a personal monologue set to music. Other lessons have focused on dance and jazz routines. The theatre aims to provide multiple lessons per week through their Facebook page, including an interactive live stream and archived video. Assistant artistic director Laura DeGraff stressed the importance of maintaining the theatre community:
“For a lot of our students, it’s what they love to do – they love to perform and love to create, and because we don’t get to meet, we wanted to be able to reach out in some way and give that opportunity, even if it’s just online in our home, but we’re all creating together.”
Cornerstone typically runs seasonal after-school courses for children aged six to eighteen during the school year, as well as more concentrated summer camps. The courses aim to develop theatrical skills such as acting, singing, dance and stagecraft alongside life skills like dependability and humility Each season usually culminates in a production of a kid-friendly musical. Performances like this are sometimes advertised through tools like poster printing and banner printing, which also provide mementos of the performance. This year’s production was set to be Anne of Green Gables, originally scheduled for June but for now postponed.
The lessons aim to offer a variety of theatrical tips and creative prompts. The first task, given on March 26, was a “songologue” – a personal monologue set to music. Other lessons have focused on dance and jazz routines. The theatre aims to provide multiple lessons per week through their Facebook page, including an interactive live stream and archived video. Assistant artistic director Laura DeGraff stressed the importance of maintaining the theatre community:
“For a lot of our students, it’s what they love to do – they love to perform and love to create, and because we don’t get to meet, we wanted to be able to reach out in some way and give that opportunity, even if it’s just online in our home, but we’re all creating together.”
Cornerstone typically runs seasonal after-school courses for children aged six to eighteen during the school year, as well as more concentrated summer camps. The courses aim to develop theatrical skills such as acting, singing, dance and stagecraft alongside life skills like dependability and humility Each season usually culminates in a production of a kid-friendly musical. Performances like this are sometimes advertised through tools like poster printing and banner printing, which also provide mementos of the performance. This year’s production was set to be Anne of Green Gables, originally scheduled for June but for now postponed.