About the Organization
PAC Educational Theatre is a non-profit educational organization committed to providing people of all ages with the unique opportunity to be active participants in the dramatic process as actors, singers and dancers.
The program is distinct from adult theatre in motivation, presentation and interpretation. It grows out of a desire to delight and instruct in beneficial ways which often enhance a person’s view of self and his or her ability to relate effectively to others.
It is our belief that theatre arts training is like any other form of training – the more you do it, the better you get. Just as a dancer takes class after class of ballet, or a soccer player trains year after year with a team, theatre arts training is most effective when the student is repeatedly exposed to vocabulary, theories, and exercises. We hope to provide a variety of creative opportunities that encourage creative thinking, expression and collaboration, develop verbal and social skills, and bolster confidence and self-esteem.
Weekly workshops build a spirit of confidence and cooperation within the theatrical setting. Participants learn their own strengths and those of their fellow actors through self-expression, creative dramatics, and theatre games. They find they have “nothing to fear but fear itself” in the supportive group environments. Instruction is based on the commitment to building each participant’s self-confidence. It includes improvisation, pantomime, voice projection, stage movement, acting, singing, dancing and audition techniques. By production time, all these elements come together in a Broadway-style musical.
Everyone who registers and completes the workshops is assured a role on stage in production performances. Production casts will include young people ranging in age from five to college age, including many parents and older relatives of the young people in the cast.
Program Goals
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To create successful experiences for each child in order to support their unique talents and contributions
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To build on the child’s natural ability to create by consistently requiring them to utilize their dreams and imagination
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To encourage the development of each child’s artistic potential and stimulate their creative expression
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To develop every child’s level of self-confidence in order for them to have the ability to interact effectively with others and promote the exchange of ideas and concepts
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To increase each child’s ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and as a listener sensitive to what other’s have to express
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To strengthen social values and increase group interaction skills
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To set standards of good speech and diction and enhance body coordination and motor skills
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To develop an interest in and understanding of theatre as an art form
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To encourage new interests, hobbies, and productive use of leisure time
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To draw together children with various abilities from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds in order to achieve a rich mixture of participation and encourage acceptance
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To celebrate the creative abilities of young people in the community
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To bring beauty and laughter into lives, particularly to those who might otherwise have little of it
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To offer live theatrical performances to local educational institutions and community groups in order to provide them with a unique experience in the arts which they may not otherwise receive and to relate these performances to education by providing all teachers with a curriculum based teaching packet
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To provide public performances intended to promote the PAC Educational Theatre and provide the local community with the opportunity to support young people in the arts
