Nearly 50 young performers from RiverPark Center’s Theatre Academy returned to the stage Wednesday for two nearly sold-out performances of Alice in Wonderland JR., sharing the production with approximately 2,800 area students.
The October 7 performances marked an exciting first for RiverPark Center, connecting its summer Theatre Academy with its longstanding Arts Teach Kids (ATK) educational programming.
This summer, RiverPark Center expanded its longtime summer theatre programming with the RiverPark Theatre Academy, creating an experience designed to extend beyond the traditional summer camp. After spending the summer rehearsing and producing Alice in Wonderland JR., Theatre Academy students initially performed the show for family and friends.
Months later, the cast came back together to rehearse, revisit their roles and remount the production as an official ATK student matinee.
Both performances nearly sold out, welcoming nearly 1,400 students per show to RiverPark Center.
“For us, this is such a great example of what arts education can look like at RiverPark Center,” said Chris Patterson, General Manager of RiverPark Center. “Nearly 50 young performers put so much work into this production over the summer, and to see them come back together and share it with 2,800 of their peers was incredibly special. We hope the students in the audience not only enjoyed the show, but saw kids like themselves on that stage and thought, ‘I could do that, too.’”
For the young performers, Wednesday’s performances offered an opportunity to experience another side of being part of a theatrical production — returning to rehearsals, revisiting their roles and performing for an entirely new audience. For the students filling Cannon Hall, the performances offered the chance to experience live theatre while seeing young people their own age bring a full production to life.
“There’s something about having an audience that really brings out the storyteller in you, and we saw that with these kids,” said Matt Waller, Director of Education at RiverPark Center. “They worked incredibly hard on this show all summer, but putting them in front of a theatre full of their peers brought out a whole new energy. They were just all in. They leaned into their characters, fed off the audience and had so much fun telling the story. And when it was over, so many of them told us they didn’t want it to end. When you finish two shows in front of 2,800 students and the kids are already asking, ‘When can we do this again?’ you know you’ve created something pretty special.”
The performances were part of Arts Teach Kids, RiverPark Center’s longstanding arts education initiative. Through student matinees, workshops, performances in schools, summer programming and other educational opportunities, ATK helps ensure young people throughout the region have access to meaningful experiences in the performing arts.
During the past year, RiverPark Center reached more than 27,000 young people through 40 educational programs and provided nearly 6,000 free or reduced-price tickets and scholarships.
Bringing Alice in Wonderland JR. back to the stage created a unique connection between two sides of arts education — giving young people the opportunity to experience live theatre while giving young artists the opportunity to create and perform it.
“Theatre builds confidence, creativity, teamwork and so many skills that extend far beyond the stage,” Patterson said. “This new piece of our Theatre Academy gives our young performers an even more meaningful experience while also strengthening what we can offer thousands of students through Arts Teach Kids. Having two nearly sold-out student performances in our first year tells us there is tremendous enthusiasm for opportunities like this in our community.”
RiverPark Center plans to continue building on the Theatre Academy experience as part of its commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for young people to experience the arts from both sides of the stage.
RiverPark Center Theatre Academy Students Perform for Peers in Two Nearly Sold-Out Arts Teach Kids Shows
