Live Performances Offer Much More Than Entertainment for Youth

Twenty-four-year-old Lyssie Brown is a poet, freelance writer, marketing manager, fitness instructor and a “certified Snoopy fan,” who fell in love with theater when her mom took her to see a touring production of Wicked.

“It was the first time I think I felt magic was real, and I was old enough to rationalize that magic probably wasn’t,” Brown recalls. “The costuming was flawless, the dancing was extremely coordinated, the voices all blended together and sounded like one unit. I was completely floored and told my mom that night that I wanted to be on Broadway.”

While she hasn’t realized her Broadway dream yet, Brown, like many other theater fans, has found that live entertainment has influenced her life in countless ways.

Whether it’s music, dance or theater, attending a live performance can be a powerful and transformative experience for people of all ages. The benefits extend well beyond developing an appreciation for the arts and creating wonderful memories. For adolescents, going to plays or concerts can have a profoundly positive academic, emotional and social impact.

Increased Sense of Community and Social Connection

Research consistently shows that social connections are important for our health. Feelings of isolation and loneliness can worsen depression, anxiety and mood disorders. Studies have shown that adolescents who experience chronic loneliness are more susceptible to health problems like sleep disturbances, weakened immunity and cardiovascular problems.

Brown says that going to a performance provides that feeling of connection to others.

“I have always felt so tethered to connectivity,” she says, “and that’s exactly what theater does. It ties your heart to others and creates this everlasting bond that is just so beautiful. It brings people together.”

Setting aside phones and participating in a shared experience with friends and family connects us in the moment. Attending a concert or a play is also a way to meet new people who have similar interests or hobbies.

Empathy

Brown’s first experience watching Hamilton at the Tulsa PAC was the culmination of years of listening to the soundtrack and watching shaky YouTube videos of the performance. She was overwhelmed by the emotion she felt seeing the live production.

“By the time the first song ended, my mom had turned to me and asked if I was OK. I guess I had been crying,” she said. “When we get to witness others who work hard to inspire us, it sparks a fire that we carry the rest of our lives.”

Besides pulling out deeply felt emotion, watching a live theater production can increase empathy for the groups depicted in the plays.

“Live performances are vital to our nervous system,” Brown says. “We know exactly what to feel in our bodies when we’re excited, emotional, angry and confused.”

Observing a plot unfold during a live performance allows the audience to “walk in the character’s shoes,” providing a safe way to witness people and experiences they might not otherwise encounter in their daily lives. Just being part of an audience composed of a mix of ages and backgrounds helps adolescents adjust to new people and situations. A performance can also inspire young people, giving them the emotional space to understand themselves.

“Middle and high school kids deserve to learn that you don’t have to hide what shines outwardly from your heart,” Brown says. “You can be exactly who you want to be – a doctor, a lawyer, a business owner, a performer. Live performance proves to you that your dreams are meant to be lived out. You can be exactly who you think you are.”

Education & Literacy

“Live performances taught me that entertainment is such a purposeful practice,” Brown says. “It led me to become a playwright and poet.”

Students who participate in theater do better in school. Live theater opens the audience up to new thoughts and ideas, creating an understanding of people and situations beyond what they might encounter in day-to-day life. The impact is much more substantial watching live theater as opposed to watching a movie or television show. Minds react differently in person, with creativity and imagination front and center.

Live theater can also present complex themes and moral dilemmas that challenge young audiences to think critically. Watching characters grapple with difficult choices and navigate intricate storylines, adolescents are prompted to analyze situations, understand cause and effect, and develop their own viewpoints. In addition, the rich dialogue and expressive language used in plays can significantly enhance vocabulary and language comprehension. Listening to actors articulate their lines with clarity and emotion helps kids understand the power of language and its nuances, such as tone, inflection and pacing, which are often more vividly demonstrated in a live performance than in written text.

“Advocate for the arts to be funded and celebrated within our education system,” Brown says. “The kids need it. We need it. Everyone needs it.”

Where to Experience Live Performance

Tulsa is blessed with a wide range of options when it comes to live performances. The city is home to several community theater groups, including American Theatre Company, which will reprise its performance of A Christmas Carol, based on Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale, this month at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Tulsa Ballet’s The Nutcracker, also running in December, appeals to all ages and is a fun, accessible introduction to dance. Organizations like the Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Signature Symphony and Celebrity Attractions provide countless opportunities to engage with performance arts.

Many theatrical and musical productions offer discounted tickets for students and children, too. Check out the calendars for Guthrie Green and Gathering Place for a variety of free performances in a relaxed, outdoor setting.

Broadway Bridges Tulsa

Ticket prices can be a big hurdle for teens and their families when it comes to engaging with live events. Broadway Bridges Tulsa is a new initiative aimed at expanding access to Broadway touring performances for Tulsa area high school students. Through this program, Tulsa’s Celebrity Attractions will offer affordable tickets to local high schools for selected performances at Tulsa’s PAC.

Broadway Bridges launched with the touring production of Mrs. Doubtfire. Les Miserables in January will be the next performance included in the program.

Celebrity Attractions Senior Marketing Director Randy Cole hopes Broadway Bridges will inspire students to seek more opportunities to engage with live theater.

“With the post-show talkbacks and other activities we offer with this program, we hope to expose them to what’s beyond the theater-going experience and to provide a resource to get involved on the local level for those who are interested,” he says. “Whether it’s through acting or production and backstage work in community theater, or serving as a shadow stage tech in The Discovery Awards, we want to introduce the entire world of theater to Tulsa-area high school kids, including providing resources on career options in the field if that is of interest to them.” (To find out more, visit celebrityattractions.com.)

Julie Wenger Watson is a freelance writer who’s worked in all aspects of music promotion. She’s also Co-Director of “Live From Cain’s,” a public radio show pilot.