Chapter 112- Performing Arts in the Park

I found out through the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Facebook page that the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) put on a cool and free event to bring arts to families.  There were events at Humboldt, Lincoln, Gordon, Mitchell, Lafollette parks and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.  We chose the latter location because First Stage was there, and my kids wanted to see some acting.

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Me and the brood, plus a sweet little girl in pink whose mom took our photo.

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We were welcomed inside and the folks from First Stage greeted us and invited the kids on stage!  My kids were excited to head on up, and only one got shy periodically.

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The kids got to join in on warm ups, using their imaginations, and offering suggestions for the storyline.

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My youngest even joined in 🙂 She spent the rest of the time walking up and down the stairs to the stage.  And fell on her face twice.

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The kids got to be on stage for like 45 minutes, and were FULLY engaged the entire time.  They thought it was a morning of playing, basically.  There were no specific acting methods and no rigid instructions.  Instead, they got a general outline for how to tell a story on stage and an opportunity to share ideas about the story.

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We even won a free book from First Stage, and Little T has been reading (looking at) it since!

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After the event was finished, we walked around the community center a bit, admiring the architecture, the fish…

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…and even got to watch some kids doing gymnastics!

Thanks UPAF, First Stage, and Milwaukee County Parks for a fun morning.  I only wish the performances throughout the city were staggered so we could have attended more!

A. Storm

 

 


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