‘It’s All About Kids’ - working motto for Northwest Youth Theatre

. . . . by Doug Higgs

“It’s all about kids.” That’s the motto of Northwest Youth Theatre, a not-for-profit corporation based in Klamath Falls and aimed at serving children and families in the Klamath Basin.

It is currently enrolling students for after-school music and drama programs.

Available is enrollment in a new youth performance group being called “The Broadway Brats,” which will be composed of students in grades one through six.

They will rehearse at 5 p.m. every Tuesday, starting Feb. 19 through the month of April in the meeting room at the Klamath County Museum, then participate in performances to be held in early May.

Enrollment is also open for “Kinderdrama,” a class that will focus on music and story drama for children from 4 to 6 years of age.

Class sizes for both “The Broadway Brats” and “Kinderdrama” are limited so early enrollment is encouraged.

Enrollment forms are available by calling 891-0471. The program is tuition based, but no child will be refused because of an inability to pay.

Northwest Youth Theatre was founded in 1995 by Lois Lents and an associate in the Beaverton area.

“It started as a grass-roots response to the lack of arts programming for children in the middle schools of the Beaverton School District,” Lents said.

When she moved to Klamath Falls in 1998, th theatre was “put on hold,” however, while she was pursuing other artistic activities.

“Now with more budget cuts on the horizon for Oregon schools, it is bound to be even more difficult for local schools to maintain performing arts programs for area children.

“I feel strongly that this is the moment for me to once again focus my efforts quite specifically on the needs of children in the area where I live—here in the Klamath Basin.

“The mission of Northwest Youth Theatre is to keep the arts alive for Klamath Basin children through programs that serve the schools as well as individual families,” Lents said.

With her as instructors in the theatre will be Mari Fritz and Cathy Baker. Suzanne Stewart will provide musical accompaniment.

Lents is dedicated to the concept that the arts are beneficial in the development of children.

“There is a mountain of empirical evidence that children who participate in the arts perform better on standardized scholastic achievement tests.

“It has also been shown that children and pre-teens with activities and interests outside the classroom are far less likely to suffer form symptoms of depression as they reach their teens.

“Our sole goal is to provide performing arts experiences in a wholesome and nurturing environment. We are devoted to helping every child develop self-confidence and improve their self-expression skills as well as their appreciation of the arts,” she said.

The theatre is currently providing an artist-in-residency program to fifth graders at Shasta Elementary School this month and has other residencies scheduled at Peterson, Fairview and Malin elementary schools.

Later this year, the theatre also intends to hold a summer workshop series.

This is reprinted with permission of the

Herald and News, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

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