The Overture
Rain speeded down the window of the passenger’s seat as the station wagon gently rolled forward. A pair of wet, bright, green eyes took one final glance at the essence of home before giving full attention to the curved road ahead. White trim gently framed the stunning, newly built home. The colors were as bright as the day they were painted amid the daily drizzle of shimmering rain. The home, which symbolized life, had been handcrafted through love and devotion.
A mother of five, who was devoted wife and passionate performer left a beloved home and its comforts to begin a new life. Her chestnut hair was a stunning contrast to her piercing emerald eyes that faced forward towards the future. In the 1980’s, Joanne and Tom Parker with their family embarked on a mere idea that would become reality. They sold their beautiful home, built and designed by loving husband and father, in Washington state and traveled to Utah to run a theater program for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their lives in a single moment would turn from evergreen trees to desert and snow.
The First Act
Since 1985, the Parker family has run and performed in countless prominent venues throughout the state of Utah. Through their courage and stamina they now coach, direct and introduce hundreds of children to the arts every year. They are known as the Utah Children’s Theatre (UCT) and are located in South Salt Lake City, Utah.
Currently, UCT produces about five main productions per season with selections varying from musicals to masquerades to daring sword fights. Each adaptation is carefully selected and specifically tailored to help young people understand fine literature and appreciate the arts. For the Parkers, it is more than costumes, scripts and a family business. It is a passion and a mission to help children view themselves as daring, thriving and incredible beings of life.
Joanne Parker, now the Artistic Director and Writer for the Children’s Theatre, stated that children have “wonderful, open, creative minds. They are eager to learn, eager to explore and eager to enjoy life. The arts offer a wonderful sense refinement for young people. Children are just not afraid to look at the world through so many different shapes and colors.”
Education Paired with Imagination
The foundation of the Utah Children’s Theatre is to educate young people in a safe environment where children can fully reach their potential. One of the most popular elements of the theater is the school performances tailored to match curriculums throughout the state of Utah. They have had several scripts go on to win a wide range of awards. Most of their schools performances feature famous historical movements, people and stories.
Jana Lynne Cox was one of the children originally coached and encouraged by Joanne and Tom Parker. She is currently the Theatre School Administrator at Utah Children’s Theatre in addition to her well known stage presence. In relation to school productions produced at the UCT, she stated, “We produce plays that are curriculum based, to supplement what children are learning in schools. We also offer workshops in the school or at our theater to help the children understand and retain even more of the concepts they are learning. It has been proven that incorporating the arts into learning (even in core subjects) helps with retention.”
First Aid for the Heart
The arts not only help to teach curriculum, but it also teaches children basic life skills such as confidence and how to articulate their words. Joanne and Tom Parker wanted their theater company to not only be focused on the arts, but to focus on the individual as well. It is common to hear that an actor was originally put in a theater class to help boost confidence or to learn to speak in front of people, but instead it changed their heart.
Maggie a young actor who trained through Utah Children’s Theatre’s school program and is now a regular performer throughout their season stated, “Introducing the arts to young people is important because it’s such a vital part of a young person’s growth and education. Expose to arts is essential for a well-rounded person to thrive. Arts give us a new perspective on our world, equipping youth with tools to do well in any of their pursuits. In addition to the benefits outside of the art sphere, there’s something to be said for doing art for art’s sake. Loving art, whether it’s fine art or performance or another aspect, is equally as important as any other field of study.”
In a world where technology and screens are everything, we need teach our children a simple life skill called emotion. One of the most incredible strengthens of the arts is the emotional connection it can provide for young children.
Larissa Anderson, Propmaster at UCT stated, “the biggest thing the arts can teach kids is how to feel empathy. Children, and sometimes adults, often have a problem realizing that people around them have feelings just as valid and real as their own. But when they watch something happen on stage, they are able to feel what the characters are feeling. The same thing happens when you look at a painting, or listen to music, or read a book. When they are exposed to the arts, they start to think about how others are feeling. It’s an amazing thing to see happen.”
A Script for a Textbook
Joanne and Tom Parker both felt that there needed to be a place where children could train and study the arts in a safe environment. The solution was a theater school. The theater school is one of the most successful branches of the business. Parker stated that last summer they exposed 600 students to the arts through their theater school. Cox stated this year they will have over 60 different camps, each camp tailored to helping young children master specific techniques and skills in the theater realm.
Their classes range from all different levels of talents and experience. With classes designed for children as well as adults, all are welcome to attend and learn. They have recently expanded their theater school to accommodate even more children and a new studio was built and began hosting young children this summer.
Hailey Stephens an actress and technician stated at UCT, “The theater helps youth start out at the beginning. I didn’t know even what acting truly was until I walk into my first summer camp. From beginners to experts the theater’s camps and school has something for everyone.”
Teaching Shakespeare to a Three-Year Old.
In addition to their summer camps, Parker stated that children need to be taught fine literature, as it is one of the riches life offers. One of the ways UCT introduce children to fine literature and expands their way of thinking is through their Shakespeare Festival. The Shakespeare Festival runs throughout the summer months and into the early fall.
Miraculously, they somehow find a way to help young children be able to understand complex pieces, such as Henry V or Taming of the Shrew, which were produced last season. They have Breakfast with Shakespeare, which is a free production produced by a small group of players that have pulled together several bits of different Shakespeare pieces and merged them into a children’s show. They also have fair where children can attend puppet shows, play games and experience the true feeling a Shakespeare Festival.
Sharing Joy Through a Passion
In addition to the educational side of theater, the Utah Children’s Theatre is just full of fun. They are praised for their endless amount of creativity and incredible connection with children. There is excitement, tears and laughter throughout each performance.
Joanne and Tom Parker truly have a way of working with children and helping them to understand how important creativity is in life. They have fed countless amounts of children both emotionally and physically. Joanne Parker stated, “I do it because it uplifts. The arts are constantly teaching wonderful things. It encourages young people to search for good things and to seek truth. It is dedicated to good stories that we can relate to and can change our lives. There are so many people who come from broken homes, we need encourage those people to choose good paths and to have happy lives. There humor in the arts and it makes people excited about life. I know it is going to be so fun to hear the children laugh and giggle.”
The arts mold us and teach us about the world and about ourselves. They allow us to explore and to create. Goodness, mercy, sorrow and pure joy can all be found in theater as it reflects human life. Haley Stephens stated, “I am only 15 years old and I was given opportunities some people aren’t given in a lifetime and I know without a doubt that it all started with UCT opening the doors to a little 4 year old to see how life can be so colorful and lovely and beautiful.”
Utah Chldren's Theater 