But Jonathan never let anything stand in his way. He got over his shyness, made new friends, and soon was the center of attention on and off the stage. His self-confidence and public speaking skills led him to work for the Kansas City Royals as their Coordinator of Community Partnerships.
Here he talks about those early days of being dramatic at our Summer Camp in Overland Park.
“I took my first class with Theater of the Imagination when I was in 3rd grade. My friends and I all decided to take it simultaneously, and it was a great way to keep us occupied after school and have fun while doing so.
It was a blast. Being so young, Miles really put an emphasis on having fun. It felt like a professional production, while at the same time, if we forgot a line or two, we could laugh about it, move on, and always have each other’s backs. It was something my friends and I looked forward to every day.
I always tell people one of the most important skill sets you can have professionally is to be able to have strong public speaking skills. Even though we were very young when we started, it helped me get outside of my comfort zone and express myself in ways I wouldn’t normally do.”
In all of our acting classes for kids, we work tirelessly to give every student a chance to shine. To let their voice ring out, their creativity takes the stage. We feel that giving young people an opportunity to get on stage and be dramatic will greatly improve their self-esteem and public speaking skills.
Interesting in some drama classes near you? Here is a rundown of our daily schedule. At our Summer Camp in Overland Park, kids start the day by playing drama games. One of our favorites is “Once Upon a Time.” In this game, kids stand in a circle and create a story. Every person can only add one word to the story, and the word must make sense. A typical story might sound like ‘Once…upon…a…time…there…was…a…squirrel…who…liked…breakdancing…with…cheese”.
This game requires both quick thinking and listening skills. It challenges the student to pay close attention to their classmates so they can jump in with just the right word at the right time.
After games, we move on to play practice. Students practice their roles as a group, working on lines, emotions, and movements. They practice running their show first for themselves; then, they showcase their work to other students. This way, everyone at our Summer Drama Camps in Overland Park can have a chance to get attention and laughs.
Then we move on to Movie Star Acting. Here, the students in our drama classes near you get to make up their own characters and stories. They all act out a story for the camera, improvising as they go. At the end of the class, we have what we call “Watching the Dailies.” Everyone sees themselves on TV, and they all get a copy to keep and share.
Jonathan excelled in our Overland Park summer camps. He was always creative and funny. When he was on stage, everyone was engaged by his humor and public speaking skills. We are so proud of all that he has accomplished and are honored to be a part of his journey.
If you are looking for acting classes for kids, check out our upcoming programs. We have lots of fun new shows at our Overland Park Summer Camps. Your kids can get onstage, create new characters, get laughs and make new friends. At Theatre of the Imagination, everyone gets to shine. We can’t wait to see your student shine on stage.