Last Friday, my son’s drama camp at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People concluded. His group performed a play with a crazy plot about a Crisis in Candyland. My son played a mafia boss. His groups (the 11 to 12-year-olds) was the senior group among three who presented the fruits of their labours. Their performance was charming, funny, and very well done. For me the best thing was to see the effect of this experience on my son.

Theatre is good for children.It’s not about training future actors. Only a fraction of those who study drama go on to make a profession of it. Like everything else children do, it’s about what you learn from the experience: math helps to cultivate logical thinking and problem solving; language helps us learn abstract thinking; drama helps us learn to stand up, speak out, and fosters confidence. Articulating language clearly is important in any area of life. Being able to express ourselves is a huge asset, whatever you do.

But wait, there’s more … theatre is a team sport, so it requires children to learn to work together. My son’s group, under the guidance of very capable instructors, had to craft a story, and write a script. That meant a lot of discussion and required them to come to a consensus again and again. No doubt each participant at different times had to let go of a cherished idea for the benefit of the larger objective. They had to learn to listen respectfully to each other’s ideas. Best of all, they experience the joy of getting a great result. The play they created was fun, clever, and genuinely entertaining.

Walking out onto a stage, with the lights on you and the hushed audience before you, can be terrifying, but it is a genuinely liberating experience to learn find your comfort zone there. It’s wonderful for kids (and maybe even more so for awkward teenagers, inclined as they may be to mumble and slouch). My son just shone for the whole two weeks he was in this drama camp. And he will take the glow of it with him into the new school year.

Live theatre is a lesson you can take with you into your life, whatever you do.