Brookview Kindergartners Experience Live Theater at the Civic Center

They came bundled up against the January chill and ready for something big, though many weren't sure exactly what to expect. 

The 2,000 students from schools around central Iowa, including the kindergartners from in West Des Moines, were at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines Friday to experience live theater, some for the first time.

The students in kindergarten through second grade came to the Civic Center to see "John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean", a one-of-a-kind live puppet show using black light technology and neon-colored characters set to music. "ImaginOcean" is part of the Applause! Series, a series of live, curriculum-connected performances geared to school-age audiences.

Eric Olmscheid, director of programming and education at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, said the Applause! Series is in its 16th year and will serve more than 42,000 students this year, the most in its history.

He said the series is more than just another field trip for many student patrons.

"This serves two perspectives in my mind," he said. "The first is that it serves as an experience for art’s sake and for many of these students this is the first time they will see a professional performance. The second is that it's using the arts as a tool for education. Theater has the ability to transcend many different learning styles and subject areas."

Jeff Chelesvig, president and CEO of the Civic Center, said the experience these kids get is one they will remember forever.

"Whenever I’m in a group of theater professionals, if the topic ever comes to, 'Do you remember your first experience with live theater?' everyone can tell you their first experience," Chelesvig said. "It's something that changes people’s lives. For us it does two things — it’s a great intro to live theater and the side benefit is that it's helping build audiences for the future."

Creating Lifelong Memories

Terry Hurlburt, principal at Brookview Elementary, said that's exactly why they've implemented the Brookview Fine Arts program. Paid for by money from the Brookview PTO, the Fine Arts program will send students in all grades at the school to a show in the Applause! Series by year's end. The cost for each student to attend is one dollar per show, Chelesvig said.

"It’s a great opportunity for all our kids, K-5, to come down to the Civic Center and see a pertformance," he said. Some of our kids won’t get that opportunity unless we provide that for them. This year our PTO has worked with us to send each grade at Brookview to a different Applause! Series show with the intent to exposing kids to the Civic Center, the fine arts and then also diversity and lots of multicultural opportunities."

Ready for the Show to Start

The kindergartners seemed excited at the idea of seeing "ImaginOcean." They wiggled in their seats, oohed and ahhed over the size of the auditorium and wondered aloud what time "the movie" would start.

Linda Warman, a kindergarten teacher at Brookview Elementary School, said today's show worked well with the class curriculum teaching friendship, strength, courage and imagination. The lessons learned, she added, were just an added bonus.

"It is a great experience because it’s one of the first live experiences they'll have," she said. "They see movies and DVDs and all that, but it’s the first live performance."

"One thing is that a lot of them have never ridden a bus, so that was a big thrill for them, too," she concluded.

"John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean" is part of the Civic Center's Wellmark Family Series of shows. For those interested in attending, there is a 1 p.m. performance Saturday at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. Admission is $8 for subscribers or $10 for general public. Order tickets by calling the Civic Center Box Office at (515) 246-2300.