Overview

One of the first professional national touring companies to focus exclusively on productions for children, Junior Programs (1936-1943) believed that the performing arts had more than entertainment to offer a democratic society. Their leaders were bold, iconoclastic thinkers who used innovative drama, dance, and opera productions to infuse the performing arts into the everyday life of the communities in which they performed, as well as into the entire K-12 local school curriculums. Inspired by the nation's egalitarian aspirations, and without a pre-existing road map, they commissioned lively stories of marginalized communities as well as traditional classics. In the process, they introduced four million children to the cultural richness of the racial, ethnic, economic, and religious diversity inherent in a nation of immigrants. With strong local school and community partnerships, their unique model combined artistic and educational innovations, enabling them to repeatedly turn challenges into opportunities. As important, their years of nationwide success have left a legacy of guiding principles that current TYA practitioners and educators can use to address the challenges they face today.

Full Product Details

9781964251080

Table of Contents

Reviews

""This is an important book about a golden moment in the history of Theatre for Young Audiences in the United States. From 1936-1943 Junior Programs operated an ambitious national touring program that brought high-quality theatre, opera and ballet to millions of young people, their families, schools and communities. It was a time, not so different from our own when the rise of fascism, political turmoil and an impending war, threatened the very foundations of Democracy. Lancourt meticulously chronicles the principles of social justice that inspired the company's ""Credo"", their innovative production processes, and the astonishing organizational structure that mobilized thousands of volunteers and local partnerships in small towns and large cities alike. Junior Programs embraced many of the same values that we espouse in the world of TYA today: artistic excellence, community activism, educational relevance and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Their legacy provides inspiration for us to recognize that the performing arts experiences for, with and about young people can be so much more than entertainment... they can be life changing!"" -Suzan Zeder, President, Board of Trustees, The Childrens Theatre Foundation of America ""Lancourt's book is an extremely valuable read for TYA scholars and practitioners today because we must draw on so many lessons from Junior Programs' past: the power of activating theatre beyond simply a means of entertainment, towards a more just and equitable future for our young people. Junior Programs' commitment to using theatre as an educational tool for young audiences' development all across America is more crucial now than ever. This text opens a window for the reader into an extraordinary time in American TYA history, as we are faced with similar challenges in today's society."" -Sara Morgulis, Executive Director, TYA/USA ""Joan Lancourt's masterfully researched book is a treasury of insights into Junior Programs, an early twentieth-century theatre for young audiences. Their educational partnerships and productions, which range across theatre, ballet, and opera, offered a model for pedagogy and practice that should be an inspiration to educational theatres across the United States. More than Entertainment: Democracy and the Performing Arts is essential reading for scholars of 20th century American theatre and artists who believe in the theatre's ability to shape and change society."" -Noe Montez, Associate Professor of Theatre Studies, Emory University ""Junior Programs was a bold, innovative and visionary initiative to bring the performing arts to young people in communities across the United States. It is also an excellent early example of effective community engagement. Their approach, based on foundational American values of participatory democracy, diversity, equal access, social solidarity, civic activism, social and economic justice, relied on the creation of a local Sponsoring Committee in every community in which they performed. Today, with these same anti-democratic forces in ascendance, grassroots organizers, youth workers, educators, librarians, clergy and civic activists as well as theater artists have much to learn from this remarkable enterprise - ""preparing the next generation for full citizenship in a democratic society."" -Lee Staples, Professor Emeritus, Boston University School of Social Work; author of Roots to Power: A Manual For Grassroots Organizing

Author Information

Joan Lancourt, Ph.D., is a management consultant, executive coach, and author of books and articles on community engagement and leadership development. With an MSW in community organizing, she has served as board chair of two theater companies where she focused on increasing community engagement and board and audience diversity. Her career spans the public, academic, corporate, and not-for-profit sectors, nationally and internationally, and her work continues to encourage theaters and their boards to become leaders in the creation of a more just and equitable society.

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