In an era where smartphones dominate the lives of Generation Z, the Red Room Group, a Taipei-based non-profit which strives to bring the English-speaking community together through organizing Thespian, salon-like events, is making the arcane concept of show-and-tell cool again.
One and a half years ago, Red Room joined forces with the Taipei City Playgroup, an English-language parenting-social group founded by Jennifer Chau (曹珍妮), to establish Stage Time and Juice. The concept behind it is similar to Red Room’s original Stage Time and Wine where adults huddle and drink wine while listening to poetry recitations and prosaic prose. Held every third Saturday of every other month, Stage Time and Juice invites children up to the stage to sing a song, tell a joke or share a story. And, of course, the wine is replaced with juice, since this is a family event.
ENCOURAGING ENVIRONMENT
Photo courtesy of Brian Webb
Seeing as the weather has been unusually warm lately, tomorrow’s theme is Jumping into Spring. Carol Yao (姚可樂), the event organizer, says that they try to draw inspiration from the time of year. For St Patrick’s Day last year, they had the children prepare a limerick in exchange for a cupcake, and during Dragon Boat Festival, the theme was Drums, Dragons and Drowned Poets.
As these themes suggest, performances are meant to be as fun-spirited and free-flowing as possible.
“We allow the kids to go up on stage and try out anything that compels them. Once we even had a young gymnast do a few handsprings across the carpet,” Yao says.
Although some of the children are mortified by the thought of taking the stage, their peers and the emcee are very encouraging. A perfect performance is not necessary. The children are allowed to start over and take their time to feel comfortable, as the audience cheers them on. To keep it lively, at least one interactive activity such as riddles and guessing games is organized at each gathering.
“We try to make it feel like we are a family,” Yao says. “This is completely different from any performance they would be asked to do in an academic setting or competition.”
EXPANDING HORIZONS
Although Stage Time and Juice may appear to be fun and games, the ultimate goal is personal growth and development.
However, it’s not just about helping the children with cultivating confidence and becoming more outgoing. “It is also for the parents who may have found themselves exhausted from years of worrying about their kids,” Yao says.
“The hope is that the parents, many of whom happen to be teachers, will also understand that this is a chance to explore working with an audience, and that they will come out and experiment as well,” she adds.
Yao says that she has noticed positive changes in her own two children who have been performing regularly.
As for the future direction of Red Room, the group’s coordinator Roma Mehta says that through collaboration with various other organizations in Taipei, “we are striving towards a larger reach and a more interactive arts scene.”
Red Room has already held a Stage Time and Wine in New York City’s Upper East Side earlier this year, as well as one in Calcutta in 2013.
Tomorrow’s Stage Time and Juice will take place at the Red Room in Daan District (大安) at 2pm. Participants are encouraged to bring juice and snacks to share, as well as fluffy pillows since only floor seating is provided.
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