Traveling Lantern...on the Road!

The "state of the arts": a message from TL to our patrons...

I just want to thank all of you for your kind responses. We cannot publish everything we receive, but we, personally, read everything that is sent, and it is really appreciated. Most sincerely, THANK YOU!

From KB:
I was recently asked to voice my opinion on the "No Child Left Behind" program, as it is coming up for renewal soon.
We know that what we provide is important, just as the previous owners, Peter and Ann Wengraf, did.
The arts are important to America's children. We bring the arts to schools, libraries and community centers, and will always try to find a way to continue to do what we do, as inexpensively as possible, to financially strapped institutions (did we ever imagine this would be SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES?) however we can. Our goal is to bring good stories, told well, to children, to whatever venue is available in the local community.
It is an increasingly difficult art in itself to simply produce, and afford to continue providing these types of shows. We are, as I'm sure you are, surprised that the arts are now generally considered a luxury for children in America, to be fit in between testing schedules and sports events, if provided at all.
There are a lot of brilliant young people who have no desire to run after, or deflect, a ball. Physical accomplishments are a wonderful challenge for a select type of student, but physical prowess as a measure of personal accomplishment and value leaves the majority of our young people "left behind".
Testing doesn't measure creativity. Children are "left behind" if they are not inspired to pursue their own concepts and ideas. There is more to an education than just recycling the knowledge that has been learned from the past. Testing is not an inspirational process, nor does it promote creativity or an individual child's unique talents.
The arts inspire children to: think out of the box, to challenge the plodding norm, to reach for new heights, to be CREATIVE in their thoughts and concepts; and who better to inspire than our nation's youngest? Our future leaders?
Our young, future leaders need the gift of their imaginations, nurtured by the arts, to succeed in whatever field they choose to pursue. We do not think that the arts are an unecessary luxury for our children, we think the arts, instead, are a vital component to an intelligent, perceptive and inspired education that helps prepare America's children for their unknown future challenges.
The arts provide the wings on which our children can give themselves permission to soar, endeavor to confront, and ultimately change us to better meet the challenges that the future holds.

We at TL know there are many of you who feel the same way we do, becuase we talk to you, and becuase you write to us.
Thanks for your support.

posted by KB, Doren and Actors on the Road @ 12:46 AM