Prescott Center for the Arts Celebrates its 50th Anniversary and Invites Community Members to Make Theater Part of Their Daily Lives
By Tina Boden-Blake, Development Director, Prescott Center for the Arts
The people behind the Prescott Center for the Arts (PCA) believe in creating opportunities for the greater community to experience all facets of the arts.
The average American spends nearly half a day staring at a screen. A 2018 Nielsen Company audience report revealed that adults in the United States devoted about 10 hours and 39 minutes each day to consuming media. This includes the use of tablets, smartphones, personal computers, multimedia devices, video games, radios, DVDs, DVRs, and TVs.
The numbers are staggering for everyone, but even more so for youth! Screen time is linked to obesity and an increase in diabetes, especially for children. It is time to bring back the live experience. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the experience is defined as “direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge.”
So this season, embark on more experiences: enjoy the outdoors, events, and the arts.
The theater experience informs and stimulates the brain, whether someone is a patron or one of the actors onstage. Attending a performance of your favorite play can promote a connection with and understanding of humanity. The focus on the human conflict in many plays helps people relate to each other while providing subtle guidance for our own personal relationships. Watching a play also allows the audience to access emotions that often go unnoticed.
Whether you see a tragedy, comedy, or musical, there’s likely an element of the storyline that extends beyond the play into your personal life experiences. This notion was further proven when the University of Arkansas Department of Education conducted a study on the effects of live performances for students. Emotional benefits that surfaced included an increased ability to comprehend and empathize with other people’s feelings and reactions. Those results weren’t as apparent with the control group that read the play or watched a movie adaptation.
This season, our Family Theatre presents “Disney’s Frozen Jr.” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” which provide wonderful opportunities for students to get involved, as participants or audience members. Students, especially, can reap the rewards; studies have shown cognition and collaboration skills improve through children’s participation in theater. Involvement helps students understand multifaceted stories and improves their ability to analyze complex issues in the storyline. Theater, like a team sport, encourages participants to support each other and produce a final show through a process of collaboration and mutual respect. No matter the future career, theater teaches the benefits of working together. Both colleges and employers seek individuals who work well with others. Theater gives students the head start they need for their future.
What was the last play you attended? Did you share the opportunity with family and friends? Consider giving the gift of live theatre this year through PCA. The holidays are rapidly approaching and PCA offers a cost-effective season pass (just $108 for six shows on our Mainstage venue and $60 for our Stage Too productions) to help make community theater part of everyone’s life experience. Single-show tickets are affordable as well, ranging from $14 to $28. And, your local friends and neighbors put on all the performances.
This year’s season starts off with “Anything Goes” and includes: “Dracula,” “The Unexpected Guest,” “God’s Favorite,” “Amadeus,” “Mamma Mia,” “Annapurna,” “The Gin Game,” “God of Carnage,” and “Red.” Not only do we offer a season full of variety, but we also produce concerts and have an amazing art gallery with eleven shows annually.
Please join us this year for our 50th anniversary and make live theater a part of your life and kick the screen time habit. Discounts are available for veterans, teachers, first responders, and seniors.
To contact PCA about purchasing tickets and season ticket packages, call 928.445. 3286 or visit pca-az.net.