LEEDS — Sometimes you have to dive into something to truly appreciate it. That is what we did this summer when we decided to let our 8-year-old participate in the Leeds Arts Council’s production of “Oliver!” It has been a learning experience for his parents, as well as for him.

Anyone who has spent much time at the Leeds Arts Center knows how serious our local art patrons are about what they do. Seems everything they do is done with the utmost care. You would think these folks were getting paid big bucks considering the hard work they put into their projects. That has certainly been the case with “Oliver!”.

Practices for actors and musicians began about two months ago and has not let up. For adults, it must be tough keeping up with their home lives while dedicating so much time to the musical. As for the kids, you have to think there are days they would rather be swimming or playing with their friends. Not only do they sacrifice those things for the show, they actually appear to be having the time of their lives up there on the stage.

For my family, this is our first experience with theatre. Our son has loved it. The experience has provided him with the opportunity to do something completely different. His parents have enjoyed watching him on the stage.

We hope our son will take from the experience that nothing comes easy and that anything worth doing requires hard work, commitment and dedication.

For those of us more accustomed to simply paying for a ticket and watching these productions, being more closely involved with the process has given us a look behind the scenes. During performances everything seems to come off without a hitch. Everyone knows their lines, hit their marks and hit every note. It seems so effortless and easy. Of course, that is the goal of these actors and directors, but the truth is that making it look so easy only comes with hours of practice, both on the stage and at home.

Supporting the arts says a lot about who we are. Leeds is very fortunate to have such an active arts group in the Leeds Arts Council. From their monthly featured artists to the summer concert series in the park, it seems they are always actively working on their next big project. Whether as individuals we appreciate the arts or not, we should all be willing to express our gratitude to this group that makes these events available for the entire community to enjoy.

For those of us who are parents, we should recognize the educational value of having an active arts program within our community. With the arts continuing to be ripped from school curriculum – in spite of the educational value they possess – local patrons of the arts are helping to fill the gap. Scientific research supports the effectiveness of arts to strengthen reading and math skills, improve student behavior and reduce truancy, keep students in school, build oral language skills, enhance cognitive development, and develop creative thinking skills.

In addition, the arts bring additional revenue to our city in the form of tourism and tax dollars, and, perhaps most importantly, brings us all together, helping us to know and understand each other a bit better.

I encourage everyone to visit the arts council over the next few weekends to see this hard-working group at work as they present “Oliver!”. While you are there, check out the featured artist’s work hanging in the lobby. The price of admission is a small price to pay to ensure our community’s arts programs remain strong and active.

For more information about “Oliver!” see our calendar on Page 2, or call the LAC at 699-1892.



– Robert Blankenship is the editor of The Leeds News. He may be contacted at editor@leedsnews.net