TLC Three Little Pigs Holiday Programme

Posted by May September 10, 2016

TLC Three Little Pigs Holiday Programme

We were first introduced to The Little Company in 2014 and there was never a show we been to that left us disappointed. When I stumbled on The Three Little Pigs September Holiday Programme in SRT's Facebook page, I knew I had to sign Ewan up for it. Even better if his cousins could join him and I sure am glad they did. There are several reasons why I introduce theatre to my children:

1. They Learn About Empathy - getting into character [one that is not yours] invites you to empathise. We do not always put ourselves in other people's shoes but when we are given a role to play, we will have to!

2. It Builds Confidence - not only does it build social and communication skills, self-esteem will definitely be boosted from the ever-encouraging audience [us parents of course]. But really, being up on stage facing a full house [or empty house] can be daunting for any child. What a way to combat stage frights in a fun way!

3. Inculcates Team-Building - A musical is not a one-man show. It takes a lot of collaboration, trust and communication to put a successful show together.

4. Encourages Imagination and Creativity - There is a script in every show but theatre is also very individualistic in the way one perceives a role. Theatre provides the freedom to be yourself, to re-create and to imagine.

5. I Want To Watch My Children Perform - I love the theatre and what a privilege it would be if I had my child on stage.

It was a five-day programme, 5 days x 2.5 hours per day to be exact. For a bunch of four to six year olds, a full-day theatre immersion will be too much for them to handle. I am very impressed by the performance outcome on the last day actually. How they can master three new songs so quickly baffles me. Oh no wait! They say children are like sponges right?

This programme was facilitated by William Ledbetter and no better man was more suitable for this job. The children warmed up to him immediately and I felt at ease dropping the kids in his care. William is really good with children. He did silly things with them when it was time to play and made sure the class followed certain rules of thumbs when it was time to be serious. As this is drop-off programme, parents got a glimpse of all the fun only from a tiny window at the door. We dodged and hid from our children because well, they behave differently when mommies are around right? Still, those moments were precious. I felt my heart bursting with joy to be able to witness these four little Yanglets having such a swell time.

William engaged the children with songs and crafts. I really liked it that he brought his guitar, keyboard, craft scissors, glue and colouring materials to the class! Oh and that twist at the end of the programme! The children performed Three Little Sharks and The Big Bad Squid instead of the original script of The Three Little Pigs. William got the children to come up with a story they could call their own. Each child was to come up with a title. It could be "Three Little Mice and The Big Bad Elephant" or "Three Little Tomatoes and The Big Bad Tree". A voting system [how democratic] will be place and the winning title will make it to the final day's performance.

Once the title had been agreed on, they wasted no time and weaved a story together for the big show. Then of course came the casting.

There were nine children, three of which were boys. They seemed like the obvious choice to be the Three Little "Something". Ewan, Callum and their new friend, Zachary played the Sharks. Cayla and Cayley were in charge of introducing the building materials for the houses the sharks were suppose to build - Seaweeds, Sea Shells, Sea Stones. The rest of the girls played Big Bad Squids. And the teacher? William was the narrator, singer, keyboardist and choreographer. Together with the help of his wife and daughter, we enjoyed a 15-minute musical on the original TLC's The Three Little Pigs set in the theatre itself!

Theatre is not about being Perfect. These junior casts. These children. They were Loud! They were Silly! They were Big! They were themselves and I loved it. We all had fun from both sides of the stage.

At S$70 per day per kid, [S$350 for the five-day programme] I say it's worth all the while. Not only did the children gained invaluable theatre exposure, their cousinly-bond has surely deepened. Saying goodbye always end in a very teary affair [for Ewan - every single day]. I had to entice him with bubble baths at home, dummies or screen time just to tear him away from his Triple C cousins.

Enjoy this condensed musical brought to you by these nine little starlets! The tiniest boy is four year old Ewan and the biggest boy is six year old Callum. The five year old twins, Cayla and Cayley, are dressed in yellow!

Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and the holiday programme is fully paid for with no obligations on writing a review for TLC's education initiatives.

READ ALSO
Review: The Three Little Pigs extended to 17th September 2016
Purchase Tickets here

There is a much anticipated Holiday Programme coming up in November 2016 for children aged 4 - 8 years old. Details stated below and you may secure your seats via Sistic. There is a 10% discount for all MasterCard holders.