By Heather Matthews
Staff Writer

Roald Dahl's “Willy Wonka” will be performed at 10 a.m. and noon on March 9 and 10 at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord.

When poetry is taught in schools, students groan and grumble. Poems, with their use of rhyme scheme, meter and tone, are often the least favorite subject of students of all ages.

In November 2004, Shawn Powers and the Capitol Center For the Arts hoped to change that by bringing Mayhem Poets, a group of performance poets, to students through their education program.

Their performance at the Center, paired with their visits to Concord schools, caused a frenzy, said Powers. Students and teachers alike fl ocked to the poets, begging for photographs and autographs.

“The program was dynamite,” she said. “They were treated like rock stars. These were poets. It wasn’t Britney Spears or Coldplay or any one else. It was an exhilarating experience.”

It’s that excitement for learning and the arts that Powers, the Center’s education director, tries to replicate every school year through the education program.

“We want to sustain art activities and provide high quality arts that are friendly and inviting,” said Powers. “We want kids to learn going to a museum or seeing a show is a really great way to spend their free time.”

The Educational Outreach Program has been around since the inception of the Center. In 2003 the program was separated, expanding the offerings for schools. The program has six parts, each designed to help teachers enrich their lessons with more student involvement of the arts.

The School Series is the centerpiece of the program and is offered to every school district in the state, serving more than 25,000 students each season. The School Series features eight performances, many of which are adaptations of children’s literature and historical events, while others feature internationally known dancers and musicians. This year’s series includes Hamlet, a musical adaptation of “Cam Jansen,” a puppet performance of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “Bowfi re,” a lecture and demonstration of acclaimed violinists and fi ddlers playing all styles of music including bluegrass, Celtic, rock and jazz.

“Everything we do springs forth from these shows,” said Powers.

Achieving Literacy Through the Arts is a partnership between the Concord School District and the Capitol Center, developed to promote reading skills. The school district and the Center work together to select and present performances within the School Series geared towards children in fi rst through third grades.

At Beaver Meadow Elementary school in Concord, the music teachers, the visual arts teacher and the physical education teachers incorporate themes from the Capitol Center’s School Series into their lessons.

“There are so many different ways of learning,” said Powers. “The arts can provide a bridge. It’s a great way for nontraditional learners to go about learning.”

Power said through her work with the schools, she has encountered several students considered to be learning-disabled who have excelled once involved with the program.

“Students often thought to have learning disabilities come forth to shine,” she said. “You start to see these kids in a whole new light in the classroom.”

Beaver Meadow Elementary Principal Dr. Roger Brooks said he has seen a vast improvement in some of the students in his school.

“It’s a remarkable thing,” he said. “The students who are struggling with reading and writing often turn out to be some of our best students because they are able to express themselves in different ways and tap the different domains of learning.”

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Brooks said he sees the program as an important learning tool for all of the school’s younger students.

“Research says that reading comprehension in children extends within art activities,” he said. “Whether it be theater, dancing or music – it richens and deepens the experience of learning. It strengthens their appreciation of the arts and it widens their horizons.”

The programs also provide students the context in which they can appreciate art, making sure that their fi rst experiences with the theater are friendly and easily enjoyed, not scary and overwhelming, Brooks said.

“They are prepared well in advance for things they may not be familiar with,” said Brooks. “Things aren’t just thrusted at them, so they can not just tolerate the arts, but enjoy them.”

Performing arts centers’ involvement in education is relatively new in the United States, but it is becoming more common. The Capitol Center’s programs were featured in a book published by the Dana Foundation Press in October of 2003 called “The Acts of Achievement” in which the role of performing arts centers in education was discussed. More than 70 centers were profi led, and the Capitol Center was the only theater in New Hampshire to be featured.

“Education is becoming a much larger presence in performing arts centers,” said Powers. “Museums are about 20 years ahead of us in this. They are known for their docent and educational programs. It’s seen as a bona fi de fi eld for them. We are playing catch up and codifying what our fi eld is and how we go about doing it.”

Powers said the Capitol Center hopes to expand their program some time this year. Powers also hopes to reach more school districts, not just in New Hampshire, but eventually across the United States.

Some of the planned expansion has already begun. “Some things just started on their own,” said Powers. “Everything just started happening in a very organic way. Some changes are even happening as we speak.”

This year, for the fi rst time, the Capitol Center will offer the Daytime Series, a group of one-hour-long productions, open to the public and featuring several of the same performances of the School Series. The Daytime Series is the fi rst step in the Capitol Center’s plan to offer adult education programs for seniors who hope to see some of the most innovative and interesting theater that the Capitol has to offer, Powers said.