Education
May 26, 2014
The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Education:
Theatre Arts Festival Showcases Student Talent
Mr. Speaker, last week I had the great privilege of officially opening the 38th Provincial Theatre Arts Festival, which took place here in St. John’s over the weekend.
Ten schools and over 130 students throughout Newfoundland and Labrador took part in this year’s festival. The productions were held at the LSPU Hall and theatre-related workshops were held at Memorial University.
Mr. Speaker, the commitment and talent displayed by the students, teachers and volunteers onstage and behind the scenes was incredible. Through events like this, we are developing and nurturing the next generation of actors, writers, musicians, set designers, technicians and directors, for which our province is becoming increasingly recognized on the national and international stage.
Our government is committed to helping our students discover and develop their artistic talent and creative skills. That is why we provide $50,000 annually to support the Provincial Theatre Arts Festival, and why we have invested millions in recent years to promoting the arts within our schools. Participation in the arts builds confidence and self-esteem, Mr. Speaker, and contributes to a student’s overall personal development.
Mr. Speaker, in 2005, the Provincial Government introduced Cultural Connections, a program designed to support and enhance arts programming in our schools. Since that time, over $18.7 million has been invested in musical equipment, art supplies, books, music festivals, heritage fairs and other programs and activities to benefit students and participating artists.
Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues in this House to join me in congratulating the organizers, participants, volunteers and the audiences, who all contributed to making the 2014 Provincial Theatre Arts Festival a resounding success.
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2014 05 26 2:00 p.m.