The basics of performing arts would be those that are performed live before an audience. The range of such productions is not limited and the changes in performing arts over the last couple of decades have been massive, but there is still the chance to see some of the finest in entertainment and have a night out on the town.

Dance is probably the number one performing art that has been left largely untouched over the years. Ballet is popular to this day, despite its roots from hundreds of years ago. Ballet companies travel the world in search of venues to perform and they find them in the major cities for the most part. The largest concentration of theaters that offer shows in the performing arts range can be found in places like New York and San Diego where the rich and famous live for the culture.

Another popular area of performing arts is the Broadway play or musical. This is considered to be one of the many lost art forms in this world and the plays are still popular to this day. Productions like Cats have enjoyed runs that span the decades and the house is still pack on nearly a nightly basis. Others, like the Phantom of the Opera have closed and then reopened in light of renewed interest for the live entertainment industry.

Performing arts took a big hit with the advent of television. Before televisions were a staple in every home, people would go to the theater for their entertainment. In the days before television the number of theaters was massive and one could find a show on a nightly basis that was well within their price range. Production troupes would travel the world and play in any venue that would give them a billing. These groups were made up of actors, singers and other performers and impromptu sketches were the highlight of the night.

In today’s day and age there is little use for the theater in most of the world. People will still attend the shows but not in the numbers that were once seen. This has caused a downturn in those that wish to become performing artists in one way or another though there are still many schools in the world that specialize in such performances.

First, theatre is a blend of all the arts, incorporating music, visual artistry in the set and costumes, and performing. Watching a play in person is a much different experience than watching a movie; there is added drama and excitement as the live action unfolds before you. You and your children will be witnesses to art being created right in front of your eyes, and you will have a deeper appreciation for all of the talent and skill that goes into putting on a production of a play.

Secondly, there is a certain timelessness about theatre. While new plays are being written and performed every day, there are also scores of classic plays that are rooted deeply in our culture which continue to be performed. For instance, as your children watch a play by Shakespeare, they are exposed to an integral part of our civilization’s history and culture. Together as a family, when you watch a play you can be a part of a tradition that has endured over centuries and appreciate the art that has and continues to enrich our culture today.

There are also meeting and reception room available at the Aronoff Center for the Performing Arts. Places available for rehersals are also there, the Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery is also present at the Aronoff Center for the Performing Arts. The Procter and Gamble Hall is the biggest theatre, and has 2, 719 seats, high-tech sound and lighting systems, well equipped stage and a wondrous ceiling placed with 3, 000 fiber optic lenses that work in unison to create a starlight effect. The Jason-Kaplan Theater has 437 seats. The Fifth Third Bank Theater has 150 seats and is a studio theatre. If one is going to the Cincinnati area for a trip an ideal Cincinnati hotel would be the Millennium Hotel Cincinnati for a relaxed stay in the area. Staying a day or two will give one more time seeing the wonderful sites in and around this area.

Youth in grades 9-12 can choose a concentration in ballet, music, theatre, visual art, or writing & publishing. The school is located near Boston, giving students easy access to the Boston Symphony, Boston Ballet, Huntington Theatre, Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Gardner Museum, and many other famous cultural and educational institutions.

This performing arts boarding school boasts such graduates as pop star, Benny Ibarra ’89, actors Matthew Risch ’00 and Van Hansis ’00, as well as singer/songwriter Amie Miriello ’00. These and other prominent artists have had the opportunity, as young men and women, to study under Walnut Hill’s talented teaching faculty, who represent some of the most prominent writers, visual artists, musicians, actors, and dancers in the country.

Boarding students live on Walnut Hill’s picturesque, 30-acre campus in one of eight fully equipped residence halls. Resources available to them include a new academic and technology center, renovated library, 80-seat recital hall, photography lab, dance center with five large studios, performing arts center with black box and full-stage theater, art studios, and more.