Blast From the Past: Yamato – The Drummers of Japan

In honor of what would’ve been spring break for some local area schools, we’ll be featuring shows from our Arts Education Program this week. Yamato – The Drummers of Japan, brought their contagious energy to the stage earlier this spring, both with an Arts Education show and an evening show that was open to the public. Yamato travels the world to share the ancient art of Taiko drumming, and they definitely did not disappoint: the drums could be heard throughout the building and even from inside the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library on East Market Street!

One educator said of the experience, “It was like traveling to Japan without ever leaving our hometown! I thought it was wonderful how much was conveyed by the music and performance.”

“It was phenomenal!” another educator shared. “Our students benefit so much from seeing diverse groups and learning about the different ways that stories are told and valued. It led to an extremely productive conversation about the ways we tell stories and celebrate people.”

The goal of the Arts Education program is to present the very best educational theater that engages youth in meaningful ways, complements school curricula, and cultivates appreciation of the performing arts. Since the program began in 2004, we have served more than 195,000 students and teachers, averaging 16,000 served on an annual basis. Because of the support of generous sponsors and donors, all tickets are available at subsidized prices for students and teachers.

We are devastated that this year’s season was cut short due to the COVID-19 public health crisis, but optimistically look to the future when we can delight some of our youngest audience members again!

We are diligently working to reschedule many of our events that have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These events contribute significantly toward our yearly operating budget, and we know that we will suffer a devastating loss of revenue as a local nonprofit theater. Please consider making a donation to The Paramount.

Photos by Rob Garland Photographers