DAVENPORT, Iowa — When the coronavirus pandemic hit back in March 2020, Davenport Junior Theatre's Performing Arts Supervisor Daniel Sheridan knew the group had to change course quickly.
Instead of having students on stage in-person for classes, the theater went virtual, offering more than 60 theater and dance classes online. And the theater's reach started to spread.
First it spread to kids in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, and other towns outside the Quad Cities. But then it spread even further to kids all over the country. There are students from New Jersey, Kentucky, and even California all learning virtually through Davenport's program.
"You bring these kids who love art together to do things and accomplish things together. And right now kids need to feel seen, valued, heard, appreciated for who they are, and if they love the art,s we're the place to make that happen," says Sheridan.
Sheridan says once the pandemic is under control, the theater will resume in-theater classes. But he says there is a demand to keep some classes virtual to keep catering to a larger pool of kids. Sheridan says they are considering keeping some virtual classes going in the future.
The Davenport Junior Theatre's Fall session starts Monday, September 14, 2020. To enroll, go to their website to sign up.