My granddaughter lives in a charming town in Maryland. This past summer she joined a youth theater company. While visiting her I went to the rehearsal for Aladdin.
The director’s first instruction was to turn off and put away all cell phones. I looked around and everyone had a cell phone and everyone was pecking away. The company members put their phones away but the parents in the audience continue to text, surf and whatever else.
This fascinated me as I watched the dynamics for the two hour rehearsal of cellphone addiction. My observations when the students were not a part of that scene, their phones came out and fingers began clicking. There was a total disconnecting with what was going on from the stage. An attitude of if I am not in this scene, then I need to catch up with others, send and answer emails as well as texts. As for the parents, I noticed only one parent was paying attention to what was going on. His son was Aladdin and the dad knew every word and was hanging on to each movement his son made as though he was living through his son’s performance.
As for me, I managed to stay off my phone for 1 ½ hours and found myself also peeking to see who was texting me.
In Aladdin’s story, the magic was a lantern and a genie. What magic does the cell phone have over our lives? What magic does it bring? What is the answer because everywhere I go I see fingers dancing across a phone? Despite being pulled away by the digital device, these youths brought excitement and fun to the production Just imagine what they could experience if they left their mobile devices totally turned off and instead of using their curiosity of finding what awaited them online to discovering even more magical qualities they could give to their performances and the production. Oh well, for many this was their first experience and after the thrill of their first performance in front of an audience and the applause at the end, this new found experience may surpass the magic of the cell phone. My granddaughter said she is going to be a part of the theater company next year, I look forward to seeing who wins the cell phone or whatever production they mount. Stay tuned. In the meantime take breaks from your cell phone and be present to your surroundings, you might see the genie and get your wish fulfilled.