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By Barbara Roy Let’s pretend!” Who doesn’t recall many happy childhood days spent using your imagination to make believe? Remember when the tree in your yard became the wicked witch’s house from which only you could rescue the hostages? Or when the old bath towel cape turned you into a super hero able to not only leap tall buildings, but do pretty much anything else? Experts agree that nurturing a child’s natural creative urges is one of the most important things that a parent can do. No matter what path they take as adults, the first step is that “let’s pretend” moment. Why choose a summer theatre program? Nurturing that creativity is exactly what summer theatre camps, classes and performances do best. However, as a parent, you understand that summer should also be fun. Well, summer theatre is nothing if not fun. There’s a reason that theatre people say an actor “plays” a part, and that a script is called a “play.” Besides building creativity, theatre enhances a child’s self esteem, collaborative skills, and confidence. These are skills that make for a happier and more fulfilled life. Theatrical experiences are a win win situation: both enjoyable AND educational. Are there many choices? The Twin Cities metro area, not surprisingly, offers many summer theatre opportunities for children of all ages. (After all, this area purportedly has more theatres than any other U.S. city except New York!) Parents can choose everything from a local Community Education class to a camp run by a professional theatre company. Budding actors can be involved in acting, singing, dancing, set design, and even puppetry. If you are looking for a theatre experience, a good place to start is with your local school’s theatre director. He/she can steer you in the right direction by telling you where to look or maybe even (if he is familiar with your child from school shows) match you up with the best place for you child’s skills and needs. What if my child has never done this before? Don’t worry if your child is a first time participant. A local director said, “We take the child from wherever they are and move them forward. Kids are so flexible and enthusiastic, and what we do is so much fun that soon it is impossible to tell the novice from the veteran.” My child has special needs, can they be involved? Yes, most camps will accommodate children with special needs. Just be sure to call ahead and explain your child’s particular situation. Some places, such as In the Company of Kids, offer special camps for kids with autism or kids who are deaf or hard of hearing. Your child’s special education teacher will tell you that these experiences are golden for kids with special needs because of the chance to stretch their abilities and to be a part of a group. As an experienced speech therapist put it, “Theatre has given my special needs students a place to shine. They love to perform and are always so proud of themselves after the curtain goes down.” How can I tell if my child will like theatre camp? Some things your child may say or do can tip you off. Do they love to perform? Are they dancing and singing along with The Wiggles or Elmo? Have they expressed an interest in being in a play? Do they mimic voices or act like characters from television or books? Are they curious and generally eager to try new things? If so, theatre camps are likely to appeal to them. But, don’t discount your little introvert either. Many a shy child has found a home on the stage. The chance to “become” someone else for a little while may allow a very quiet child to blossom. So, ask your child how they feel about theatre. Tell them a bit about what they might do. See if they can find a friend to sign up with. And remember, you, as a parent, know them best. Trust your instincts. What is a typical summer theatre experience like? Camps are usually open to ages 4-18 and children are grouped by age. The class/camp will run 1 to 4 weeks and will usually culminate in a performance of some type for family and friends or a larger audience. It will cost from $100-$500. The day will often begin with creative theatre games to warm up. Campers then move into working on specific scenes or scripts, maybe incorporating singing and dancing, perhaps include art work in the form of set or costume building, and end with a meeting to recap the day. Breaks for snacks or lunch are built in. Staff members are either professional actors or teachers aided by high school and college students with theatre experience. Staff to student ratio is usually very good. A closer look Stages Theatre Stages is a professional theatre company located in Hopkins, offering classes for ages 4-6, 7-13, and 13-17. It has both musical and non-musical camp offerings. The professional staff consists of actors, directors, choreographers, poets, vocal coaches, dancers, designers and more. Summer classes are often tied to their current productions. For example, last summer’s camps focused on pirates to go along with the show How I Became A Pirate. During a typical day, campers might play age appropriate theatre games – younger kids might become dinosaurs in movement and sound while older kids may practice sketch comedy skills. Then campers work with a script and develop their own performance from it. According to Cassandra Proball, Stages program manager, “For campers who return year after year, their favorite part is where they take ownership of their own artistic creativity.” Special needs children are welcome. This summer’s offerings may include a chance to be involved in High School Musical 2. Says a former camper, “Stages believes that young actors deserve real work as artists in their own right…I felt my self confidence soar.” If your child has a serious interest in theatre, this would be the perfect spot for them. Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre comes to you! The professional touring theatre company travels to your community, holds auditions, then will rehearse a script based on a literary or children’s classic and put on a performance using local children. And they do this all in one week! Working with two professional actors/directors, children from the ages of 7-18 sing, dance, and act in a variety of shows from Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) to Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer) to fairy tales (Snow White). Prairie Fire usually works through your local Community Education source, so check the local bulletins and newspapers. Rehearsal times and locations are based on local needs. The summer schedule is still being formulated but expect Prairie Fire in Plymouth, Chaska, Waconia, Shakopee, Lakeville, and Minnetonka this summer for sure. According to the parent of a participant, “It’s teamwork, creativity, and self confidence disguised as pure fun.” If you have a busy summer planned, but would like to see your child involved in theatre, Prairie Fire is a perfect choice because it only takes a week. Starplayers Musical Theatre Camp Woodbury High School Theatre directors Jon and Karen Seashore started Starplayers because they hate to cut any child from a play cast. Karen says, “Jon and I decided to start a program that didn’t cut children-but instead gave them a chance to experiment and discover the joys of musical theatre without feeling the pressures and possible disappointments of the audition process.” The camp emphasizes musical theatre (singing, dancing, and acting) along with theatre history, art activities, and makeup. The staff is made up of high school teachers as well as high school and college students who have come through the Woodbury program. Starplayers will group students together with their similar aged friends if that is requested and also offers an extended day during one of their four sessions, in case parents need to drop off or pick up later than regular camp hours. At the end of each week, a performance is given which includes original scenes (often scripted by Jon Seashore), plus songs from popular musicals. They are located at Guardian Angels Church in Oakdale. Starplayers offers a warm and supportive environment as well as a solid background in musical theatre. Ashland Productions For the chance to be in a traditional full length play this summer, students might want to sign up for Ashland Productions in Maplewood. They plan to do two shows: Aladdin, Jr for grades 6-12 and Alice in Wonderland, Jr for grades 1-6. Camp lasts all day for grades 6-12, but younger actors may choose either a full or half day. The day begins with rehearsals in the morning and ends with skill development in the afternoon. Campers are accepted on a first come, first served basis until the camp is full. At the end of the camp, students are part of a full scale musical thanks to a staff of experienced local adult performers (whose credits include MN Opera, Chanhassen, Ordway) and teenage junior counselors from local high schools. If your child is interested in being in a play which is performed for a regular audience, Ashland Productions is a good choice. Taking part of your summer to involve your child in theatre is a wonderful and enriching activity which will help develop not only life long skills in self-presentation and teamwork, but also enduring friendships. The Twin Cities is rich in many varied and interesting youth theatrical opportunities. So, as they say in the theatre, go out and BREAK A LEG!!! Your little star is just waiting to be born!
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