Under the Sun: Message from our Summer Camp Directors

This was a great summer for It’s Elementary. It was exciting to see so many re-occurring students. Many of the students shared stories of their acting experiences during the past year. It’s Elementary was introduced to new talent, many were led to our camp by word of mouth.

All of our themes were well received (we had waiting lists). I would have to say my personal favorite was “make them laugh”. We had a ball. If you were to walk down the halls of the camp, at any given moment you would have heard laughter, songs, jokes etc… It was a very happy place to spend your summer.

Many of our campers made new friends. I constantly heard of kids and parents setting up play dates. The campers would tell me of the new friends that they made at camp.

One camper was sad that she could no longer attend It’s Elementary because of her age, but then we talked about moving forward and attending Stage Door. While we were speaking another camper couldn’t wait to tell me that he is going to Stage Door next summer and that she would not be alone. The end result is that the once sad camper is now excited to move on.

It’s Elementary is more than a place to learn about theatre. We are a community helping each other through life’s many lessons.

–Madaline Langston
Director of It’s Elementary

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If I had to choose a single word to describe this summer’s Stage Door experience, it would be “ensemble.” It’s rare to see a group of students this young band together to build what felt, to me, like the makings of a children’s theatre troupe–my only regret was that I did not have more time to spend with these gifted and giving children. Granted this wasn’t an instantaneous connection: some students are always more shy or more outgoing than others, both on stage and in person, but over three weeks, this little “troupe” found some magic. With time, they developed skills that will serve them whether they ever choose to set foot on stage again or not–and by a 100% vote, every single one said they would return to Stage Door next year, even if their age prevented them from being campers again.They learned to listen to and support each other, to find ways to help and comfort each other.

The faculty was superb this year and worked together like a well-oiled machine. Thembi Duncan (Acting), Kelsey Meiklejohn (Dance), and Encore’s own Executive Director, Sara Strehle Duke (music) led the students in fun but also enriching activities and exercises that honed their theatrical instincts and sharpened their skills, preparing them for the scene and song work to come. (I also headed one of the acting classes.) We had fabulous guest artists in Erin Driscoll and Chris Sizemore (Musical Theatre), Vince Eisenson (Physical Theatre), and Amy Thompson (Shakespeare). The latter two frequently work for Encore as does Kelsey, our dance teacher. They are very popular with students, and Erin and Chris recently starred in Encore’s production of Pirates of Penzance. Rounding out our staff was Colin Dieck, who did a lovely job with the lighting and sound.

Our theme this year was “Comedy Tonight,” derived from the opening of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and we used it as our opening number. Four other songs from the world of musical theatre followed suite, as did four comedic scenes in styles ranging from Shakespeare to sitcom-esque. Every student had a speaking part, a few were in two scenes, and every child was in at least three musical numbers. Students were very proud of their work and rightly so. We celebrated their hard work and focus over cake and soda at our traditional end-of-camp party. During the festivities, the Artists-in-Training handed out silly, but positive awards that they had chosen for each student like “Highest Kick” or something with a camp-wide inside joke such as “Silent Ninja.” (The latter has to do with a theatre game that students played.)

Unanimously, students were thrilled with the camp, some even going so far as to call it a “family.” As a theatre professional myself, I know of what they spoke and it is true–those people you train and build a production with, whom you trust, truly are your family for that ephemeral moment in time–and sometimes, even longer. That is the true meaning of “ensemble,” and those students understood it and embraced it by the end of our three weeks together.

Until next year,
Victoria Reinsel
Director of Stage Door

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The thing I like most about Tweens ‘N Teens is watching the students explode into their creativity. We really try to give everyone a chance to contribute ideas and then incorporate as many of those into the performance as possible. All the music for the show is created, written or found by students. Each student created their own costume sashes in a design they felt was the best for their character. Even the staging and structure of the show was based off of the instincts and thoughts of the actors. It helped of course to have a show that was written by our teachers exclusively for this camp. Rachel Hynes and Amy Thompson developed a piece specifically to fit the needs of TNT.

Guess what? By working this way we managed to have truly impressive shows. Many parents told me this year’s show was the best children’s theatre they have ever seen. I believe it’s because of the amount of freedom we give to each student and the amount of input we received from the students. When actors have ownership over what they have created, they put more care and effort into the show. It was obvious to me how much our students gave to this by how great it all turned out. I feel grateful we are creating such an open and caring artistic community, and a great theatre that is willing to support it. Well done Encore!