Greetings, Encore fans and welcome back to The Front Row blog! Over the next few posts, we’re excited to share a fun (and informative) series with our readers. As many of us are experiencing personally, Encore too has been faced with many questions and difficulties since we’ve begun working and learning from home. Luckily, theatre brings out the best in us and creates creative problem solvers! Our staff has been working hard since March to adapt and craft a series of virtual summer programs that will combine the versatility of this new virtual platform with the collaboration, imagination, and fun that you’ve come to expect and love from Encore’s summer camps. We’re happy to share about each of our camp programs and how they will be adapting to the virtual format. Up first, we have It’s Elementary:
Ages 3-5
Encore is excited to provide a summer experience for our youngest theatre lovers. In this morning program, students are engaged through activities tailored especially for them: song and movement, music and rhythm, storytelling, and crafts. Our experienced teaching artists will welcome your little ones into the warm and wonderful world of theatre with a fun new theme each camp week. We aim to minimize the amount of screen time necessary to get the most out of camp. While we will come together at points in the virtual Zoom classroom, the majority of activities (dance/movement, craft time, etc.) will be provided in pre-recorded video content that families can access at their leisure.
Pre-K Schedule – Schedule Breakdown
Start: 9 AM EST
End: 11:40 AM EST
9:00-9:10: Morning Gathering
9:10-9:20: Welcome
9:20-9:25: Schedule Review
9:25-9:40: Warm-Up
9:40-9:45: Question Break
9:45-10:00: Storytime
10:00-10:20: Snack/Bathroom Break
10:20-10:30: Welcome Back/Game
10:30-10:40: Song/Movement
10:40-10:45: Question Break
10:45-11:05: Arts and Crafts
11:05-11:15: Craft Share
11:15-11:25: Parent Instruction
11:25-11:30: Parent Q&A
11:30-11:40: Goodbye Song/Dismissal
Ages 5-9
Short on time? Fear not! Encore’s one-week camps are anything but short on fun. We’re excited to offer a summer of brand new themes to captivate your students’ minds and activate their energetic creativity through a jam-packed week of movement, character creation, problem-solving, and more!
It’s Elementary Schedule – Schedule Breakdown
Start: 10 AM EST
End: 4 PM EST
10:00am-10:10am: Welcome/Roll Call
10:10am-10:20am: Ice Breaker/Game
10:20am-11:15am: Break into Groups/Warm-Up Activity
11:15am-11:30am: Snack and Bathroom Break
11:30am-12:00pm: Roll Call/Break into Groups/Activity
12:00pm-12:30pm: Pre-recorded Arts and Crafts
12:30pm-01:15pm: Lunch/Recess
01:15pm-02:00pm: Roll Call/Break into Groups
02:00pm-02:30pm: Movement Dance (Pre-recorded link)
02:30pm-02:35pm: Review Dance/Movement as Group
02:35pm-02:45pm: Break into Groups/Guided Imagery (live)
02:45pm-02:55pm: Snack/Bathroom Break
02:55pm-04:00pm: Activity/Good-bye
Now that you’ve had a peek at the virtual schedule, check out the teaching team that will be joining us this summer! We’re excited to welcome new and familiar faces to join us for another amazing Encore Summer!
Still have questions about how a virtual theatre camp could work? Please visit our FAQs and enjoy the Q&A session from Encore’s virtual Open House event that took place on Saturday, May 30, 2020.
If you have additional questions regarding summer programming or if you’d like to receive a full recording of the Open House event, please email camp@encorestage.org. Our staff will be happy to reach out and assist you!
Photos by Shannon McCarthy and Aileen Christian. Video editing by Rebecca Pfeil. Blog contribution by Shannon McCarthy.