Kids Camp Jr. – Tell Me a Story Performance Camp

Grades 1- 3 -   9 AM – 10:30 AM

Campers will learn acting skills using classic tales from many different times and cultures.   A fast-paced class for elementary children with an emphasis on developing imaginations and learning to create a character.  

$130.00 early bird - $145.00 after 6/1.  Limit 16

Kids Camp – Murder Mystery and Mayhem Camp  

Grades 4- 6 - 10:30 AM – Noon

Good fun in the guise of the classic murder mystery.  Children explore the “whodunit” style of theatre by performing plays that are a spoof on some of the greatest detectives of fiction.  Students act as both actor and author creating their own original piece.

$130.00 early bird - $145.00 after 6/1. Limit 18

Theatre School Studio – Zounds! Gadzooks! Huzzah!

Grades 7 -12 – 1:00 PM – 4:00 daily

High School aged students explore the art of spectacle utilizing scenes from Shakespeare and other classics to learn acting and stagecraft.  Sword fighting, stage combat, music, costume and farce will all add to the mix to make an unforgettable experience. The resulting scenes and monologues will be staged as a free form play at the end of the session. Emphasis on skills to help you get the part! 

$170.00 early bird - $185.00 after 6/1.   Limit 20 

Theatre Camp for Techies

Monday, June 21st through  Friday, June 25th – with an Evening Performance 7 PM June 25th 

Theatre Camp for Techies

Grades 6 - 12

Meets June 21st thru 24th- 4:30-6:30 PM & 9-4 PM June 25th

Tech camp students explore the other half of the world of theatre - learning what goes on behind the scenes.  Students will receive training in lighting, sound, and design with guest artists teaching the roles of a production team.  Tech Camp students will put their skills into action supporting the final performance.   

$100.00 early bird - $115.00 after 6/1.  Limit 6

Meet the Faculty

Ms. Cory Wilkerson

Cory Wilkerson is a director and performer specializing in theatre for youth, and former artistic director of WOW! Theatre. Ms. Wilkerson has taught acting both here and in Atlanta, Georgia public schools. Ms. Wilkerson is a 2004 recipient of a Pennsylvania State Legislature Certificate of Achievement for her work with children and youth. Ms. Wilkerson most recently directed Oliver! and The King and I for the Playhouse.  When not directing or performing, Ms. Wilkerson is an arts education consultant.   

Ms. Jennifer Feldser

Jen has been with the Playhouse since the beginning, working behind the scenes as stage manager for many of the productions.  Jennifer most recently directed her original production The Other Woman and the popular Monologues in February 2009 at the Playhouse. The Other Woman  was awarded Best New Play of the Region by the Kennedy Center during the American College Theatre Festival.  When Jen is not doing theatre she is busy in her regular teaching job keeping track of her students.

Summer Singing Camp 2010

Monday, July 19th thru Thursday, July 29th

9 weekday sessions – 13.5 hours in all

Evening Performance at 7:00 PM on July 29th

Concert of combined classes

Basic Beginnings for Young Singers

Students entering Grades 5 - 8 – 10:30  AM to noon

Students will learn basic singing skills (warm-ups, breathing, and projection).  Sessions will present a gentle system and foundation for vocal growth.  Appropriate habits will be stressed, along with singing appropriate songs for young voices.  Each student will receive a comprehensive analysis of the voice type and range (soprano – very high, high, medium-high; alto – medium, low; tenor or changing). A brief, simple audition is required before the first session to help customize plans specifically for those in the camp.   

$125.00 early bird - $150.00 after 6/30. 

Limit – 16 maximum

Bel Canto, Ballad & Broadway

Students entering Grades 9 - 12 – 1:00 – 2:30 PM

These sessions will focus on the ‘bel canto’ (beautiful singing) technique, as it is surely the best way for singers to build vocal range and power. Most untrained singers have a range of one octave or less.  Many of the popular Broadway songs require a range of one and a half octaves. Singers will be coached to develop a solid foundation of technical skills. The class will employ some of the updated techniques presently taught in New York and Philadelphia (vocal warm-ups, body alignment, vowel production, power breathing and expression). Each student will receive a comprehensive analysis of voice type and range. A brief, simple audition is required before the first session to help customize plans specifically for those in camp.   

$125.00 early bird - $150.00 after 6/30. 

Limit – 16 maximum

Meet the Lead Teacher

Ms. Gwendolyn Bowers (Lentz), Mezzo-soprano

Ms. Gwen Bowers made her New York debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lincoln Center under the direction of Maestro Kurt Mazur.  She recently sang the roles of  Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera and Addie in Regina with the Des Moines Metro Opera Company, receiving the follow reviews in October 2008 Opera News: “Gwendolyn Bowers delivers a fine Ulrica who easily plumbed the sorceress’s contralto depths, and her imaginative, fluid characterization was mysteriously imperious. Bowers morphed her menacing Ulrica into a nurturing (and limelight-stealing) earth-mother as Addie.”  These two operas from different genres showcase her versatility.

Musical Theatre Camp 2010

Camp runs from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Weekdays, Monday July 26th - Friday August 13th.

Performances:

7:30 PM on August 13th and 14th

2:00 PM on August 15th

Hershey Area Playhouse Theatre Academy is pleased to announce a musical theatre camp program for students in grades 4 -12. This camp is specifically designed for students who love to perform … and will culminate in a full scale production of a Broadway musical. 

The camp, run by theatre professionals with specialized experience in youth theatre, is designed to teach voice, dance and acting skills through performance, while instilling a love of theatre.  Three weeks of instruction in voice, dance and acting will culminate in a full scale Main Stage production of a Broadway show. 

There are a total of 90 hours of instruction and rehearsal during camp.  Mornings are spent in the studio with dance, vocal music and acting instructors each day.  Following the lunch hour, afternoons are specifically focused on production rehearsals.   Each week features a “master class” on Friday afternoon, with working professional artists from film, opera and Broadway, providing a “real-life” look at career opportunities in theatre.

All roles in the production will be filled by audition from students enrolled in the camp. 

Students are responsible for providing their own brown-bag lunch each day of camp.

Registration fee: for students that have completed grades 4 - 12 s $350 for early bird registration s $375 after July 4, 2010 s limited to 36 participants