Feature: SUMMER THEATER CAMP at Everyman Theatre Ignites a Love of Theater in Children and Young-Adults

Currently, the Tony Awards are running a press campaign with their 2017 nominees entitled "#IWasThatKid." The purpose of this campaign is to show what a lifetime in the theater can do for children and adolescents. Being "that kid" means these actors were creative, and engaged and loved what they were doing. And that love of the theater community brought them to where they are today - standing on theater's biggest stage and being recognized for their work.

This theory of lifelong learning in the arts and theater, is currently being taught to kids of all ages in Baltimore courtesy of the Everyman Theatre. Everyman's Director of Education, Brianna McCoy has worked to create a program that is engaging, as well as fun for kids from Kindergarten to High School. Through a progression of summer camps and classes, children learn skills and vocabulary that will not only help them in the theater, but will also contribute to their everyday life. Self-confidence, collaboration, creative-thinking, and public-speaking are covered within the context of theater, but students can apply these skills in every aspect of their lives.

Next month, Everyman will kick-off another summer of their Youth Theater Camp program. The program is designed to create a progression of theater-based camps for students from Kindergarten to 8th grade. There are 3 summer camp tracks organized by grade level, with themes for each track. The camps take place at the Everyman Theatre in their dedicated education facilities. There are no productions running in the summer, so students are given the opportunity to use everything the facility offers to create and learn. The camp enrollment is capped at 20 students for each specific camp, with a 5-1 student to teacher ratio. This allows students the chance to interact with different types of artists throughout their time there.

Everyman is one of the only theaters in the country that has a resident company of a dozen artists that perform and teach. The summer camp programs are facilitated by these teaching artists who provide their knowledge and experience in the theater to help students learn and grow. Specialized artists are also brought in for lessons on specific topics, like clowning or improvisation. Not only are these artists teaching students to engage and work in the theater, but students are developing professional and personal connections in the community. Each artist understands what it takes to engage and inspire children at various age levels, and has also been given specialized training to work in their assigned age group.

Summer Dramatic Journey - Rising Kindergarten to 2nd Grade

July 5-7, 2017

In this program, students are introduced to playmaking and the theater as a whole. Students are presented with tools in an actor's toolkit such as movement, visual art, and drama. This summer, the theme for this track is Time Traveling Theatrics which will take children on an adventure through theater from the birth of the modern musical to the future of theater as a whole.

Summer Theatre Adventures - Rising 3rd to 5th Grade

July 10-14, 2017

In this program, students explore the many jobs in theater. They learn what actors, playwrights, designers and crewmembers contribute to productions. They will take on these jobs and work as an ensemble to transform the words on a page to the stage. This summer, the theme for this track is Classics Reimagined. Students will be introduced to a kaleidoscope of favorite characters throughout theater history. At the end of the week, students will present their work for family and friends to enjoy.

Summer Theatre Cabaret - Rising 6th to 8th Grade

July 17-21, 2017 | July 24 - 28, 2017

In this program, students explore what creativity means to them and build on their own interests in the theater. They learn specialized theater skills such as stage combat, dance or improvisation and showcase these skills in a cabaret for family and friends at the end of the week. There are two themes for this track. First up is All the World's a Stage. This will introduce students to theater from Shakespeare to contemporary character creation. Students can then move on to Musical Theater Explorations to build on their theatrical interests with a deep-dive into specialized skills in the theater. This summer, students will be given the ultimate physical and vocal sampler which will feature song, dance, improvisation and clowning.

Everyman also provides Creative Childcare before and after camp. This childcare allows parents an early drop-off (8:00 - 9:00 am) and late pick-up (4:00 pm - 6:00 pm) for their children. If you're interested in enrolling your child in Everyman's summer theater camps, enrollment is happening now. To register your child, visit Everyman's Summer Camp website.

As well as summer camps, Everyman offers additional classes throughout the year to include high school students, as well as in-school programs and community engagement programs. They even offer adult education programs for adults that have a background in the theater or are interested in making a leap. If you're interested in learning more about everything that Everyman Theatre's Education department has to offer, visit their website.