Sign Up for UCPAC Kids' Summer Theatre Camp, 8/25-29

Registration is open for the 2014 Summer Theatre Camp running Aug. 25-29 at Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway.

The five-day course in theatre production basics is suitable for ages 5-15 and is taught by Children's Stage Adventures, a renowned educational troupe that has operated more than 300 drama residencies across the country.

This year's featured play is Androcles and the Lion, a classic tale from the Aesop's Fables storybook.

Registration forms are available online at www.ucpac.org; reservations may also be made at the UCPAC Box Office at 1601 Irving Street in downtown Rahway or by calling (732) 499-8226. Tuition is $200 per child for the week.

UCPAC Summer Theatre Camp offers children the chance to particpate in a live musical production, learning the nuts-and-bolts of play production from casting to curtain. The end result is a high-quality musical performed by some 50 students complete with professionally designed scenery and costumes, props and makeup and sound and lighting equipment.

"The CSA team arrives with everything it takes to put on a play," says Union County Performing Arts Center executive director Lawrence E. McCullough. "On Monday morning the team holds an audition workshop to get the creative process going. By Friday, the entire show comes alive."

Besides the element of ever-present fun, participating in theatre activity has been shown to boost children's academic performance, reading comprehension, communication skills, self-esteem and empathy.

"Drama is able to tap a wide range of skills and expressive modes," says McCullough. "Just one week of theatre camp can make a big difference in a young person's life."