Small children in the audience jump as the twenty-foot shadow of the Wizard of Oz looms from behind a gauzy white curtain. The Good Witch shakes her wand and bubbles float in the air. Live theater works its magic each year when hundreds of northshore children attend local drama camps. From short, introductory sessions to intense instruction for seasoned actors, campers learn, play and perform.

The Frank Levy Playmakers Summer Theater Camp

Last summer, sixty-three kids spent three weeks learning lines and dances for The Frank Levy Playmakers Summer Theater Camp production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The camp is large, but Levy had the help of eighteen counselors who knew the ropes because they were former campers.

Levy is not only the director. He also writes the script, which gives him the flexibility to match campers to characters. Everyone who wants to have a line does. To move each scene along and further develop the storyline, his plays include several dances. Whether it is graceful mermaids dancing underwater in “Peter Pan” or the Wicked Witch discoing with Winkies in the “Wizard of Oz,” dance enhances the drama.

“My goal is for Dad not to sit in the car and listen to the Saints’ game,” says Levy, who has directed the Playmakers summer camp for seven years. He wants to teach more than acting-he wants kids to learn how to act in life, with respect and dignity for one another. He is known for telling the campers, “It’s not about me, it’s about we.”

St. Paul’s Drama Camp

Denny Charbonne and her daughter Elise Angelette direct St. Paul’s Drama Camp. Each session of the camp takes only twenty children. “Theater camps are trusting, non-judgmental environments. Children need to feel safe to be self-expressive,” says Charbonne. Standing before an audience takes courage; Charbonne teaches the children to be supportive of one another. The camp, an overview of theater skills, includes scene work, lighting, improvisations, theater games, makeup and stage lighting.

Rising Stars Summer Camp

Most of the kids who attend the Rising Stars Summer Camp at North Star Theater are serious about acting. Only 15 children will be selected to spend the three weeks working with Lori Bennett, artistic director. During the camp, she brings in professionals who work with the kids. In the past, she has had a magician, a writer and a dancer. “Drama is many faceted. You’re totally interdependent with one another. If something isn’t done right during a performance, everyone has to pitch in and correct it.” The camp culminates in the production of a play.

Cedarwood’s MADD Camp

The longest-running camp in the area is Cedarwood’s MADD Camp. MADD stands for music, art, drama and dance. Under the direction of Donna Laurent, who is assisted by several teaching professionals and counselors, kids are put into small groups according to age. During the two-week session, cast members sing, dance, and work on a variety of art projects, including designing sets, props, invitations and programs. The creative efforts conclude with a theater performance where each camper has lines. The artwork is displayed throughout the school.

“We live in a fast-paced world. Often children are so busy achieving in academics that the arts sometimes suffer. MADD Camp is a unique program. We’re feeding an appreciation for cultural activities and having fun,” says Laurent.

Minutillo’s Performing Arts Conservatory Summer Theater Camp

The artistic director for Minutillo’s Performing Arts Conservatory Summer Theater Camp is Lenny Minutillo. He writes the lyrics for the musicals, putting them to familiar tunes like “On Top of Old Smokey.” Kids dance, sing and act in his productions. During the three-week camp session, they learn vocal projection and how to take direction. They also hone their observation skills, and learn a lot about themselves. “It is a great confidence builder,” says Minutillo.

Skyfire Theater Camp

The Skyfire Theater Camp is under the artistic direction of Rita Stockstill. She teaches classical theatrical training, and the campers put on a show. Stockstill says, “Kids don’t have the reservations about themselves that adults do. I want the kids to be aware of good theater-to project, to have stage presence, and learn simple things like how to walk on stage. My goal is for the kids to be good actors. Theater gives them an outlet for their creativity.”

TOP TEN REASONS SHOULD DO DRAMA

1. Dare to dream. Acting allows kids to be someone else-to imagine themselves as the king, the fairy godmother, or the hero.

2. Self-expression. Let go. The world is filled with rules. On stage it is acceptable for children to be loud, to be funny, to feel and to show their feelings.

3. Teamwork. Unless it is a one-person show-and even then someone has to work the lights and sound-actors must work as a team to put on a play.

4. Self-confidence. Throughout life, people are expected to make presentations. Whether it is to a board of directors or a Girl Scout troop, everyone has to speak to groups.

5. Exercise the brain. Acting requires memorizing lines and learning cues.

6. Empathy. Actors must feel what it is like to be sad, old, angry, anxious-the full gamut of emotions that human beings express. Understanding someone else’s feelings leads to empathy.
7. Stress buster. In our fast-paced society, children often don’t have time to play. Drama, or pretend play, is one of childhood’s most basic rights.

8. Take direction. Kids learn they have to follow the director.

9. Patience. A great deal of time is spent backstage-waiting.

10. Pride. With their final bow and the audience’s applause, kids beam with pride. They studied, rehearsed and created.

Copyright 2003, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.