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Some performing arts organizations are helping to keep the theater alive and kicking by putting some of their youngest audience members on stage. By offering a variety of summer theater programs for youth, these groups are creating a whole new generation of theater lovers--whether they become future actors or future audience members, these students will gain a unique first-hand appreciation for theater.
A summer full of theater classes, camps and conservatories gives everyone from tots to teens a chance to take the stage, as well as learn about what goes on behind the scenes. Even the community can get in on the act: most programs conclude with performances that the public is invited to enjoy.
Tabard Theatre Company, a new San Josebased theater company that is now in its second season, is offering a Summer Theatre Conservatory for ages 818. The conservatory will feature classes taught by a professional actor/director that focus on a number of theater-related subjects, including acting, improvisation, technical theater and auditioning techniques. Students can, if they choose, take part in a production of Schoolhouse Rock Live!, a musical based on the beloved educational public service announcements that ran during the '70s and '80s during Saturday morning cartoons.
The company will also offer two-week sessions of classes for children ages 57 throughout the month of July.
Tabard Theatre Company begins classes for ages 57 on July 8 and July 21. Rehearsals begin July 8 for Schoolhouse Rock Live!, which will be performed Aug 12. For more information, call 408.979.0231.
Children's Musical Theatre is one of the best-known kids' theater education and performance programs in the Bay Area. The company holds classes and stages productions starring local youth throughout the year, but it doesn't take any time off for summer vacation. The Summer Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) Camp offers four age-specific programs for ages 418, including one for teens with professional aspirations. Another program allows students to emphasize certain skills by designing their own curriculum with electives in everything from Acting for TV to puppetry. Conservatory classes are taught by professional actors and performers, many of whom are alumni of Children's Musical Theatre.
The second session of Children's Musical Theatre's Summer Conservatory of Performing Arts Camp begins July 14. For more information, call 408.288.5437 ext. 22.
In addition to offering a variety of theater classes and educational programs during the school year, California Theatre Center offers a wide-ranging summer conservatory program, with sessions ranging from two weeks to a month. The company, which is based in Sunnyvale, holds conservatories throughout the South Bay and the Peninsula. Programs for ages 8-18 offer three- or four-week sessions that culminate in the production of a play.
Conservatory students can even receive credit from Foothill College. Conservatories are taught by professional actors and cover a broad range of disciplines, from stage combat to playwriting. The company also offers a junior conservatory that features half-day classes for children ages 6-8 and concludes with a presentation for parents and families.
California Theatre Center's second session of conservatories begin the second and third weeks in July. For more information, call 408.245.2979.
Missoula Children's Theatre has been making an annual stop at Villa Montalvo in Saratoga since 1995 as part of its International Tour Project, which offers weeklong intensive classes that finish with a production. The company, which is based in Missoula, Montana, goes on the road each summer to offer theater residencies all over the country. During the residencies, two actors/directors from the company give kids a whirlwind lesson in staging a full-scale musical.
On June 30, Missoula Children's Theatre will audition and cast 5060 local children at Montalvo, and by the evening of July 3, the newly minted thespians will be hitting the stage. The production these young actors will star in is Beauty Lou and the Country Beast, a revamped fairy tale. The show will be a full-scale musical, and features professionally designed scenery, costumes, makeup and props, not to mention professional sound and lighting. No previous theater experience is necessary and youth ages 518 are invited to audition. The program is free for the participants.
Missoula Children's Theatre will hold auditions June 30, 9 a.m. at Villa Montalvo. Beauty Lou and the Country Beast will be performed July 3, 7 p.m. Tickets are $8-$16. For more information, call 408.961.5858.
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