We had another great day at camp! The Kids and Teens kept working hard on their songs, and we added some choreography! We worked some more on devising! The Kids created tableaus which showed when they think they are brace. The Teens created some original scenes with fabric, and brainstormed some scenes about brave acts and people. We are really excited to see what tomorrow brings.
Author: barringtonstagekidsact
First Day, First Day!
Our very first day of camp! We had a really eventful day! We started the day with some awesome ice breaker games, and we all learned a lot about each other! In music, the Teens began to learn Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story from Hamilton and the Kids started to learn Naughty from Matilda! Both groups worked on ensemble building with Sophie where we worked on non verbal communication and using our bodies to build shapes. In dance with Eden, everyone was split up into pairs, and each pair made their own handshake! We also started devising, and both groups had a lot to say! Stay tuned to see what our shows may be about!
Avengers Assemble!
With everyone finally together, we had fun day full of goal setting and brainstorming for the summer! One goal we all had was to make sure that everyone had fun! With that in mind, we sat down to plan some fun dress up days to go along with each of our themes! Keep your eyes peeled in the weeks to come for some pictures and see if you can guess!
One Week To Go!
Today was a very exciting day in the Education Office! Today, our new Education Coordinator, Community Engagement Coordinator, and KidsAct! Choreographer all arrived! With camp only a week away, we all began to get ourselves organized right away! We paid Zion a visit so we could walk through and learn all we needed to know! We are all excited to have camp start next week. Session 1 starts Monday and the theme is Brave Acts Through History! We can’t wait!
Meet Our 2019 Staff: Eden Helston – Choreographer and Assistant Teacher
Eden Helston is a dance teacher from Bakersfield, California. She is currently studying Theatre Arts at Bakersfield College and participates in local theatre in her free time. She is thrilled to be working for Barrington Stage Company and the KidsAct! program this summer.
Meet Our 2019 Staff: Allison Lerman-Gluck – Education Coordinator
Allison is a theatre educator, facilitator, and director. She earned her MA in Applied Theatre through CUNY SPS. Her many varied credits include the creation and direction of several identity-based, NYSCA grant-funded theatre pieces in Upstate New York and directorial work with numerous theatre companies and community organizations across the Northeast, including a partnership with Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in NYC, for which she co-directed and co-created “As We Are: A Jewish Feminist Theatre Project.” Most recently, Allison has been the drama director and drama teacher at Buxton School in Williamstown. Allison is excited for Kids Act and for the opportunity to play and build new performances with groups of young people!
Meet Our 2019 Staff: Gaylan Palmer – Music Director
Gaylan Palmer is delighted to be returning as music director for Kids Act! And Teens Act! She is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music with Bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and music education as well as the Boston Conservatory with a Master’s degree in musical theatre. Due to her passion for music and musical theatre, and a strong desire to nurture and support children, she has been teaching chorus and music directing for theatre productions in the public schools for twenty six years, primarily in the middle and high schools. She teaches piano and voice privately, and in her spare time loves being outside, hiking, gardening, and being around animals.
Meet Our 2019 Staff : Sophie Kitch-Peck – Assistant Teacher
Sophie Kitch-Peck is excited to be joining the KidsAct! and TeensAct! Staff. She is a rising senior at Mount Holyoke College where she is a double major in Theatre Arts and Religion. At Mount Holyoke she has been involved in a number of productions, most recently serving as the Assistant Director on The Importance of Being Earnest. She previously worked for Pennsylvania Youth Theatre as a drama teacher for their Adventure Camp serving children ages 3-7.
Spring Break 2019: Fairy Tale Fun
Spring Break 2019 was a lot of fun. KidsAct! and TeensAct! both created original shows based around our theme of fairy tales. The KidsAct! campers presented S.S. Fairytale which featured “Big Bright Beautiful World” from Shrek the Musical. The TeensAct! campers presented Munchkin Tales which featured “Freak Flag” from Shrek the Musical.
Session Four, Day Ten: The Final Show!
This past Friday, we were finally able to present our shows to our families! The air was filled with excitement (and some nerves!) all morning as we got closer and closer to show time. Kids and teens ran through their shows, making sure everything was perfect for our final performance. We must say, we are so proud of what these kids and teens created! The teens tugged at our heartstrings and made a powerful, relevant statement with New Girl In Town, a play about being true to yourself, even when it is difficult. Our kids put on a hilarious show full of music, potion mix-ups, unicorns, and a lot of laughs from our audience (and of course, a very compelling moral regarding the consumption of gluten…)
We are always so amazed by the creativity and hard work our kids and teens put into their shows. As always, we are extremely grateful to have worked with this group, and will always remember The New Girl In Town and The Legend of the Travelling VonTacos.
And with the end of session four, that’s a wrap for this summer’s KidsAct! and TeensAct! The kids and teens who we have been so fortunate to work with this summer are truly a special bunch. We are amazed at the talent and hard work we have experienced, and cannot wait to see everyone blossom into young performers, writers, directors, theatre-makers, and more.
We hope all of you will continue to create and believe in the power of theatre!
Cheers to a wonderful summer!
-Issy
Barrington Stage Company KidsAct! and TeensAct! Camps 