Theatre camp gives participants a moment in the limelight

Camp participants start rehearsing their lines early in the week so they have their lines memorized by the end of the week. (Jeff Helsdon photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Theatre Tillsonburg Camp rolls crafts, games, and the chance to be on the stage all into one.

With more than 20 years of providing an alternative for summer day camps, camp director Charlotte Van Roestel is excited about the response to the program this year. Although there are weeks where it isn’t as busy, overall the program has been over 90 per cent full this year.

The camp is set up in week-long sessions, and costs $250 per week. It’s open to youth from four to 14, and the campers are divided into three groups based on age.

Although the week starts with crafts, games, and activities, the one difference is part of those crafts will become props in the play that the youth present for the young actors at the end of each week. Intermingled with the usual camp activities are learning lines for the play and rehearsals. On Thursday, the excitement starts to build as the youth get to pick out the costumes.

Then, Friday at 3 p.m., the curtain rises. Lights, sound effects and the curtains are the same as in a Theatre Tillsonburg production.

“It’s pretty cool because they have all the aspects of theatre,” Van Roestel said.

Most weeks, the theatre is packed with parents and friends watching the presentation. Van Roestel said the vibe builds amongst participants on Friday and is electric.

“They’re almost vibrating with excitement,” she said.

The plays, and accompanying dances, are all original, written by camp coordinator Khloe Gamble and assistant camp director Angela Weiler. The productions are unique to each week and are tailored to the number of campers.

“We make sure they all get equal lines,” Gamble said.

“They all get a chance to be in the spotlight,” Weiler added.

The 12 to 14-year-olds have a different program where they write their own play.

“That’s a special group where they get to do all the activities but they get to write their own play, director their own play,” Van Roestel said. “They even get some light and sound experience. We hope the writer’s group brings theatre alive for these kids and they want to be part of our productions, or they want to work for the camp.”

Camp registrar Trudi Czerwinski recalled that the writer’s camp was started to offer something for the older children.

“At 12 they still want to come to camp and we didn’t offer anything,” she said. “It was a nice transition because we can employ them at 15.”

Van Roestel did note the majority of the staff were campers at one time.

“To me that says the program is working. We are keeping theatre alive.”

“Our staff have to come with some skills and a background in child care as well,” Czerwinski said.

Where the program is now, is leaps and bounds ahead of where it started originally. Initially, it was run by volunteers and was only one or two weeks in length.

“Now we’ve made it a whole summer affair when Canada Summer Jobs became available,” Van Roestel said.

The volunteer work for Van Roestel and Czerwinski starts months before the first camper arrives in July. They have to fill out applications for summer job programs. This year they tried opening registration in March, which was earlier, and is one reason the program is fuller this year.