Stagecraft
Using recycled materials, campers will create their own costumes and props for their end-of- camp performances. This class will put their creativity and crafting skills to use while they learn the fundamentals of design.
Class Outline
2026
Once a group has read their book in the Acting class, the TA will lead a master prop list lesson, during which they discuss the props from their story as a group and write them down on a poster. The campers decorate the poster with drawings of the props and set (each poster will be displayed in the lobby for parents/guardians once finished)
Once they are assigned their characters in Acting Class, each camper will receive a sheet with a body outline on which they are to design their characters' costumes by drawing, coloring, gluing fabric and yarn ect, to their outline (the characters will also be displayed in the lobby for parents/guardians)
Throughout the week, campers will build their props, costumes, and set pieces using provided recycled materials
Voice
Campers will learn how to use their voice as performers through engaging games. They will leave class with voice warmups and exercises added to their actor’s toolbox.
Class Outline
2026
Voice warm-up/game at the beginning of each class
Campers will learn vocabulary throughout the week with lessons designed to teach each vocabulary word: Articulation (the clear and precise pronunciation of words), Projection (controlling the volume and clarity of the voice so that it can be heard by the audience), Tone (suggests your mood and your intention towards the listener, ie, happy or sad), Resonance (where your voice sits in your body,
ie, nose, throat, chest, or head)
Throughout the week, each camper will develop a voice for their character to use for their end-of-camp performance during Voice class (if a camper has multiple characters, they should create a different voice for each character
By the end of the week, campers can use lines from their end-of-camp performances in their lessons to help with memorization
Movement
Campers will learn how to tell stories through movement. Using games and guided exercises, they will explore shape, tempo, levels, and gait to find characters within their movement.
Class Outline
2026
An elementary version of a Roll Around exercise as a warm-up at the beginning of each class
Campers learn about tableaus through the Living Picture Game, focused on small groups creating frozen pictures for different scenarios
Campers practice controlled, focused movement, as well as ensemble building through the Mirror Game
Campers will learn how to use their body to portray emotions, characters, and to tell stories through a simplified Labon Movement game exploring the 8 Labon Efforts: Press (strong, sudden, and direct action), Float (light, sustained, and indirect action), Punch/Thrust (strong, sudden, and direct action), Glide (light, sustained, and direct action), Flick (light, sudden, and indirect action), Slash (strong, sudden, and indirect action), Dab (light, sudden, and direct action), Wring (strong, sustained, and indirect action)
Throughout the week, each camper will develop a walk and shape/silhouette for their character to use in their end-of-performance (if a camper has multiple characters, they should create a different walk and shape for each character
By the end of the week, campers can walk through blocking with the TA if they would like
Acting
This class will explore several different aspects of performance. Campers will partake in exercises that teach the importance of ensemble, making bold creative choices on stage, and trusting their creative instincts. Campers will also learn to take direction in a rehearsal setting, memorize short lines, and blocking as they prepare for their end- of-camp performances.
Class Outline
2026
Full body, voice, and focus warm-up/game at the beginning of each class
Groups read their assigned book in Acting class on day one
Lesson on Story Structure while determining...Beginning (who are the characters and where are they?), Problem (what goes wrong?), Middle (what do the characters do?), Climax (what is the “wow” part or the turning point?), and Ending (how does the story finish?) of their books
Campers will be assigned their characters as they work on their performance in Acting class
The Artistic Director will join the end of each Acting class to help assign lines and blocking throughout the week
By the end of the week, each group should use the Acting class as a rehearsal for their end-of-camp performances
Where The Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
Summary: The story follows a young boy named Max who, after causing
mischief at home and being sent to his room without supper, imagines sailing
away to a far-off land inhabited by wild creatures called the Wild Things. When
Max arrives, and the Wild Things make him their king because he tames them with a magic trick. Although he enjoys the freedom and fun of ruling, Max soon begins
to feel lonely and misses being loved. So, he gives up his crown and returns
home, where he finds his supper waiting for him, still warm.
Characters: (10) Max, Max’s Mother, The Wild Things
Themes: Imagination and escapism, anger and emotional expression, the
importance of love and home
Make Way For Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
Summary: Make Way for Ducklings is a classic picture book that tells the story of
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, a pair of ducks searching for the perfect place to raise their
ducklings in Boston. After exploring various spots, they decide to settle in the
Public Garden is a peaceful park with a pond. Mrs. Mallard eventually lays eight
eggs and hatches eight ducklings: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack,
and Quack. Once the ducklings are ready, Mrs. Mallard leads them on a walk
through the busy city to join Mr. Mallard at the pond. Along the way, they face
traffic and other challenges, but with the help of a kind police officer named
Michael and other officers who stop cars and guide them safely, the duck family
successfully reaches their new home.
Characters (10): Mr. Mallard, Mrs. Mallard, Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack,
Ouack, Pack, and Quack
Themes: Family and parenting, safety and kindness, city life and nature,
cooperation between people and animals
The Star-Belly Sneetches
by Dr. Seuss
Summary: The Star-Belly Sneetches tells the story of two kinds of Sneetches: those with green stars on their bellies and those without. The Star-Belly Sneetches believe they are better than the Plain-Belly Sneetches and exclude them from games and activities. One day, a clever salesman named Sylvester McMonkey McBean arrives with a machine that can put stars on bellies—for a price. Soon, the Plain-Belly Sneetches get stars and feel equal. However, McBean then offers another machine that removes stars, prompting the original Star-Belly Sneetches to pay to have theirs removed so they can feel special again. The Sneetches keep changing themselves back and forth, spending all their money, until no one remembers who originally had stars and who didn’t. Eventually, McBean leaves richer than ever, and the Sneetches learn an important lesson: no one is better than anyone else just because of how they look.
Characters (10): Star-Belly Sneetches, Plain-Belly Sneetches, Sylvester McMonkey McBean, Narrator
Themes: Equality and acceptance, prejudice and discrimination, greed and manipulation, identity and self-worth
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Summary: A young boy named Nicki asks his grandmother, Baba, to knit him a
pair of white mittens. She warns that white mittens can easily get lost in the
snow, but she agrees and knits them anyway. Soon after, Nicki drops one of the
mittens in the snow without realizing it. As he continues on his way, various
woodland animals come across the mitten and crawl inside to stay warm. One by
one, a mole, rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, and even a bear squeeze into
the mitten, stretching it to its limits. Finally, a tiny mouse climbs in and tickles the
bear’s nose, causing the bear to sneeze, which sends all the animals flying out of
the mitten. The mitten is then carried back into the air, and Nicki eventually finds
it—stretched out but still in one piece. When he returns home and shows both
mittens to Baba, she looks puzzled, wondering how they got so stretched out.
Characters (10): Nicki, Baba, Mole, Rabbit, Hedgehog, Owl, Badger, Fox, Bear,
Mouse
Themes: Sharing and cooperation, nature and animals, folklore and tradition,
humor and surprise
