This summer I’m attending Yorktown Stage Camp. It is in Yorktown Heights, New York. Children between grades K and 7 perform learn and perform a “mini” play after a week (or two-week) long session.

During the first week, we learn a dance to a popular song with a dance instructor. With the music instructor, we learn parts of songs from past productions. On nice days, we have lunch outside in the Gazebo. The art instructor does crafts with us, such as, face painting, sun-visors, door hangers and show posters. With the camp instructor we learn how to be prepared for a real audition and we practice the songs and dance routines. And of course, the improvisation instructor does really fun games like, touchdown, freeze dance and the party game.

At counselor time the kids usually go out in the gazebo to practice the dances and songs and talk. Camp ends at around 3:00, but some kids stay for after care.  On Friday of the first week, family members and friends can come to the theater to see the kid’s performances.

The second week we do something similar to the first week except, we’ll also act and sing in the actual mini performance. Yorktown Stage camp has done, Godspell, Little Shop of Horrors, Bye Bye Birdie, Peter Pan, Annie and High School Musical.

We do less games this week then last week because of the work we have to do to learn the show by that Friday. In Improvisation this week, we learn their speaking part for the show. We learn one dance with the dance instructor and one with the camp instructor. On that Friday family members and friends can come to the theater to see the performance once again.

This might seem like it would be too hard for kids to learn in two weeks, but you will be surprised and  proud of how well your kids will be on the day of the show!