Acting. Singing. Dancing. That’s what musical theatre is all about and this year Visionary College is hosting Camp Broadway Star for young aspiring thespians.
Held at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus in Camrose, the seven-day camp looks at developing musical theatre skills and ends with a mini-production of Into the Woods Jr. under the direction of Curtis Labelle.
Auditions for roles will be held on the first day. Classes run daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Evenings are set aside for rehearsals, acting lessons, open mike nights and recreational activities.
“The whole idea is to take kids through the whole process of a Broadway production starting with the audition process,” says Visionary College owner Martha Livingstone.
Classes give students the opportunity to polish their skills in acting, singing, dance, speech, improv and rehearsal techniques. “We want to give them the best experience of being in a full-length production,” she adds.
Into the Woods Jr., with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, interweaves plots from several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and explores the upshot of characters’ wishes and actions. Characters are borrowed from Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella.
“We found that Camp Rock Star was a huge success and we wanted a total immersion musical theatre program in that same genre.”
Students will receive scripts ahead of time. “This program gives kids a lot of personal attention and it will improve their confidence.”
Students aged 11 to 17 years are eligible. Camp dates are July 18 to 24 and Aug. 1 to 7. Costs are $695 per person. For more information call 780-460-4430 or go online to www.campbroadwaystar.com.
