The Southwestern College theatre department and the Winfield Arts and Humanities Council are cooperating to offer summer camps for youth.

According to Allyson Moon, director of the Summer Theatre Festival at Southwestern College, one of the offerings this summer will be “Where the Wild Things Are” plus other Maurice Sendak plays. To perform in the production on June 24 and 25, two summer camps are being offered:

•       Story Theatre Camp is geared for kindergarten through third grade students.  The camp will focus on creative dramatics and traditional rehearsal techniques.  
•       Youth Theatre camp is for fourth through eighth graders.  During this camp, participants will develop their acting skills while being exposed to all aspects of technical theatre.   

Both camps will be two weeks in length – June 13-17 and June 20-25, from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost for the camp is $30 and sessions will be held in the Helen Graham Little Theatre located on the lower level of the Christy Administration Building on the campus of Southwestern College. 

Other camp offerings this summer include:
•       Musical Theatre Performance, May 31-June 4, 10 a.m. to noon.  Musical theatre scenes, songs, and dances will be developed using creative dramatics and traditional rehearsal techniques.  Characters from Disney productions and other contemporary musicals will come to life on stage.  Children will work with Moon and students from the Southwestern College theatre department on development of acting, singing, and dancing performance skills.  They will perform a musical theatre review of their work on Saturday, June 4, at 11 a.m. in Messenger Recital Hall in the Darbeth Fine Arts Center on the Southwestern College Campus.  The cost for the camp is $25.
•       Improvisational Acting, June 27-July 1, 10 a.m. to noon.  All levels of experience are welcome.  Theatre gaming will primarily be used in process and performance.  Original characters and scenes will be developed.   Actors will meet in the Helen Graham Little Theatre to work with Moon and members of SC's improv troupe, 9 Lives.  
•       Playwrighting, June 27-July 1, 2-4 p.m. Original scenes and short plays will be developed using a variety of playwrighting exercises and writing techniques.  Writers will meet in Darbeth 105 and work with Roger Moon and SC’s summer theatre interns on the development of ideas, action, conflict, scenes, characters, and dialogue.  The improvisational class and the playwrighting class will perform a combined showcase on Friday, July 1, at 11 a.m. in Messenger Recital Hall in the Darbeth Fine Arts Center on the Southwestern College Campus.   The cost for both camps is $25.

To register or for more information, contact the Winfield Arts and Humanities Council at (620) 221-2161.