Best Summertime Theater Activities For Kids In Sacramento
Aspiring young thespians, artists, athletes and performers have plenty to smile about this summer in Sacramento. The city's best camps and programs promise to enhance their creativity and allow their inner stars to shine. Put away the smart phones and laptops; kids and teens will have an even more wonderful time in the semi-real world of summer theater.
Sacramento Theatre Company
1419 H St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 446-7501
sactheatre.org/index.html
Price: $300 for one week session/$350 to $600 for two weeks
Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
STC's camps involve more than just traditional scene studies; students may also learn about singing, dancing, theater history and playwriting. You child will love improvisational work and even learning how to perform a mock battle on stage. Creative expression and team work skills are developed during the one- or two-week camps, and each session culminates with an original performance for family members and guests. Camp dates and times are available based on grade and session length. Grade levels are determined by the student's assigned grade as of fall 2012.
Actors Workshop of Sacramento
1723 25th St.
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 501-6104
www.actinsac.com/
Price: $400 per student for two-week session; meals not included
Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dates: teen camp from July 9 to 20; kid's camps July 2 to 13 or July 30 to Aug 10
The Actors Workshop offers summer acting camps for children and teens led by acting coach Ed Claudio. Now in its 20th year, the summer camp program helps students develop and hone their talents while enjoying a fun and friendly atmosphere. Friends and family are invited to a special show starring camp attendees on the last Friday evening of the camp. This year children ages 7 to 12 years of age may attend one of two kid's camps; one teen camp is available for students ages 13 to 18.
KUDOS Children's Theatre Company
1943 W. Lucile Ave.
Stockton, Ca 95209
(209) 507-6996
www.kudosct.com/
Price: $260 per 3 week session; discount price for siblings $220
Hours: Mon to Thurs – 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Kudos' 2012 two shows every summer where students from 7 to 19 years of age are the stars. This year's productions are "Peter Pan" and "Alice in Wonderland." Each play is a separate session, so participants may choose to do one or both of them. Registration and role assignments take place before the three-week rehearsal and production sessions. The Peter Pan session runs from June 4 to 24 and Alice in Wonderland's session is June 25 to July 15. In addition to encouraging and developing each participant's creativity and performance talents, KUDOS offers an extra benefit to busy parents. Students may be dropped off at 7:30 a.m. for pre-session care at no additional cost.
Davis Musical Theatre Company Summer Theatre Workshop
607 Pena Drive
Davis, CA
(530) 756-3682
dmtc.org
Price: $175 tuition
Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon starting July 9
Beginning Monday, July 9, 2012, the Davis Musical Theatre Company will be holding its annual Summer Youth Theater Workshop for students age 7-17. The Workshop will be taught by DMTC co-founder, Jan Isaacson and Helen Spangler.
Students will learn the basics of acting, singing, dance steps, vocal projection and other basic performing skills through theater games, improvisation and beginning scene study. The workshop will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon starting July 9. The workshop will culminate into a recital of songs and scenes. The free workshop recital will be Thursday August 2, 2012 at 7:00pm.
The Davis Musical Theatre Company's Young Performers' Theatre (DMTC/YPT) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to providing extraordinary educational experiences for children aged 7 to 17 and 18-year-old student still in high school, while developing a child's love and understanding of theatre and literature.
Sierra Mountain Music Camp
P.O. Box 2881
Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-2881
(916) 967-7664
sierramountainmusiccamp.org/
Price: $550 tuition/register and pay $75 deposit before July 10 to receive $75 off tuition
Hours: overnight from Sun, June 17 to Sat, June 23
Students from fourth grade on may participate in an exciting one-week sleep-over camp, fully equipped with talent shows and skit opportunities, in the beautiful Sierra Foothills with Sierra Mountain Music Camp. The nonprofit organization's camp provides a fun and creative week of expression through comedy, short skits, music, art, sports, rock climbing, archery and even zip-line activities. Parents will appreciate the camp's on-site medical staff, clean cabins and heated swimming pool with a life guard. Campers present a concert in Sacramento on the Sunday after the session ends.
ComedySportz Sacramento
2230 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95825
www.comedysportzsacramento.com/
Price: $165 was the cost per session in 2011; call or visit the website for most current pricing
Hours: "Intro to Improv" sessions 1 and 2 are held in July and Aug for 5 days – Mon to Fri – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Whether your child longs for stardom in big-budget films or wants to wow friends and family on a smaller stage, ComedySportz is the perfect path to success. Students entering sixth, seventh or eighth grade in the fall will enjoy session one. The second session is geared toward those going into ninth to 12th grades. ComedySportz camps help students develop their craft, including how to build a scene, develop characters or tell a story effectively. A camp is also available for younger students and is designed with shorter attention spans in mind. Fine more information on all of the summer 2012 programs, as it's released on the website.
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Valerie Heimerich is a freelance writer out of Sacramento. She typically covers animals and community issues. She has volunteered and worked for many organizations helping animals and people.
Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
