July 18 - 23, 2010

Grades 9 - 12, grade completion.

Develop your theatre skills with the best thespians in the area!

Campers enjoy a week packed with theatre activities that include production rehearsals, daily workshops, acting classes, theatre games, and improvisation exercises. Every camper receives coaching. The aim is to help everyone reach his or her theatrical goals. Campers are in a production that rehearses each day and is performed at the end of the week. This year's theme is Mysteries and Thrillers.

All activities are taught by faculty, alumni, and graduate and undergraduate students of the School of Theatre and Dance at Northern Illinois University. The evenings are for a variety of recreational and theatre activities. Evening supervision is provided by counselors.

For more information about fees, need scholarships, discounts, housing, meals, refunds, etc, see the general information section. Click here for a registration form to print, complete, and mail or fax.

Morning Activities

Improvisation Exercises

Start the day with an hour of learning how to think on your feet. This is acting in the moment and provides a great warm-up for the rest of the day's activities.

Acting Scenes

Campers work on specific acting techniques throughout the week. 

Afternoon Activities

Production Rehearsals

Campers audition on Sunday afternoon and are assigned to a production with the same group and director all week. There is no need to bring a prepared monologue to the audition; material will be provided. The production is performed for family and friends at the end of the week. This year’s musical production is Jekyll & Hyde by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn, based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Daily Workshops

Campers participate in a different workshop each day. A workshop sign-up form will be sent to registered campers in packets about a month before the start of camp. Campers are assigned to workshops on a first-come, first-served basis.

Typical workshops include:

• Musical Theatre Auditioning – Learn what directors are looking for and how to pick the right piece for your voice.
• Voice Technique – Learn the fundamentals of stage speech and how to develop better vocal techniques.
• Auditioning – What are directors looking for? How do you prepare for an audition?  How do you know what parts are right for you? How do you choose appropriate material for the audition? Get the answers to these and all your other questions about the audition process. 
• Movement – Learn how to move on the stage; this workshop may include relaxation techniques.
• Dialects – Explore various regional and international speech patterns.
• Acting for the Camera – In this two-day workshop, campers are given short monologues and are videotaped performing them. The tapes are critiqued and the camper is taped again performing the same monologue.
• Breaking Into the Business – Get the lowdown on how to make contacts with agents, where to look for acting work, and how to audition for film and television.

Evening Activities

Campers enjoy a variety of activities in the evenings. Here are a few:

• Talent Show - Bring your tap shoes or musical instrument to camp and have a blast showing off your stuff in the talent show. Participation is optional. There is a three-minute time limit for performances.
• Improv Olympics - The camp is divided into four groups that face off with each other to perform different improvisation exercises. Here's your chance to win a Tony, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, or an Emmy!
• Multi-Arts Night - Theatre campers get together with campers from the visual art and jazz camps for a memorable evening of exploring and experiencing other arts.
• Dance - Final night party with a DJ!

About the Camp Staff

Learn more about camp director Melanie Parks and her staff.

Check-In/Final Performance

Check-in is at the residence hall on Sunday between 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. The final performance is on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in O'Connell Theatre in Stevens Building. After the show, at about 8:00 p.m., parents and campers return to the residence hall to pick up campers' belongings.

Note: All times are subject to change. Please check the camper letter that you will receive about one month before the start of camp to confirm the information.