Open Book Theatre Company to Host Summer Theatre Workshops at Southgate Park

Open Book is teaming up with Southgate Parks and Recreation to offer exciting theatre workshops for Downriver school children. Each workshop will be taught by the professionals of the critically acclaimed local theatre company. The classes will take place at the new Market Center Park in Southgate at the corner of Eureka and Toledo and will culminate in a performance at the newly built amphitheater. These workshops will be fun and challenging for all students, regardless of their previous experience.

Camps run for two weeks, July 13-17 & July 20-24 (lower elementary only runs for one week, July 20-24), Monday - Friday, 9am-3pm. The camps are a great deal at $175 for two weeks (or $150 for residents of Southgate). The one week lower elementary camp is only $115 (or $90 for residents of Southgate). The final performance will be held on Thursday July 23rd (with a rain date of Friday July 24th).

Space is limited, so students should enroll as soon as possible. Registration is available online through www.southgaterec.com or at the Southgate Recreation office located at 14700 Reaume Parkway, Southgate, MI 48195 (734-258-3035).

CAMP DESCRIPTIONS & TEACHER BIOGRAPHIES:

All The World's a Stage

High School (students going into grades 10-12)

Our high school theater camp will provide a safe and educational space for teenagers to come together and develop their theatrical skills and knowledge. Students will select, rehearse and perform a variety of monologues and scenes culminating in a dynamic showcase featuring their honed ensemble skills as well as their unique individual talents. A portion of each day will be set aside for workshops in different theater subjects including Audition Techniques, Headshots & Resumes, Ensemble Building, Improvisation, Voice/Movement.

Teacher: Brandy Joe Plambeck has his master's degree in Acting from Wayne State University and is a co-founder of The Ringwald Theatre where he has performed and directed since its conception in 2007. His personal outlook on theatre is: Come together with a group of open-minded artists looking to have a blast and create something awesome to share with the world.

Team Theatre

Middle School (students going into grades 7-9)

This class will focus on devised theatre and improvisation. Students will create a short performance based on a story or script through the use of improvisation, transformational mime, movement, ensemble work, and creative writing.

Teacher: Dani Cochrane is a working actor in the metro Detroit area with her MFA in Acting from Wayne State University. She currently teaches improvisation, devised theatre, and auditioning to elementary through high schoolers for Enrichment Hub in Troy.

The Play's The Thing

Upper Elementary (students going into grades 4-6)

The upper elementary theatre camp will provide students a complete theatrical experience. Using Lois Burdett's "Shakespeare for Kids Midsummer Night's Dream," students will go through the process of putting on a play. In addition to fun games and exercises students will be given the script and go through all the steps up-to and including performing the play. The students will learn about Shakespeare and acting along the way, plus have a lot of fun!

Teacher: Brian Cahalan is a retired teacher, and used the Shakespeare Can Be Fun! curriculum in his classroom for years. He has performed with Barefoot Productions and has helped with the technical aspects of many productions. In addition to loving kids and theater, Brian is an avid bicyclist.

Let's put on a show!

Lower Elementary (students going into grades 1-3)

This camp will only run for one week, July 20-24th.

A wonderful introduction to theatre for our youngest campers! Students will learn basic skills through games and exercises, and "write" their own play! Student will work together to create the framework of a script, choose which character they want to play, and develop the action and dialogue with the help of their teacher/director. Perfect for new and seasoned young performers, this camp will give each child a chance to shine!

Teacher: Krista Schafer Ewbank has a degree in theatre from Northwestern University and has taught camps and classes to all ages of students for 18 years. Krista is also an actress, director and the founding Artistic Director of Open Book Theatre Company.

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