The summer of 2023 will mark our sixth year as a Camp Partner of Winchester Thurston. Together, we’ll bring you a series of one-week summer camps focusing on various forms of the performing arts. We typically offer two camps for students entering grades six through nine. Read below for complete details on this year’s camps.
ALL EEPA CAMPS:
- Are for students entering grades 6-9 for the upcoming academic year
- Have a registration deadline of May 1st
- Run from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Are held on the beautiful WT city campus in Shadyside.
- Have a tuition of $415
- Have optional early bird care and late pick up available
- Include daily snacks, the opportunity for relevant field trips, and one lunch excursions off campus (at camper’s expense, usually about $10.)
- Will follow Winchester Thurston’s Covid 19 Response Plans. The school mandates that “all eligible individuals (students and employees) must have received their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccination in order to be on campus.“
What Sets Our Camps Apart:
- Our camps focus on helping YOU grow as a performer. Scenes are chosen for YOU, based on your interest, current abilities, and areas you wish to grow in over the week.
- Our camps focus on teaching you the process of performing, rather than emphasizing a full scale production (Yes, you WILL perform scenes and group numbers, with limited props and costume elements.)
- You will learn skills, such as audition tips and tricks, that will help equip you to shine in future productions you may have the opportunity to be a part of.
- Field trips! Past examples include: backstage tours of The Byham Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse facilities.
- Karaoke time
- A talent show! Show us your drawings, tap dance, play an instrument. The sky’s the limit!
- Activities and discussion led by area arts professionals. Past examples include: fight choreography and stage combat, lighting design and instruments, stage management (see video below)
- Off-site lunches/snacks have included stops at nearby Chipotle, Pamela’s, and Millie’s Ice Cream.
For registration questions, email Dionne Brelsford, Director of Programs At Winchester Thurston for details. Please email Jamie for other camp details.
To Register, visit the Winchester Thurston Camp Registration page.
Broadway Rocks: A Musical Theatre Camp – July 17th-21st, 2023
In this musical theatre camp, all of our scenes and songs will be drawn from “juke box” musicals – shows that feature music from the pop and rock songs you’ve heard on the radio or your streaming service. Each camper will shine as they rehearse and then perform a scene/song combo picked specifically for them, to help each performer grow as an actor and singer. We’ll also have visits with local professionals who will lead activities about their area of expertise in the theatre and related fields. We’ll show off for friends and family in live and/or taped performances at the end of the week.
Daily camp activities will include:
- Theatre and Improv Games
- Learning music
- Script Analysis/Study
- Rehearsal and Performance Practices
To Register, visit the Winchester Thurston Camp Registration page.
Theatre 101
July 31st – August 4th
This camp is an all-encompassing look at making theatre happen – from who is backstage and what they do, to who and what the audience sees onstage. Students will have the opportunity to try on many different roles: actor, stage manager, director, designer, producer, and more! We’ll learn about and create elements of ‘stage craft’ – the nuts and bolts of scenic, costume, and lighting design, and we’ll make our own designs come to life through models and more. Yes, we will get to act, too! This will be a very hands-on camp, including many visits to/from area professionals to help you discover the many ways to make a living in theatre.
We’ll also offer a presentation of the works we’ve built, created and rehearsed to show off the processes and skills we’ve learned at the end of the week.
To Register, visit the Winchester Thurston Camp Registration page.
In this clip from a 2021 camp, our young performers had just worked with a local stage manager who taught them about backstage organization and the job of a ‘run crew.’ Here, half of the campers improvised a scene based on the story of Peter Pan, while the other half of the campers took on the role of run crew, working energetically back stage to make everything work seamlessly on stage.