Healthy relationships require healthy adults and what better way to help your children grow into healthy adults than to enroll them in a summer program geared towards educating and teaching them the necessary qualities, characteristics and skill sets they will need—all in a fun-filled environment!
The Hartford Children’s Theatre is now offering its Summer Youth Theatre Program for children ages 5 and up with the added good news—no previous experience is necessary! The program, which is made up of age-appropriate workshops, classes and productions, runs from July 5-29th, 9:00am-5:00pm Monday-Friday and is held at the Classical Magnet School, 85 Woodland Street, Hartford CT. The Discovery Company (ages 5-8) has two 2-week sessions, The Youth & Teen Company (ages 9 and up) offers a 4-week session and the Advanced Teen Company is a 6-week session. All sessions are an affordable alternative to summer camp, daycare and child-sitting options where parents can also take advantage of early drop-off and late pick-up to accommodate their work schedules.
The Discovery Company (5-8 yr olds) offers an exciting adventure into the world of theatre. Through participation in mini-productions, arts & crafts, song & joke skits, puppetry and storytelling, children will learn self-expression and self-confidence. Two 2-week sessions are available, each with their own theme, and include various workshops, classes and a weekly field trip. The final day of the program, “Share Night” offers a mini-production by each class. This year’s theme for Session One is “Tall Tales & the Wild West” and for Session Two, “The Rock & Roll Environmental Show” which focuses on recycling and preserving the Earth.
For children ages 9&up, the Youth & Teen Company will produce, contribute and perform the spoof Kids at Vampire High and a musical featuring historical characters, Night at the Wax Museum. The students in this company will also have an opportunity for an additional fee to travel to New York City on July 13 to see “The Addams Family” musical on Broadway.
The newly formed Advanced Teen Company, which is limited to 15 students, requires an audition or approval from the Education Director Lisa Foss for admission. In addition to producing, directing and performing in their own production of Little Shop of Horrors the Advanced Teen Company will be learning leadership skills by mentoring and assisting the younger students.
This fun-filled summer program provides a creative environment that emphasizes the use of character-building tools such as acceptance, encouragement and validation as well as educating the importance of teamwork while learning something new. This process of learning to encourage and support others in a group setting is a vital part of growing up and contributes to a child’s sense of self-esteem, helping them to interact with others in a healthy way.
According to HCT Educational Director Lisa Foss, “This program’s value lies in ‘the process’ of the program, providing an interactive, character-building and diversely creative setting in which children can learn the value of teamwork, cooperation and self-expression. The three main goals are to have fun, to learn a theatre art skill and for children to learn how to function as members of a group—a valuable lesson that they will carry into adulthood. It’s important to us that every child, regardless of their skill level or experience, finds a place where they can not only participate but also contribute their creative self-expression. Both the program and the staff, that we like to call “teaching artists”, are extremely flexible, accommodating and supportive. It’s an exciting program that not only benefits the students but the community as well.”
Applications are now being accepted so sign up soon! For detailed information about the program, including cost and online registration, visit the website at www.hartfordchildrenstheatre.org or call 860-249-7070.
Introducing your children to theatre arts is a fun-filled and exciting option to an otherwise routine summer and the added benefits of this program’s focus on character building will give them a generous and healthy boost of self-confidence, self-acceptance and validation—not to mention the excitement in sharing what they did over summer vacation!
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