Theatre & Dance Camps
KIDS ACTING For 20 years, KidsActing has been puttin’ on shows chock-full of young folks, sometimes perfoming original songs by noteworty local musicians. Dede Clark has put her formidable skills behind this camp with locations in Austin, Lakeway, Round Rock, Oak Hill, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, and Georgetown. Camps in all aspects of theatre and film for ages 4-18. 5811 Burnet. 458-KIDS.
ALISA’S DANCE ACADEMY summer day camps take into account the boundless energy of kids. Young campers engage in classes in ballet, singing, tap, tumbling, and arts & crafts. That’s all in the space of only four hours! Older all-day campers study nine different dance-related subjects, including choreography and musical theatre. A new addition to these already packed weeks is “Field Trip Day” every Thursday. And every Friday there’s a pizza party! Ages: 2 and up; classes for adults also offered. 327-2150.
GRRL ACTION 2001 is an innovative summer program of theatre and writing for girls 13-15. Participants will transform their creative autobiography into a public performance (held June 30-July 1) and create anthologies from their writings. Instructors include women from the UT English department and the Rude Mechanicals. Mon-Fri, June 4-29, 9am-noon. UT campus. $200 (10 full scholarships available). 894-7334 or cstrick@mail.utexas.edu.
CAMP PARAMOUNT 2001 The Austin Theatre Alliance, in collaboration with the touring Missoula Children’s Theatre, presents this tuition-free day-camp at the historic Paramount Theatre. But it’s not “just” a day camp — it’s also preparation for roles in the play Sleeping Beauty, to be presented on Sat, Aug 4. The theatre team will be casting 50-60 local kids for this production, and auditions are open to the first 500 who pre-register. Ages: 4-18. Mon, July 30-Sat, Aug 4. Registration packets available at the Paramount box office beginning Fri, June 1; deadline is Fri, June 29. Registration required for all auditions. Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress. 692-0519. www.theparamount.org.
AUSTIN MUSICAL THEATRE Each kid is a singular sensation at these workshops that teach Broadway-style techniques of singing, dancing, acting, and pizzazz. Brought to you from the folks who produce the spectacular full-scale musicals at the Paramount such as Oklahoma, The Music Man, and others. Participants receive first consideration at casting time! June 9-28. Ages 5-17. 428-9696. www.amtpresents.com.
ZACHARY SCOTT THEATRE CENTER High-profile Zach has weeklong camps for aspiring actors, directors, and comedians. Choose musical theater, create a show, and comedy/improv camps plus a special teen intensive. All day camps culminate in a performance. Ages: 5-15. Week-long camps, May 29-Aug 10. 476-0594. www.zachscott.com.
STATE THEATER COMPANY Acting for stage, acting for film, and acting just for fun are covered in the various workshops from the downtown professional theater. Ages 6-19. Half-day and full-day camps available, plus a four-week, all-day camp for high schoolers. May 28-Aug 3. State Theater, 719 Congress. 472-3160. www.statetheatercompany.com.
AUSTIN CONSERVATORY OF THE ARTS By the time they can walk, every kid can dance. These folks will put some grace into their steps with their summer camp series beginning in June. For ages 4-6, there are half-day camps in ballet, jazz, tap, and theatre, Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm. For ages 7-14, full-day camps focus on either classical dancing, acting and musical theatre, or jazz dancing. Ballet intensive classes are also available for ages 11-18 who have taken at least three years of ballet. 989-3363.
DANCERS WORKSHOP Gotta dance. Get a belly full in weekly, full-day camps featuring tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and modern dancing. Also featured is drill team skills, drama, voice, and tumbling. Ages: 3 and up. June 4-Aug 3. 11150 Research. 349-7197.
This article appears in May 4 • 2001.