Year number three of Pine Theater Camp is officially underway! This year’s camp includes 35 youth in grades 5-8 that will be participating as cast and crew for the one-act play, “Welcome to the Candy Kingdom”.
Project Director Becky Schueller shared some exciting changes in store for this year’s students. “As interest continues to grow for youth participation, we’ve added a new track for students to explore the backstage components of the show,” says Schueller. “We will have 5 students that will work directly on sound, lighting, digital projections and other technology needs for the show.”
Heritage Players is working closely with Pine County 4-H staff and Pine City Community Education to make Pine Theater Camp possible. Each one of the partners involved in this program fills a need that keeps this camp an affordable experience to families as well as providing quality artists and educators to ensure all campers have a positive experience.
“Each year we reflect on what went well, what can be improved and then find ways to make changes,” says Schueller. So this year we held an audition night for students the week before camp begins. This provides a more authentic audition experience, while also preparing them for the first day of camp to hit the ground running on blocking of the show. “Obviously an important part of Pine Theater Camp is in learning about theater and preparing their show,” says 4-H Extension Educator Sarah Odendahl. “At the same time, we know that some of the most important things youth will take away from camp are new friendships and opportunities to learn about themselves.”
The public is invited to attend the camp’s free-admission performance of “Welcome to the Candy Kingdom” on Wednesday, June 24th at 6:30p.m. at the Pine City High School Auditorium.
This year Pine Theater Camp is made possible in part by a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council with funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature from its general fund.
