Culture
Area Theater Camp to Offer Playwriting
< < Back to ?p=18249Ohio Valley Summer Theater’s seventh annual Youth Theater Camp is collaborating with Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble, a local professional theater group, to offer a playwriting track for select middle and high school-aged campers during the camp’s run, June 9-27.
The camp consists of classes, workshops and a performance lab for school-age studnets interested in performance and technical aspects of theater.
Teachers, mentors and workshop presenters from Ohio Valley Summer Theater lead two concurrent summer camps during a three week period, culminating in a free public performance inviting friends and family.
The addition of the playwriting workshop to the camp’s offering completes the creative theater practice experience, said Camp Director Carol Patterson.
“Our campers, (performers, tech, writers) will experience the entire ‘page to stage’ process,” she said. “The collaborative process gives creative voice to all involved. The end game: campers see an audience react to their work.”
Playwriting is the foundation of the theater process, said Brick Monkey Theater Managing Director Merri Biechler, and students will learn the playwright’s process through the workshop.
“In most Western theater traditions, the playwright is the primary artist, meaning the playwright is the only theater artist who begins with the blank page,” Biechler said. “To understand and participate in the genesis of a theatrical production is incredibly useful, not to mention a lot of fun!”
Collaborating with another local professional theater group to benefit regional students enriches the OVST summer theater camp experience, said Marlo Tinkham, OVST Managing Director.
“OVST’s mission has always been to pursue the art of strong community theater management,” she said. “By investing together in Athens’ upcoming playwrights, directors and designers, we all can be proud of their achievements. Modeling the teamwork of amateur and professional artists is an invaluable lesson that will serve the next generation of theater artists well no matter what career they pursue.”
OVST Youth Camp runs from June 9-27, Monday-Friday. For more information, visit www.ovst.org or visit OVST’s Facebook page.