Welcome to The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair!

The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair

Welcome to The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair! We are happy and grateful that you
stopped by our blog and website to learn about us!   Everyday, we witness how life-enhancing the Performing Arts can be to a young person’s life.

 

Who we are:                                                                                                                       We are Theatre Artist Educators who have been working with young performing artists for more than 23 years. Our passion and commitment to the participants who enroll in our summer programs, and their parents, remain strong and constant. We believe that theatrical training is one of the most efficient ways to build confidence, character and true self-esteem!

Who will benefit from The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair?                       Young people who enjoy theatre and performing will benefit from our camp! At any age or level of experience, we offer the opportunity to explore the wonders of the theatrical experience with other like-spirited young people.

How does your child benefit by participating in The Summer Theatre Camp of
Montclair ?

Your child…
…is celebrated for his or her unique talents, strengths and abilities.
…is inspired to follow his or her creative instincts.
…gains confidence and self-esteem by meeting appropriate challenges.
…learns dramatic concepts through instruction and dynamic onstage experience.

Why parents will feel comfortable enrolling their teen, tween or child in The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair ?                                                                         Our instructors are professional teaching artists. They are certified, mature, experienced and caring. Most have worked within our summer project for years and are committed to providing the best care and support to each participant. All staff is rigorously trained and screened each year.

We are committed to providing a safe environment. Our camp site is clean and beautiful and monitored. Our staff is attentive and vigilant. We are committed to a Behavior Policy that sets a reasonable and fair standard of respect and kindness for all students. This standard creates an environment of trust where participants can take the joyful and artistic risks that are important to learning the craft and art of acting. Our camp, of course, is insured.

When should you register to secure placement in The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair ?                                                                                                                      Now!                                                                                                                                       1. The earlier you register, the quicker you secure placement. We maintain comparatively small class sizes in all of our programs to make certain that all participants receive the attention they need to learn and grow as performing artists. Space is limited and Registration is conducted on a first come, first served basis.

2. Early Registration means savings on tuition. Register early to get the best price on tuition.

3. Register with a sibling or friend, and save more on tuition. We offer discounts on multiple registrations because we know that sharing the acting camp experience with a friend or sibling provides many opportunities for shared learning and fun!

This sounds great! How can I get more information about The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair ?
Questions are good! Is our camp the right fit for your teen, tween or child? Call today to speak with Artistic Director, Mary Ann Riel, at 973-746-8686. She will happily answer your questions in an unpressured conversation about your childʼs and familyʼs needs and goals.

 

 

So, You’re Looking for An Acting Camp for your Teen/Tween

The Summer Camp Theatre of MontclairThe Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair’s Main Stage Program for Teens and Tweens has opened doors of acting skill and confidence, artistry and fun for many young performers seeking to elevate their artistry through disciplined and joyful dramatic work.

Creating an artistic environment of honesty, ease, camaraderie and challenge are the keys to the success of The Main Stage Program.  Each day follows a routine of yoga, vocal, dance and movement training along with acting exercises and games designed to stretch the parameters of imagination and skill.  Participants emerge from the program feeling personally and artistically transformed and strengthened.

Set up a meeting with Artistic Director, Mary Ann Riel, to determine if The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair is the right fit for your tween or teen.  Call 973-746-8686 for an informative conversation in which you can ask your specific questions.

 

Spirits in the Material World: How Acting Camp Can Ground Your Tweeting, Texting Teen/Tween on Terra Firma

Like sirens to sailors, the internet beckons to us every second of the day. Here’s a Wikipedia citation you can trust:  “since the mid-1990s the Internet has had a drastic impact on culture and commerce…” Drastic, indeed…and coming at you and your family with the force of a tsunami.    Open your home page and crises, near and abroad, hover ominously over celebrity fat photos that beg for a peek…or two or three.  (Without make-up?  Yes, please!)  Katy Perry, Kate Middleton, Katniss Everdeen?  Hello!…just a click away, and but a fractious sampling of the multiplicity of tentacles that reach through the internet’s ether to grab your attention.  Why not just give in?

The problem with full out surrender to this dizzying panoply of distraction is that the Internet’s Adventure Land is uncharted terrain resembling both Alice’s Rabbit Hole and Sleeping Beauty’s Maze of Brambles, where neither safe return nor timely awakening are assured nor guaranteed.

You, as loving guardian, cannot gift a shield strong enough for your child to withstand the exponentially proliferating onslaught of the internet’s easily accessed Good, Bad, Ugly and Truly Terrifying.  You can, however, offer a strong Lifeline to  Planet Earth’s physical, present day reality.  As an Acting Coach and Theatre Director, I admit my bias, but Acting–particularly Stage Acting–can serve as that Lifeline.

Yes, art classes, sports, hiking, pottery or pastry-making are noble pursuits that antidote the tendency for kids to tune out amidst their techno-toys.  But, IMAO–and years of experience–a well designed and taught Acting Camp program quickly builds  (1) Focus, (2) Discipline, (3) Critical thinking (4) Leadership and (5) Compassion.   These are the self same tools your child needs to manage the wonders of, and defend against the the dangers of, cyberspace’s ‘brave new world.’

How does a young person benefit from an Acting Camp?  Here are some of the benefits we foster and see gloriously manifested every year at The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair:

 Focus:   While our campsite is clean, beautiful and inviting, our camp program is profound in its simplicity and refreshingly devoid of technological distractions.  (I sometimes jokingly refer to The Summer Theatre Camp of Montclair as the “No Bells and Whistles Camp.”)  Young people fall in love with the uncluttered clarity of the environment:  shiny wood floors, scripts, music and Our Own Wonderful Selves.  It’s an exhilarating formula!  Less distractions=more opportunity to concentrate.  Voila!  Our focus is stronger, longer and more consolidated.

  Discipline:  Because our day is built on tasks that are mental and physical, the habituation of these tasks builds strength.  When we develop the habit of performing these tasks at the same time each day, with the support of our cast mates and instructors, we become stronger, more competent and, henceforth, more disciplined with each repetition.

 Critical Thinking:   Along with repetition for memorization, acting involves the effort to understand meaning and to convey meaning to our cast mates, director and audience.    This is done through asking questions, learning word meanings, reading vocal, facial and physical cues and discriminating what is of lesser and greater importance in a scene or play.  Acting requires us to also know the ‘meaning underneath the meaning‘ or, in theatrical lingo, the sub-text…and sub-text is where Truth lies is all conversation, onstage and off.  Critical thinking is an essential life skill professionally, personally and socially.  However, the most important aspect of critical thinking  is the ability to determine how to spend ones’ time–and life–for its utmost most significance.

Leadership:  Each day, camp participants arrive, fresh from sleep and dropped off at our campsite, unadorned and simply clad.  Throughout the course of the day they work with acting coaches, a yoga coach, a vocal coach, a choreographer, and some great assistants. Through this work, we learn acceptance of each other’s strengths and how to shore up the parts of us that need more strengthening.   The problem-solving is rich and of a higher order in Acting Camp because theatrical process is the meeting of challenges of time, space, budget and personality in the most efficient way possible,   This problem-solving, coupled with inspiration, is a formula for confidence and Leadership

Compassion (the most notable of our Life Tools):  Smart phones, gaming devices, ipads, laptops, etcetera, are left at our stage door.  In their absence, the glossy patina of clever-ish snark is replaced by sincere, patient communication.   Instead of peering into our phones or computers, we peer into each other’s eyes to discover that we are all pieces of one beautifully fractured pane of glass.  And when we choose to gather the shattered pieces and hold them up, we can see through to each other.  And wonder of wonders, those same transparent fragments of glass reflect our own identities back to ourselves, piece by lovely piece.