Noozhawk’s ParentNooz Camp Guide is officially here and we made sure to make things easy when planning your child’s summer!
To give parents the tools to help make informed decisions about Summer Camps for their kids in Santa Barbara, Noozhawk has conducted a series of interviews with representatives of local programs for this year’s Summer Camp Guide.
In this interview, Noozhawk spoke with Brian McDonald, Director of Education and Outreach at Ensemble Theatre Company to learn more about the summer programs they are offering this year.
Ensemble Theatre Company
Question: What is the name and focus of your camp or program?
Answer: ETC’s Young Actors’ Conservatory is a challenging, yet playful summer program provided at 3 levels and ages groups. Students receive innovative arts education at each level with a comprehensive curriculum that balances creative development, performance, and technique.
In THEATRE CAMP FOR KIDS (ages 5-8) A 1-week camp (7/10/23-7/15/23), from 9am-3pm, M-F, with a final presentation on Saturday.
CAMP BROADWAY (ages 9-13) A 2-week camp (6/26/2023-7/8/2023), from 10am-3pm Monday-Saturday, culminating in a showcase for family and friends.
THE PERFORMANCE INTENSIVE (ages 14-22) A 2-week workshop (7/17/2023-7/29/2023), from 10am-3pm Monday-Saturday, culminating in a showcase for family and friends.
Q: How long have you been running the program? Do you have any professional accreditations or certifications?
A: The Young Actors Conservatory (YAC) has been offering a variety of summer theatre, performance camps, and workshops for the past 6 years.
Brian McDonald (ETC’s Director of Education) in the master YAC teacher and an award-winning actor, director, and educator. He was recognized for his advocacy of arts education with a Phi Delta Kappa Community Partnership Award, two Honorary Service Awards from the California State PTA and the Volunteer of the Year award from the Ventura Unified School District. He is a B.F.A. graduate of the Boston Conservatory and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and Actors’ Equity Association.
Brian has had a 35 year history in the professional world having performed in theaters around the county and most notably the National Tours of Miss Saigon and Forever Plaid.
Q:Â What goals will the participants be working on to achieve, and how would you best describe the educational aspects of your program?
A: The YAC programs provide social-emotional creative experiences in safe and nurturing environments. They foster the creative abilities of youth through culturally and linguistically responsive arts learning, seek to activate youth voices, narratives, and perspectives, and empowers participants to share their narratives and perspectives while cultivating the development of life skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, empathy, and collaboration.
Q: Describe the types of activities a child would participate in on a typical day.
A:Â In THEATRE CAMP FOR KIDS (ages 5-8), students will learn about the building blocks of theater while nurturing self-expression, cooperation, and social-emotional learning. Teamwork and imagination are fostered through high-energy interactive theater games and musical exercises. Storytelling and play are encouraged through thoughtful exploration of characters and situations from different perspectives.
CAMP BROADWAY will offer aspiring young performers ages 9-13 the chance to expand their skills by exposing them to the fundamentals of acting, singing, and dancing. Perfect for students new to the stage or those looking for a challenge, this training program encourages risk-taking and growth with nurturing guidance from theater professionals. Individual attention, ensemble building, character development, and improvisation exercises are used to enhance creative expression, positive self-image, and confidence.
THE PERFORMANCE INTENSIVE offers aspiring actors ages 14-22 comprehensive performance training normally reserved for collegiate students. With a curriculum that focuses on principles of acting, movement, voice, character and scene analysis, Musical Theatre, Mask-work, Shakespeare, improv and performance training.
Q: What is the typical age range for your camps?
A: Theatre Camp Ages 5-8; Camp Broadway Ages 9-13; The Performance Intensive Ages 14-22.
Q: Do you offer full day and 1/2 day options?
A:Â All our programs run from either 9am or 10am and are finished by 3pm. The only exceptions are the showcase days when the hours may vary.
Q: What is your policy regarding background checks and training for staff? What is the child to staff ratio?
A: The voice, expertise, and experience of the teaching artists hired for our Youth Actors Conservatory programs is an important part of the intrinsic nature, structure, and future development of our educational programs and the students we serve.
Several months prior to the start of each camp, the Director of Education meets with each instructor to review the expectations learning outcomes, structure, and goals. Professional instructors are subject to background and reference checks. These instructors must also have a history of teaching.
Camp Assistants are college and high school students who are selected through an application process and vetted through professional recommendations.
These “camp counselors” assist teaching staff in various ways but most importantly they serve as stage managers, who monitor the daily activities and distribute daily reports to parents at the end of each day, and outline the day’s activities, notable incidents or accidents, and updates on schedule and preparation requirements for the following day.
Q: What is the cost of your camp? Do you offer any scholarships?
A: ETC is committed to offering access to all its education and outreach programs, regardless of socioeconomic status.
All students are eligible and invited to apply for financial assistance. The application is available online. Questions asked are focused on obtaining information that provides an overview of their current financial status and includes an opportunity to make a personal statement for requesting assistance. Applicants can request awards in four amounts to cover 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% off tuition costs.
There are no other costs associated with the program and all materials are included in the tuition fee. These include costumes, props, scripts, sheet music, camp t-shirts, and videos of the final showcase.
No student is ever turned away because of inability to pay the tuition fees. Tuition Fees range from $420-$750 per student.
Q: Is there anything you would like to share about your program that was not already mentioned above?
A: Although the Young Actors Conservatory program is not focused on specific therapeutic outcomes it does benefit aspects of personal development that include activities which support collaborating, empathizing, encouraging, instructing, and problem solving.
Teaching artists directed to employ therapeutic methods such as the deliberate and intentional use of active listening to understand a student’s perspective, validating their thoughts and feelings, and providing empathy. Students, as well, are taught the importance of these methods in their own work with their peers.
Click here to learn more about Ensemble Theatre Company!