MHCC SET TO RUN SUMMER THEATRE CAMP

The Mt. Hood Theatre Department is starting its youth summer camp again this year, coming in August.

Headed by Mace Archer, Theatre Director for the college, the MHCC Summer Theatre Conservatory offers two different camps. One is for children from kindergarten to second grade, and the other is for grades 3-12.

The two-week program starts on Aug. 5.

While the grades 3-12 camp ends on Aug. 16, the kindergarten-Grade 2 camp has two start-and-end dates: Aug. 5-9, and Aug. 12-15.

The Grades 3-12 camp will have six different classes, structured around components of theatre, with acting, improv and musical theatre among them. There will be a schedule of 50-minute classes and a lunch break, and students will be grouped by their respective age for each class, set at about 15 persons per group.

Archer explained that each class will be taught by a Mt. Hood instructor, themselves actors who have experience in teaching theatre. In addition, current MHCC theatre students will be involved as assistants to get the experience of helping their peers and learning from the instructors.

Beyond having fun with theatre, Archer described the importance of the program and what a bigger goal is: to help with fundamental life skills and expose younger people to higher education in the arts.

As program literature explains, the critical skills it plans to help younger students with includes  personal confidence, creativity and communication. These aren’t just skills needed for theatre and performance arts, they’re for the real world.

The important lessons taught, coupled with the exposure of MHCC’s theatre and performance arts curriculum, are bound to help potential students who might be thinking about getting into Mt. Hood’s arts programs feel more welcome.  

Registration for these programs has started and there is limited space, so those who are interested on behalf of young students should reserve slots early on.

The kindergarten-Grade 2 camp runs mornings only, with tuition of $200. The Grades 3-12 camp runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the above described schedule; tuition costs $400.

More detailed information is listed in fliers available at the Theatre Department on campus. Included is a full breakdown of the scheduling and classes (as well as a promo code which gives a $50 discount for the Grades 3-12 camp, if used before June 1.)

For more information, and/or to contact Archer directly, go to: mhcc.edu/TheatreCamp/.