"Everyone ready to go on stage? Awesome!" The Counselors In Training at The Little Theatre of Alexandria Summer Camp have just rolled up the comic strip backdrop of villains and heroes created by the 3-5 grade group. The actors have been practicing giving each other a punch because, “We are superheroes for goodness sake. But we need to be focused so people don't get hurt."
Now it is stage time for the K-2 group at theatre summer camp. Michael Page, the Director of their Summer Camp program says the theme for the K-2 group this week is animals. The older 6-8 grade group is doing a theme based on the theatre's upcoming West Side Story production using the Romeo and Juliet story.
Each group attends classes sometime during the 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. time period where they learn the basics of drama and get ready to produce a play for parents and friends on Friday afternoon. Page said, “We make up our shows and the kids watch each other so they have a practice audience."
Page said they offer more than 40 different summer camps with different themes, some with music and others with dance. He said camp runs for 13 weeks and they have about 500 campers who attend one session or more. "I focus on musical theatre and also have some dance camps. I keep it easy for the youngest who have never performed before."
Janette Moman says to eager faces, "Let's go over some of our words. Make the words short, especially say the consonants so everyone can understand." Faces concentrate and mouths open wide.
Page said, "They should be having fun but I'm pushing education, too." When the youngsters aren't practicing their play, they are learning basics of drama, movement and expression and doing improvisations “like the hitchhiker with four chairs set up like a car.”
The children begin singing from their seats, "Never smile at a crocodile. No, you can't get friendly with a crocodile." Page exclaims, "you guys, I could understand all of those words! OK all stand up from your seats, line up against the wall. Follow me. We're going to go onstage."
Page tells the group they have to get focused. "Breathe. Stay quiet until it is your turn to speak."
The plot unfolds as one animal crawls followed by another hopping onto the darkened stage from behind large white screens. Then the crocodile suddenly appears stage left, and the animals put on their best frightened faces. "If you're in the jungle, you're over here. If you're in the savannah, you're over here." A line of bodies weave their arms and their hips as they dance the monkey led by counselor Caroline Austin demonstrating on the floor in front of the stage. The plot moves forward as the group looks for a way that animals can all live together in peace and decide it would be the zoo.
Page said, “Actually this job is perfect for me. I always wanted to be a teacher since my amazing second grade teacher." Then, he says, in middle school, "I was introduced to theatre and I came out of my shell and learned to be comfortable, to step outside the box. Once I knew I could meld these, I knew what to do."
He says he always wanted to start his own program and it's close here;“the theatre trusts me to make changes." Page says he thinks it has been successful when he split the 3-8 grade group into 3rd-5th and 6th-8th. They seem to feel more comfortable. Another change he made is to be sure each age group is covered all day so the camps are consistent. For instance, if a session is offered in the morning, extended care is available for the remainder of the day. “This helps parents, like mine who both worked."
What does he do when it's not summer? Page says he also teaches music and movement at preschool as well as classes, including dance, at local recreation centers and music at Mount Vernon. He has been at Little Theatre of Alexandria for eight years with the last two as Director of Summer Camp.
Back to the rehearsal as Page directs from the rows in the empty theatre….. “Never tip your hat to a crocodile...." Tiny hands wave imaginary hats in the air.