The Camp Arc: Camp #2, Pt. 2
It was a T-Rexcellent week at Childsplay! Performing arts mixed with prehistoric merrymaking allowed for one great week of interning!
In Dino Drama, we continued our daily schedule of stories, crafts, and transforming into dinosaurs. Thursday’s picture book became very interactive. It was called The Mine-osaur, and it was about a greedy dinosaur having to learn to share with their other classmates. After we read the story, the kids and assistants pretended to be dinosaurs at the school while our lead teacher was the Mine-osaur. We had to be a little mean and exclude her, so she could learn her lesson. A surprising moment though was when one of the campers began to cry because we made “the Mine-osaur” sad by excluding her. It was heartwarming being reminded of the level of empathy kids can have, something we can all take away.
One game we played almost every day was a game called “Dino Dino, Where’s Your Bone?” To play, one person was the dino facing against the wall, and we picked one person in the circle to hide the bone (a flip flop with a key on it). The dino then had to guess who was hiding their bone. It can be a tricky game, but the kids loved it! I was the dino once, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to guess correctly. I guess 9 years at BASIS served me well though as I guessed the stealer first try.
Friday was sharing day! We put together all we learned throughout the week to show the parents, and this is when we introduced the more specific theater terms. Replicating the mannerisms of dinosaurs and playing with imaginary objects? That’s the foundations of pantomime! The campers also learned how to make tableaus or frozen pictures. Their favorite one to create was the meteor coming for the dinosaurs. During the share, the actors pantomimed hatching dinosaur eggs, created three tableaus, and finally reached into the magic bag to become dinosaurs for the last time. For my last dino, I chose to be a stegosaurus.
As for the world of Jurassicland,Β Thursday consisted of run-throughs, but costumes were introduced! The costumes were colorful and fun; I wish I could have worn many of them. The teahcers also added a closing number: “D.I.N.O.$.A.U.R.” by Kesha with the lyrics modified to be appropriate. It became a quick favorite, and I agree that it is a bop. The teacher who proposed the number joked that including this number was the peak of her career.
Friday was showtime! I was appointed as stage manager and was tasked to keep backstage order. Overall, it wasn’t too hard; the kids were pretty well-behaved. The hardest task was keeping the kids from peeking out the curtain. I totally understood them though as I still get the urge to do it as a senior.
I also had to calm more than a few nerves as stage-fright started to settle in, so I played a classic focus game with them. BASIS Thespians may instantly recognize this one: having a group count numbers but only one person can say each number at a time. If you haven’t played this, this game is trickier than it sounds. We didn’t count very far, but their nerves became settled, and they killed the show!
We had two fun-packed runs with the greatest energy given by the actors. The writer of the show (who was actually also the teacher for Dino Drama) complimented me on the head-peeking choreography for “Mr. Cellophane.” I was even surprised with some beautiful flowers post-show. Roses are my favorite, and these really signified a lovely job done.
After striking the stage and organizing props, I ended this week by treating myself to my current favorite drink: a matcha latte.
I got to work with two very different age groups throughout the week, and I learned even more about theater teaching techniques to implement in my own show. For smaller actors, the goal is to let their imaginations run wild by letting them be whatever they want to be, so they pick up theater techniques without even knowing it. For older kids, it’s all about managing the right amount of discipline with the right amount of excitement: proficient progress but with perfect positivity! Also, part of being a great theater mentor for kids all around is not being afraid to let your inner child out. It makes things more engaging for both you and the students!
As for my own show, more progress will be updated this week. After being part of Jurassicland’s creative process, I can use it to help with the timing of my own show. Be prepared for some song changes and updates on the first scenes!
Take a few days till next post.
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