Dunes Summer Theatre

288 Shady Oak Drive, Michiana Shores, IN --Box Office: 219-879-7509

Children's & Youth Theatre
Children's/Youth Theatre is now complete for the 2011 summer season.
Many Thanks to all who participated and made it into a growing experience for all!


Come Play With Us Summer 2012!


The Dunes is excited to announce that we will be expanding our morning camps to two weeks! Please check dates carefully when enrolling your child.

Both the Creative Dramatics Camp and the Drama Camp focus on 4 individual aspects of the fine arts: acting, dance, music and rhythm, and technical theatre.

In the Creative Dramatics acting class, the students learn the basics of acting: how to move on stage, project their voice, “become” a character, etc. In Dance class, they will learn small dance steps and then combine them into a full dance routine. They will also learn basic ballet and jazz moves. In music, students work on establishing and keeping a beat, learning basic music concepts, and will gain singing experience. For tech, students discover all the elements of preparing “backstage” for a production and get to experience character make-up and hair, costumes, and basic stagecraft.

For our Drama Camp, students review the basics in their acting class, but then progress forward, learning the proper way to audition, take on character voices, learn character analysis and do lots of improvisations! In dance they will improve their coordination, continue to learn standard jazz and ballet moves, and even choreograph their own routine. Within the music class, students focus their abilities on their own voice, learning modulations and breathing techniques. They’ll spend time singing as a group and do a little solo work. For tech, students will become fully engaged with the backstage world, learning to focus lights, prepare a stage design, incorporate hair and make-up into a show, and build basic set pieces.

Our Production Camp is something you don’t want your child to miss out on! Students come together for five weeks to fully engage themselves in the theatre experience. From the beginning, students do cold readings with each other, audition for parts in front of their director, and then begin the transformation into their characters. All elements of the theatre are discussed and connected together, with the summer culminating in a full scale production advertised to the general public. (The production name is yet to be announced due to securing rights for the show.)

June Camps:

Creative Dramatics Camp

For Ages: 7-10

                                Runs: Monday – Friday, 8 – 12 pm cst

                                Dates:  June  (To Be Determined)

               

Drama Camp

For Ages: 11-15

                                Runs: Monday – Friday, 8 – 12 pm cst

                                Dates:  June (to Be Determined)

 

July Camps:

Creative Dramatics Camp 2

For Ages: 7-10

                                Runs: Monday – Friday, 8 – 12 pm cst

                                Dates:  July  (To Be Determined)

Drama Camp 2

For Ages: 11-15

                                Runs: Monday – Friday, 8 – 12 pm cst

                                Dates:  July (To Be Determined)

 

Production Camp:

                                For Ages: 7-15

                                Runs: Monday – Friday, 1 – 4 pm cst

                                Dates: Begins (To Be Determined)

                                Show Dates: August (To Be Determined)


COST:

For 2 week camps the cost is $150. 

For 5 Week "Production camp" cost is $200

( If enrolled in BOTH a 2 week camp & 5 week camp, there is a $50 discount ... 2 camps for $300!)

(For families with three or more children enrolled there is an additional $50 discount on the total amount)

To register or for questions email: ct-yt@dunessummertheatre.com

  
SIGN YOUR CHILD UP OR REQUEST MORE INFORMATION BY FILLING OUT THE FORM BELOW!
Yes, I am interested in Children's Theatre Programs
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JuliAnn Merrion - Children's Theatre Director

JuliAnn is herself an alumni of the DAF CT/YT programs and has been active in the DAF adult summer theatre for six years.  She holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature and is certified in Secondary Education. She has taken a number of theatre classes, including ones specialized in teaching youth.  JuliAnn is a licensed Real Estate agent in Michigan City, IN and works part-time at La Lumiere School in LaPorte, IN.  She has been active in teaching children's theatre for three years.

Nora Tully MacAlvay - Founder
Nora MacAlvay, an art and literature teacher trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and Goodman Theatre School, was passionate about theatre and literature for young people.  Nora authored several novels for teenagers and, along with her mentor well-known playwright Charlotte Chorpenning, also wrote several thoughtful and charming plays based on classic children's stories.  In 1948, Nora founded of the Children’s Theatre of Michigan City to provide theatre experiences for the schoolchildren of Michigan City and the surrounding area.   She led its programs for over 40 years, while serving as artistic director of the Dunes Summer Theatre.  Her ideas and dedication inspired generations of aspiring young thespians.

Nora's classic answer to the question of "Why Children's Theatre?" serves as the ongoing mission statement for our CT and YT programs:

"First, it gives boys and girls the joy of seeing good stories come alive upon a stage.  Beautiful experiences are not for one day or one year, but for a lifetime; and although very few children will ever have really great opportunities, even lesser experiences in theatre can bring a joy that is lasting.

Second, a higher standard of taste can be developed in children, the culture of tomorrow begins with today’s children; and children who are steadily exposed to good theatre care less for cheap inferior plays.

Third, from the human experiences a child sees on the stage, he will grow in the understanding and appreciation of life values, His own experiences is necessarily limited, and he may have to wait for years to know the result of any given action. In most plays he sees the outcome almost at once, and from these vicarious experiences he learns much about life.

Fourth, a good theatre will build in children a basis for becoming a discriminating adult audience of the future. One play a year will not do this, but three or four each season, if they are well done, will be a strong cultural influence, especially if an education program goes on as an integral part of the theatre.

Something wonderful could happen if people in every community could come to realize that children have a hunger for things of the spirit as well as of the body and mind."


Joann Saxon - CT/YT Director Emeritus
Joann taught and directed Children's and Youth Theatre for twenty years.  She originally started by assisting Nora MacAlvay and, following Nora's death, Joann became the head of the DAF's CT/YT program.  Joann also served as President of the DAF and directed many adult shows.  About the value of Children's Theatre, Joann says "We think children give a more honest performance for children than adults ever do. They bring more vitality, they're closer to the material, and there's no condescension.  They are sincerely involved in the story." 
History
For over 60 years, children and teenagers have been learning acting skills and stagecraft at the Dunes Summer Theatre.
Each summer, we host classes in acting, set construction, lighting & sound, costuming and makeup, and other production skills.
These classes typically culminate in a showcase presentation or play,
 where the students take the roles and responsibilities
of a production cast and crew.
Our program helps kids sort through the issues of growing up and helps them become young adults with self-confidence, good communication skills, community spirit, and love of great literature.
It also helps them have fun in a warm environment while enriching their summertime experiences.
Our instructors have broad theatrical experience and are devoted to helping their students grow their skills and self-esteem.
Some of our alumni have gone on to teach drama, manage theatres, produce shows, act on television and in the movies, and perform in Chicago, New York, Hollywood and other cities around the United States.
Those who undertake other professions frequently tell us that the training and support they received at the Dunes made all the difference in their ability to interact with the world and to have the confidence to follow their own path in life.
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