IT’S A DOUBLE TRIPLE SUMMER!
Written by Director of Education, Brendan Shea
When I tell (or remind) people that we’re doing two Boot Camps this summer, the most common response I get is: “What? Why? How? Are you OK?” The second most common is weeping with joy, which is the preferred and more correct response.
Summer is the most exciting time of the year for QCT Student Theatre—it’s when students generally have the most time on their hands and parents generally want said students to leave the house. We can program longer classes during the day, which enables us to go deeper and develop skills in a more robust way. And as we enter this summer with an expanded roster of teaching artists, a full staff (woohoo!), and high demand for theatre activities (woohoo again!), we’re debuting a super-jam-packed-and-exciting QCT summer.
But first to answer the question about “why two Boot Camps?” Well, summer is not just busy at QCT, of course. There are vacations, other great activities, and camps, plus highly protected chillaxing time that we must contend with. Often, there are kids that miss out on Boot Camp for one or more of these reasons—and this is unacceptable to me! Also, any Boot Camp alum would tell you that this one-week musical theatre intensive goes by extremely fast and, while it’s rewarding and tiring, it leaves one hungry for more. A second session not only provides another chance to experience the benefits of Boot Camp (skill-building, confidence-boosting, social bonding), it also provides especially serious students a chance to extend their intensive learning this summer. Because our second session of Boot Camp features all new content and instructors. The same student could participate in both camps and be highlighted in different ways—through a dance feature in June, then a vocal solo in July, for example—while learning different approaches from two different master teachers.
And don’t get me started on Summer Classes! Seriously, don’t. Those aren’t until July. All jokes aside, Boot Camp is such an awesome transformative experience for everyone involved that we wanted to infuse that energy into our summer semester of classes. So we’re introducing a new “mini-camp” model that everyone should know (and be stoked) about. As usual, we have classes for every age group. This summer, though, we’re running half-day classes that last all week. Kind of like a baby Boot Camp, but focused on one particular project or discipline. We have a playwriting mini-camp (around adapting Dog Man and Babysitters Club books!), a sketch comedy mini-camp, and even a week-long version of our LEGENDARY Kids Company program for students entering K-2nd grade.
And how can we accomplish all this? I would make a crack about being powered by energy drinks and protein bars—but the truth is that we make it happen because of you, our community. The support our community provides in the form of volunteering, donations, stepping up to teach classes, simply enrolling your children in these programs…it all points back to an abiding love for the work that we do together on and offstage. In return, we will always push to be better, to open the door wider, to be more present for you. There’s that saying: “if you build it, they will come.” Well, we’re building more because you’re already here. See you this summer! does fit inside a van.