March Break Theatre Camp Program

Looking to add a little fun and "drama" to March Break this year? Act One is pleased to present its March Break Theatre Camp!

Open to children ages 6 to 13 years old, the camp will run from Monday, March 10th to Friday, March 14th, from 9:00am in the morning until 4:30pm in the afternoon. As both the Durham Public and Catholic School systems are also implementing PA days on Friday, March 7th, we also offer an optional 6th day for those looking for additional fun on that day as well.

Act One's March Break camp takes place at two locations. On the Tuesday, Thursday and both Fridays, campers will spend the day engaged in theatre games and other creative activities at Act One's teaching studio and performancce space. On the Monday and Wednesday, campers will be bussed to Greenwood Community Centre, located in a large park, just north of Pickering so that they can also enjoy outdoor winter activities, weather permitting.
Regular drop-off is between 8:30 and 9:00am, with pick-up between 4:30 and 5:00pm. To accommodate parents' and guardians' often hectic work schedules, Act One offers an early drop-off and late-pick program where campers can be dropped off at the school anytime from 7:30am and wait to be picked up as late as 6:00pm. Under the dedicated supervision of Act One's camp counsellors, these early and late sessions are not just "waiting room" services but become extensions of the camp day and ensure that campers are left in good hands and have an enjoyable time before and after regular camp hours.

Our March Break Theatre Camp session is planned with the objective of ensuring a balanced mix of fun and games along with creative and challenging activities, all within a theatrical and drama focus. Over the course of the week, campers will experience and enjoy a variety of theatre games, in both small and large group settings that will help them discover new aspects of drama as well as providing hours of memorable fun. . Throughout it all, our counsellors do not loose sight of the fact that March Break is meant to be enjoyed. Campers can anticipate many familiar and new games, creative challenges, performance opportunities and perhaps the occaisional snow ball fight or two with their counsellors..
March Break Question

Act One is committed to making the camp experience a memorable and rewarding one for all involved: counsellors, parents and most importantly, the campers. Our counsellors are well-versed and positioned to relate to campers both as instructors and as friends. Through the joys and challenges of theatre, they will encourage campers to expand their creativity and imagination, overcome existing fears and discover their own sense of self-confidence and awareness. In fact, a number of our current March Break counsellors are long-time, veteren theatre campers themselves, either with Act One or elsewhere.
They have an intimate knowledge and love of what a theatre camp program has to offer. Campers will have the opportunity to participate in both individual and group activities where they will experience both the value as well as the fun of both personal accomplishment and working as part of a team.

March Break Theatre Camp
General Camp Schedule

 (Please note that with the exception of Wednesday's Pizza Lunch and the Friday, March 14th afternoon Camp Show , the scheduling for other events may be changed due to unanticipated circumstances, etc)

Friday, March 7th
(Optional day)

Morning
  • Campers will spend the day at Act One School
  • Introductory games to help everyone get to know each other.
  • More fun and games
Lunch: Campers responsible for their own food and drinks
Afternoon
  • Even more theatre games
  • Broadway Karaoke Hour for campers to have fun singing their favorite Broadway Musical songs
  • "Quick scenes" - campers divide into small groups and are assisted in creating and performing their own short scenes for their fellow campers.
Monday, March 10th Morning:
  • Campers bussed to Greenwood Community Centre and Park
  • Getting to know everyone
  • Break into groups
  • Theatre Games
  • Outdoor Activities (weather permitting)
Lunch: Campers responsible for their own food and drinks
Afternoon
  • Break into groups
  • Games and actvities to present and review basic theatre and acting concepts
  • Counsellors lead their groups in a discussion regarding what the campers would like their camp play to be about.
  • Groups work on the outlines of their plays
Tuesday, March 11th Morning:
  • Campers will spend the day at Act One School
  • More theatre games and activities
Lunch: Campers responsible for their own food and drinks
Afternoon
  • Campers break into their groups and continue to write and develop their plays.
  • Improvisation Break - Campers are introduced to basic concepts of Improvisation and participate in both general Improv games as well as specific Improv exercises to help them discover new possibilities for their plays
  • Campers continue to refine and expand their plays
Wednesday, March 12th Morning
  • Campers bussed to Greenwood Community Centre and Park
  • More theatre games and activities
  • Outdoor Activities (weather permitting)
Lunch: Pizza Lunch Day - Pizza, drinks and snacks will be provided
Afternoon
  • "Broadway Karaoke" - campers can have fun singing their favorite Broadway Musical song numbers.
  • Break into groups to workshop and rehearse their group plays
  • Production Session - Campers are introduced to the production components of plays (ie. lighting, sound, propos and costumes, etc) and how they can enhance the performance.
  • Campers establish the production plans for their plays.
Thursday, March 13th Morning:
  • Campers will spend the day at Act One School
  • More theatre games and activities - both planned and camper-choice
Lunch: Campers responsible for their own food and drinks
Afternoon
  • Technical Session: Campers experiement with their production ideas in rehearsing their plays. They will learn how a regular play would incorporate these componets into the finished show.
  • Theatre Fun & Games: campers choice of their favorite games from the week.
  • Live rehearsals: Campers get to watch each others' plays and share feedback and ideas with each other.
Friday, March 14th Morning:
  • Campers will spend the day at Act One School
  • Groups have final opportunities to rehearse their plays with lighting, sound, costumes and set pieces
Lunch: Campers responsible for their own food and drinks
Afternoon
  • Break into groups for final dress rehearsal of group plays
  • March Break Camp Showcase 2:30-4:30pm
  • Each group will perform their play live on Act One's stage for family and friends (admission free / Complimentary refreshments provided)
  • Final good-byes.
  • Parents free to pick-up their children after show finish.

Our March Break Theatre Camp session is capped at a maximum 40 campers. Act One has found this to be a good balance between allowing the fun of a large group and the desire to give every camper adequate individual attention and performance opportunity and ensuring proper supervision.

To accomplish this, we divide the March Break campers into age appropriate groups (ie. 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13) of a maximum of 10 campers per group. A counsellor is then assigned to each group, yielding a maximum 1:10 staff to camper ratio, and taking responsibility for the campers in their group.

Throughout the week various theme days may be highlighted. Designed to foster participation and imagination, these are used as the foundation for campers to help communicate who they are themselves as well as to discover, understand and appreciate the similarities and differences between themselves and their fellow campers.

Like with our summer camps, we realize that camp can't be all fun and games. Sometimes you have to eat! In recognition of this fact, Wednesday, March 12th is Pizza Day. Students are invited to pick from a range of pizza choices and drinks and these are then delivered to the camp. It is our hope that this serves as a fun mid-point from which campers can reflect back on what they've accomplished the past couple of days and to look forward to Thursday and Fridays events.

While half the week is dedicated to drama games and other fun theatre activities, our camp is also designed to help foster performance confidence and experience in a fun and inclusive manner. For part of each camp day, each group will spend time with their counsellor conceiving ideas for their own unique short play. Under the supervision of their counsellor, each group will then spend Monday and Tuesday developing and writing their production. Wednesday and Thursday will provide them with opportunities to workshop and rehearse it. Friday morning is reserved for final dress and technical rehearsal and then Friday afternoon, each group will perform their play on Act One's fully-equipped performance stage.

Family and friends are invited, indeed encouraged, to come and help the campers celebrate what they have created and experienced over the week. Not only will it be a fun event but it provides a unique opportunity for parents and guardians to meet and talk with the camp counsellors if they have any questions and share experiences with fellow parents.

Each play will be between 15 and 25 minutes in length. The show will begin at 2:20pm and should be finished by about 4:30pm. Admission is free and complimentary refreshments are provided.
Following the show, parents are free to take their children home or if the campers wish, to let them enjoy the final few hours and last bus ride back to the school, where they can be picked up later after saying their final good-byes to counsellors and fellow campers alike.

March Break Theatre Camp - 2008 - Details
     
Camp Session Info:    
Session
Length
Dates
Fee
Regular Camp
5 Days

March 10 through March 14

$200+GST
Optional 6th day [1]
1 Day

Friday, March 7

$40+GST

Available Discount Options:
  • 5% discount for existing Act One Students or Act One 2007 Theatre Summer Campers.
  • 5% discount for the second or more members of same family.
  • 5% referral discount for each new camper [2] referred to the camp by or accompanying an existing March Break camper. This 5% applies to both the referring and newly referred camper.

    Special Notes:
    1. Students can register for the optional Friday, March 7th either as a one day activity or as an additional day added to the regular 5-day camp.
    2. A new camper is defined as someone who has not attended Act One's classes or camps in the previous 3 years (ie.2006-2008)
      .








Camp Location Info:

On Tuesday, Thursday and both Fridays, the Camp is located at the Act One School location. On Monday and Wednesday, the camp is located at Greenwood Community Centre.

Greenwood Community Centre is located in northern Pickering. It is about 20 minutes drive from Brock Rd and Bayly St. Located just south of Highway 7, between Brock Rd in Pickering and Westney Rd in Ajax, it is readily available from both east and west. It is situated in the Hamlet of Greenwood, just east of Pickering's Historic Pickering Museum Village.

March Break Campers will be bussed from Act One at 9:15am to the Greenwood Community Centre in Greenwood Park on Monday, March 10th and Wednesday, March 12th. . They return to Act One at 4:30pm. Parents will still drop-off and pick-up campers directly from the Act One school.

Early drop-off from 7:30 to 8:30am and Late pick-up from 5:00 to 6:00pm are still available on these days and will still be at the school itself.

Any student unfortunately arriving after the bus has left in the morning will be required to obtain their own transportation to the camp location. Early pick-up can also be arranged for those students with other commitments or appointments on specific days.

Other March Break Theatre Camp Info:

Campers are responsible for provision of the following items:

  1. Their own lunch and snacks each day (with the exception of the Wednesday, March 12th Pizza Day).
  2. Appropriate Winter Outdoor clothing for the Monday and Wednesday at Greenwood Community Centre
  3. Water and any other drinks (Water is available at the school for $0.50/bottle)
  4. Spare sweater or t-shirt, etc.
  5. Various miscellaneous materials as may be requested by the camper's counsellor.