Act One 2008 Theatre Summer Camp
Information Flyer

1. How can I register?

• The easiest way is to download the registration form from the link near the top right of this section. Just complete one form per camper and mail it in along with the required payment. If you are worried about availability, simply send us an e-mail indicating the name, age and desired session for each camper and state that the form will follow. So long as a session is not full, we will hold e-mail reservations for up to 14 days pending receipt of your completed registration form. We will usually be able to confirm receipt of all registrations within 48hrs. We can also accept registration forms by fax. As with e-mail notices above, we will hold faxed registrations for two weeks pending receipt of payment. If you wish, you can also drop the registration information off in an envelope directly at the school in our mailbox. For those wishing to register in person, forms are available in the school office. As we do not keep set hours, please call ahead to arrange for someone to be present when you wish to come by.
  

• Certainly. Act One understands that life is full of uncertainty. We try to be as fair and flexible as possible. Anyone is free to change between sessions or withdraw at anytime with a full refund, provided the session(s) involved are not at 80% or greater registration. Above that point changes or withdrawal are still possible but there may be an administrative fee applied. This limit is set because at 80%, Act One brings on another dedicated counselor to ensure we do not exceed our maximum staff to camper ratio of 1:5. Any administrative fee levied is almost entirely to compensate the staff member impacted by the change/withdrawal.
  

3. Can you explain your session costs?

• Our camp costs can be explained by the importance we have placed on providing all campers with a positive environment to discover and enjoy everything drama has to offer, while gaining priceless memories of new friends and personal accomplishments. This is reflected in much of our camp’s organization. Our sessions are two weeks rather than one in part to allow newer campers to gain the confidence and understanding necessary to have the same performance opportunities as experienced campers. We have secured a separate community centre and park from our school because we feel strongly that summer is meant to be spent outdoors wherever possible rather than cooped up inside (indeed in ancient times most theatre was actually performed outdoors). We arrange bussing to and from the camp to make the camp more convenient and accessible to families who might not be able to attend otherwise. We have set a maximum staff to camper ratio of 1:5 (with it usually being 1:4 or less) because we believe that in addition to safely running group activities,  it is equally important to ensure as much individual attention as a camper may require, especially in their initial days at the camp. Our Camp Director is dedicated solely to ensuring the enjoyment of the campers. Camp administrative duties are managed directly by the school to ensure camp staff can focus 100% of their time on the campers. We have a professionally installed and equipped performance stage, complete with sound and computerized lighting systems to provide the campers with the full theatrical performance experience at the end of their session. In addition, every year a portion of the profits is reinvested in new equipment and materials to help make the next year even better.
  

4. Will my child be with campers of the same age?

• Act One Theatre Summer Camps are for ages 5-14. We cap our sessions at 40 campers. This helps ensure we are able to provide all campers with the individual attention they may require yet still provide a flexible, fun group dynamic. While the entire group may be together for certain parts of each day, each session is divided up into groups of 6-10 campers with a maximum 3 years age differential (in most cases only 2 years difference). Each group is under the guidance of a counselor and a counselor-in-training. Each day the campers will be involved with a different aspect of theatre or drama. Breaking the campers into age-related groups allows the camp staff to tailor the depth and focus of the daily themes based on the ages of their group. This allows all campers a chance to explore theatre among their peers rather than be intimidated by older campers or feel like they are being held back by younger ones.
  

5. My child is interested in Drama but has little previous experience and is a bit nervous. How do you handle situations like this?

• This is a very common and completely understandable occurrence. Our staff has lots of experience with this camper situation. Indeed one of the key objectives of our camp is to provide the opportunity for a fun, supportive atmosphere where those new to drama can easily discover how enjoyable it is. This is the reason for much of the camp structure in terms of activities, groups and low staff to camper ratios. The main focus of the first two days is theatre games and other activities that encourage and facilitate campers to interact and bond with each other. In cases where a camper may need a little extra assistance, having at least two staff per group allows us the ability to simultaneously keep the group engaged while discreetly providing any required support and attention an individual camper may require.We have tried to do everything we can to sensitively and effectively help new campers through any initial nervousness. We are confident that we will be successful but if a camper still feels uncomfortable in any way, Act One allows any camper to withdraw at any time and we will refund all fees for the remaining outstanding session days.
  

6. My child would like to register with a friend. Is this possible and can they be in the same group?

7. I have already registered and paid for my child but am now referring another family, does the referral discount policy still apply?

8. Who are your camp staff?

• Our camp staff are all experienced at both drama and summer camp operations. Our Camp Director recently ran an all-summer intensive theatre camp program in the United States before returning to Canada. Our counselors are either current university students majoring in Drama or Drama in Education or have been with the camp since they themselves were young theatre campers. They all share a love of drama and an understanding of what it means to be a kid; both important factors in relating to today’s summer campers.
  

9. Why do you bus campers to Greenwood Park rather than have the camp at your school?

• While Act One has a professionally-equipped stage and studio, we hold the majority of our camps at Greenwood Park and Community Centre, just north of Pickering. We do this because we believe that in summer one should spend as much time as possible outdoors rather than being cooped up inside. At Greenwood we have access to the entire spacious and brightly lit upper floor of the community centre and free range of the rural park exterior. This gives our camp staff and the campers complete freedom, weather-permitting, to decide for themselves whether they would like to be outdoors in the fresh air or inside when the weather is not so good. We incur an additional cost for the bussing because we want to make it as convenient as possible for parents to allow their children to enjoy theatre in an outdoor, park setting. The show at the end of each session, where the campers will present and perform the short plays they create during their time with us is still performed on our professionally-equipped stage at the school's main studio.
  

10. Your regular sessions are two weeks. Can a camper only attend for one week?

• We do accommodate campers who can only attend for one week. We have built our camp around a two week program in part because we find two weeks superior to one for helping new and quieter campers gain the confidence and understanding to participate equally with more experienced campers in all performance opportunities. We do however understand that many families' summer schedules may not permit such a time commitment. Our program has planned for and can allow a certain number of one week campers in each session. As each week in our session has different activities and events, if you have the option, we strongly suggest you discuss with us first as to which week would be more enjoyable for your child. One week sessions are charged at 55% of the two week rate. All applicable discounts would still apply. We charge a slight premium because we include one-week campers in all staffing and other session plans as if they were with us for the full two weeks. We do this to ensure that the one-week campers have the same opportunities as the two-week ones and that the regular two-week campers do not suffer any disruptions on the weeks the one-week campers do not attend.
  
  

11. My child initially registered and attended for just one week but now wants to come back for a second. Can they do this and what would it cost?

• This happens quite frequently. Whatever the initial reason for only requesting one week, after it is over, many campers enjoy themselves so much they want to come back for a second week like they would have if they had registered for the full session. So long as there is space in the same or subsequent sessions, this is entirely possible. With respect to fees, we treat the second one-week session as the continuation of the first week, rather than a second one-week session. What this measn to the family is basically that instead of paying another 55%, they would simply pay the difference between the regular two week session rate and what they paid for the first week. As an example, ignoring all discounts, taxes, etc, if the basic two week rate is $430, then registering for just one week of the session would be $236.50. If the camper wanted to add a second week after that, this week would be $193.50 ($430-$236.50). This same policy would also apply if any camper were to change their registration from one to two weeks prior to attending the first session.
  
  

12. My work situation requires that I would have to drop my child off earlier than 8:30am and may not allow me to pick them up by 5:00. Will this be a problem?

• Certainly not. We understand the challenges of trying to work around job commitments. Act One offers early drop-off from 7:30-8:30am and late-pick-up from 5:00-6:00pm. Again we try to be as flexible as possible by making this an “as-needed” service. There is no requirement to book in advance. We simply record it when a camper uses the service and we settle up with parents at the end of the session. The cost is $5/hr, charged in 1/2hr increments, with a maximum charge of $30 per week regardless of how many extra hours you may use. We also charge by family regardless of the number of children attending the session rather than individual child. The majority of the fees collected for this service go directly to the camp’s counselors who operate this service and are used to help make these times more like extensions of the camp day rather than a “babysitting” service.