Act One Update

This notice provides an update on the students' June 2021 year end performances, the status of the 2021 Theatre Summer Camp August sessions, and initial information on the school's upcoming 2021/22 classes.

June 2021 Year End Performances Update:
The instructors and I hope that all students enjoyed their year end performances. Our main regret was that there was no opportunity to allow the students to gain experience performing in front of a live audience or for family and friends to directly celebrate the students’ accomplishments. As a result, we pursued the next best option, to still allow the students to perform under “show conditions” (ie stage lights and sound, etc) and record their work.
As time permits throughout July, I will be editing all the show recordings and when each class show is complete, I will send an e-mail to the families of the students in that class, advising how they can watch the final performance. I can not predict exactly when this will happen for each individual class, but I am aiming to have all shows completed by end of July.
There will be two options available:
• On-line Streaming: As the videos are completed, I will be uploading them to the school's on-line streaming account. I will then send all the families a link which they can use to watch it.
• Show Disc: I will also be preparing individual show discs for each show. Once they are available, all students can request a free copy, if they wish. Additional copies can also be obtained at a cost of $5 each.


2021 Theatre Summer Camp Update:
Act One’s decision to offer summer sessions this July and August was in a large part based on the expectation that the school would be air-conditioned by this point in the year. With the increasing incidence of serious heatwaves in southern Ontario during the summer, I felt to run any indoor summer program without it these days, risks exposing young campers to significant heat risks and parents to unwanted stress and worry. It was with this objective in mind that I undertook a sizeable investment through my landlord to install air conditioning in the school facility.
It was supposed to be installed in early June, in time for the July sessions, but had to be delayed until mid-July, due to COVID-related component shortages and delivery delays. As a result, we cancelled our two July sessions. I did not want to risk campers and staff being in the school, while the A/C was still not operational and have a heatwave (like the one currently being experienced out west) hitting us.
I have now been informed that the HVAC contractor will have all the necessary A/C parts early next week and they will be doing the installation during the July 16-21st timeframe. This means I can now officially confirm that our two sessions in August will proceed as planned. Both still have some spots available. The two sessions are:
• Session III: August 3rd to 13th
• Session IV: August 16th to 27th


On-line registration and camp details are now available via the Camps section of the Act One school website
As mentioned previously, even with COVID cases on the decline, present health guidelines will require some changes for 2021. These will be:
• Location: Camp sessions will be held at the Act One School location (all City of Pickering locations, such as Greenwood, are remaining closed to third party use for the entire summer).
• Program Adjustment: Camp programs will again be adapted for physical distancing and mask requirements, as well as any other required Durham Region health protocols. Precise details may change over the rest of July but they likley will mirror most of what Act One implemented last summer.
• Session Capacity: 21 campers
• Session Ages Range: 6-14.
• Camper Performances: TBD - At this point we are anticipating video-taped only (No live audience). Depending on yet-to-be-published final Stage 3 guidelines, we may have the opportunity to consider allowing a limited live audience (ie 1 guest per camper).
2021-22 Classes:

After all the COVID-induced uncertainty of the past two years, Act One is currently anticipating and planning towards a return to our regular Fall and Winter program format and schedules. This is based on our hopes that the current vaccination progress and decline in COVID cases continues on pace throughout the rest of the summer.

This means that for 2021/22, we will be offering a 36-week schedule of weekly classes, divided into two 18-week Fall and Winter Terms. We are also anticipating being able to again present live audience performance opportunities for the students. As in the past, these would include the end of Fall Term Winter Cabaret, the mid-Winter Term Weekend of Monologues and the end of June Year End performances.

The school website has been updated with all relevant information for the upcoming year and on-line registration will be available as of August 1st. It is available in the Classes section.

I will be providing a further update, in early August, on what COVID protocols will be in place for the Fall Term. I am hoping by then, the provincial government and local health authorities will have had enough time to publish clear guidelines for all of us.

If anyone wishes to discuss the above or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Act One's  camp staff and I look forward to seeing all the August session campers in a few weeks  and the school's instructors are already looking forward to a return to a more "normal" school year in the Fall.

We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer season as we hopefully enter into the final phase of the pandemic.

Sincerely,

Mark Nathanielsz

Owner/Artisitic Director