With summer conservatory programs in Oakland, Lafayette and San Francisco, the California Shakespeare Theater brings the theater of the Bard to hundreds of Bay Area young people every summer. During the mornings, students learn theatrical skills such as acting, physical comedy, stage combat, text analysis and improvisation, while during the afternoon's, the students rehearse an adapted work of Shakespeare for a public performance at the end of the program.
The session, open to students in grades 6 through 12, lasts five weeks and lasts from 9 am until 3 pm daily. Professional actors, theatrical teaching artists and teachers with artistic backgrounds run the classes, which engage the students in the complex language and historical context found in Shakespeare's plays.
California Shakespeare Theater
Summer Shakespeare Conservatory
701 Heinz Avenue
Berkeley CA 94710
510-548-9666
calshakes.org
Located in Livermore, The smArtsunlimited summer theater camp ActSmart, provides theater training for ages 3 to 17. The program features two groups, one that provides camp classes for ages 3 to 10 and a second group for the older kids, aged 11 to 17. The camp teaches stage craft, costume designing, singing and acting among other theatrical skills. During lunch breaks, the campers get time outside in local parks and swimming pools.
The camp lasts six weeks and children involved in the camp perform a show at the end of the experience. One of the unique aspects of the camp is that the young thespians are allowed to work on a role for two weeks before the role becomes their responsibility at the final performance. The program believes this gives the actor a better understanding of the show and their own abilities.
SmARTSunlimited
53 Wright Brothers Avenue, Suite D
Livermore, CA 94551
925-245-0283
smartsunlimited.com
A perfect training program for high school students with an interest in a future career in theater, UCLA's High School Acting and Performance Institute focuses on introducing young actors to the rigors of acting. The program revolves around classes in improvisation, scene study and stage movement among others. Students enrolled the program do have the possibility of earning up to four college credits upon completion.
The program, which takes place on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, lasts six weeks and classes meet five days a week beginning at 9 am and lasting until 3:30 pm. In the morning students study movement fundamentals of acting, scene study and improvisation and then following a lunch break, the afternoon session consists of a performance workshop. This workshop involves rehearsing a staged production, which is performed on the final day of the program.
UCLA High School Acting & Performance Institute
Deptartment of Theater
405 Hilgard Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-206-7217
tft.ucla.edu