A-Camp General Information

NOTE:

A-Camp is held on the Prospect Sierra Middle School Campus, 951 Avis Drive (corner of Moeser, one block above CCCT), El Cerrito. Although you drop your child off at Prospect Sierra Middle School in the morning, you pick up your child in the afternoon at CCCT.

Camp Hours: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday

CCCT Hotline (for emergencies only): (510) 524-9012 Please call before 8:30am or after 4:00pm if your child will be absent or late. You can call 524-9132 to leave a message.

Child drop off: 9:00 a.m. Prospect Sierra Middle School 951 Avis Drive (corner of Moeser, one block above CCCT)

Child pick up: 4:00 p.m. Contra Costa Civic Theatre 951 Pomona Ave. (at Moeser one block below Prospect Sierra Middle School), El Cerrito

Attendance

Every day of camp is important. Much of the work we will be doing is dependent on having fellow actors present and ready to work. Therefore, any absences will not only limit your understanding of the next day’s activities, but also will be letting down other campers. Please try to not to schedule any other appointments during your session of camp. If you are ill, please have your parents call in the morning before camp has started.

First Day of Camp

Auditions

Every camper must come prepared with a one – two minute monologue to be presented on the first day of camp. This audition will help us assess your comfort level on stage and your strengths as an actor. Everyone will have a scene to do for the final performance. The earlier we can get to know you, the sooner we can cast you in an appropriate scene. A list of FAQs about auditioning can be found on www.ccct.org. We encourage you to look at this as it provides excellent information regarding auditioning, selecting materials, etc.

Parents

Parents are welcome to stay for the first hour of camp, when we will be describing the activities of the two weeks and warming up. We request that parents leave before the audition process begins.

Daily guidelines

Every day is started with warm ups - physical, vocal, and mental. It is very important to be on time so that you can prepare for the rest of the day’s activities.

Clothing

Please wear clothes appropriate for movement every day. This means nothing too loose or too tight and that skirts may not always be appropriate for class. There will be times when we will work up a sweat, feel free to bring a change of clothes for after the movement section. Shoes should cover both toes and heels (i.e. no flip-flops). Campers with longer hair will need to wear their hair off the face, or bring hair bands, etc. to pull hair back. Large or dangling jewelry is also not a good idea.

Warm-Ups

Warm-ups will begin at 9:00 a.m. and they will last for 30 minutes. They will include a physical warm up, a vocal warm up that will teach you a series of articulation phrases, and focus games that will build on the previous days' exercises.

The following topics will be our basic subject areas for each day of camp.

Movement

We will be using a series of different types of movement exercises designed specifically for the actor. This is not a dance class. We will be using improvisation-based movement that will open up your range as an actor to create characters and express emotions.

Acting and Character Building

We will work on creating characters using exercises that rely on imagination and imitation of the world around you. We may also study some basic acting concepts. At-home preparation and class presentation will be a large part of this subject area.

Lunch and Snack

Every Camper must bring a lunch daily. There will not be a refrigerator or microwave available. We will eat in the park with CCCT's regular Summer Drama Camp students. We will provide a snack in the late afternoon as well. Students may bring their own snack if they prefer.

Scene Work

Most afternoons will be dedicated to working on scenes. We will begin with text analysis and build towards blocking and character choices. All campers will work on a two or three person scene from a published play. Casting the scenes will be based on the most appropriate camper for the part.

Improvisation (Improv)

We will learn about the basic rules of improvisation and use improvisation as a tool to learn more about acting. Also, we’ll try out some different improv game ‘formats’ and play them regularly.

Performance

The final performance will take place at 4:30 pm on the last Friday of camp on CCCT’s stage. The performance will include the prepared scenes as well as a sampling of exercises we have worked on throughout the two weeks. Friends and family are invited to attend the performance.

Philosophy

CCCT is dedicated to ensuring a positive theatrical learning experience for every camper. CCCT stresses process, not product. We focus on learning about theater and discourage competition. We are here to instill a love of the theatre in every young person and hope that our non-judgmental environment will encourage each camper to express his or her full personality.