Theatre Eastern Offers Expanded Opportunities For Area Children
(Press Release 06-02-08)
Hank Mooney, Office of Public Information

Theatre Eastern is enrolling now for the annual Children’s Theatre Workshop Summer Arts program, hosted on the Wilburton campus of Eastern Oklahoma State College. This year’s program, A Stage Full of Stars,” which is funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, has expanded this year, and now there are more opportunities than ever for the children and teens in southeastern Oklahoma.

In the past, Summer Arts has been held during one week, with students in grades 3-12 attending sessions and working together. For the first time this year, CTW will be offering three camps for different age groups.

The first camp will begin Monday, June 9th and run through Friday, June 13th from 9am-3pm. This camp is for students who have completed grades 4-8, and they will have the opportunity to choose a drama or visual art curriculum in the morning and then choose from a variety of electives in the afternoon, including music, dance, acting, stage makeup, and more. The tuition for this camp will be $50 (which includes the camp t-shirt), with an extra $10 materials fee for those students enrolling in visual arts. Also, this year, visual art sessions will be held on campus with the other classes, and students will rotate to have an opportunity to try their hands at various art mediums. All students should bring a sack lunch each day, and the week will finish with a showcase for family and friends on Friday, June 13th at 3:30pm.

Then the following week, Monday, June 16th-Friday, June 20th, CTW will offer morning and afternoon camps. The morning camp, which will include a variety of Creative Dramatics and Art sessions, will be open to students who have completed grades 1-3 and will be held each day from 9am-12 Noon. The tuition will be $35 (which includes their camp t-shirt), and the week will end with a showcase for family and friends on Friday at Noon.

Also that week from 1-5pm, CTW will offer a special intensive workshop for students who have completed grades 9-12 only. These students will have the opportunity to take more in-depth sessions in three separate electives, ranging from dance to scene writing to rock and roll music and more. Tuition will be $35, and the week will end with a public showcase on Friday, June 20th at 7pm.

Summer Arts 2008 is open to all children and teens. The sessions will be taught by qualified arts instructors and experts in particular arts areas, and students do not need any previous experience or special equipment. Anyone who is interested in registering a child or teen for one of these camps can call Eastern theatre instructor, Melissa Lee – or campers can be registered on the first day by coming to Mitchell Auditorium at 9am on the first Monday of their camp (or 1pm for high school/new graduates). Limited scholarships are available based upon need and all parents who enroll their children by Friday, June 6th will receive a $5 discount off the price of each child’s tuition. For more information call Melissa Lee at 918-465-1758.

Caption info:

The Eastern Oklahoma State College Children's Theater Workshop 08 Summer Arts will offer three sessions this year, based on age. Three of the ’07 Summer Arts campers include from left, Rhett Minshall of Wilburton; Hanna Mooney, Wilburton and Hunter Soliday of Panola. Call 918-465-1758 for more information about the program.