Last Day!

CONGRATULATIONS, CAMPERS!  It was a fabulous performance and you should all be very proud of yourselves!
A few final words from our performers:


Lilia - " I did a song on stage.  I did a run-thru for the show!  I saw Little Shop of Horrors.  I had a great last day today."


Eloise - "This camp is great!  It's fun and you should definitely go here!  It's got a great performing arts section!  Go there today!"


Clara - "I can't believe it is the last day!  This week was awesome!!"

Tomorrow is the Final Performance!

Today, we had a full run-through of our show which will be tomorrow at 2 PM!  We hope to see a big crowd!  We have some fun pictures to share from today and a few more campers want to add their own words to our blog.

First, Libby W. writes, "Camp is cool!"

Raya D. shares, "July 29, 2010.  Tomorrow is the show.  it will be really fun.  I am singing 2 songs.  We learned the rest of them today."

Mackenzie R. wanted us to post, "Well, there is not much to say... but today we did rehearsal and changed a few things in the dances.  I had a fun day.  I got in trouble by Ms. S. because we were playing monkey in the middle and the ball hit her on accident but it was still funny so we still wanted to play monkey in the middle so we went outside and had a lot of fun but it was still hot.  Tomorrow is the big day.  We've been working hard on the performance!!  Yea!  I am so happy but I am sad tomorrow is also the last day of camp.  I had a lot of fun.  It was the best day ever today.  Bye!"

Storrie H. said, "Today we started a new movie.  It's called Little Shop of Horrors.  So far it's pretty good."

Tessie K. finished with, "Today we learned all of 76 Trombones.  The performance is tomorrow.  I'm really excited!"

Wacky Wednesday - July 28th

Rowen wrote for the blog:
"This camp is very fun. Best camp I've ever been to!  The counselors are nice.  We do fun things all day!"

We are well on our way!  Campers have memorized their songs and are busy working on remembering their steps for the show on Friday!  There is so much energy and excitement!  I can't believe camp is almost over.

  

Here we are working on Seventy Six Trombones!

Another Day at Camp - July 27th

Tessie K. shared some thoughts in her journal and offered them up for our blog.  She writes, "In camp we are working on a song called Happiness.  Something that makes me happy is friendship.  Love makes me happy.  In Happiness, Lily, Silvia, and I have to pretend we are sisters."

Lilia M. wrote, "Today I sang another song.  I saw Oklahoma but other people call it Ohio.  I played outside and I danced!"

Storrie H. had this to say: "Today we watched a good movie.  This week is dancing and singing.  We are singing Happiness and Seventy Six Trombones.  I can not WAIT to do it on Friday."

Mackenzie R. added, "Today we mostly got the song One Short Day down and the other song.  Then we got to play Twister and it was so fun and funny because people pushed me and I pushed them and I made another friend and today was such a funny day.  It was great!  Just how I like it!  Ha Ha Ha!"

Musical Theater - Day One

Today our campers got a start on the pieces they will be performing on Friday at 2PM in the lower school auditorium.   Heather White, our choreographer, took the lead working with half groups on steps.  We also sent each camper home with their own sheet music and CD of songs so they can practice singing them throughout the week.

Raya D. reports, "Today is the 3rd week.  We have new people.  It is fun!  Ms. White came.  She taught us a song called Happiness!"

Priyanka J. wrote, "Today we learned our song, One Short Day.  We also learned our dance."

Rowan added, "Dear Journal, I am going to put on a play about happiness.  Performing arts camp is a lot of fun.  We get to go swimming."

Scenes & Monologues Performance Today: July 23, 2010

Today, we had our final dress rehearsal in preparation for our end of the week showcase!  The campers are so excited about performing.

Erica B. would like to report, "We have had lots of fun this week doing our scenes and monologues."
Here's our Natalie performing a little bit of her piece.

Advice and a Performance from Mr. David McCullough and a Field Trip to Stagecrafters Theatre in Chestnut Hill - July 22, 2010

Today's Camp Reporters:

• Lilia M. - "Today I went to Stagecrafters to learn about the stage, lights, and sound.  I also saw where the performers put makeup on and change!  And on the stage there was a trap door!  It was fun!
• Raya D. - "Today we went to Stagecrafters.  It was fun!"
• Natalie B. - " We went to Stagecrafters.  We got to try on dresses and see the green room.  It was really cool!"

Here is David McCullough (3rd grade teacher at Springside School) with our camper Colin performing some Shakespeare for our campers.  He also spoke about method acting!

Later, we visited the Stagecrafters Theatre in Chestnut Hill.  Susan Mooers kindly gave us a spectacular tour of the facilities, sharing some history of the theatre, and letting us try on costumes and practice some of our monologues.  She even gave us a back-stage tour of the green room, the dressing rooms, the props storage, and even the lights and sound booth!  

THANKS SO MUCH TO DAVID MCCULLOUGH AND SUSAN MOOERS!

Kyle Dandridge visits our camp!

Today our campers had a real treat!  They were able to work with Kyle Dandridge (see our profiles in earlier blogs to learn more about Kyle).  Kyle worked with our kids to develop more stage presence.  He played games with us, like mirroring, and talked with our performers about how to be more expressive on stage.  Here is a picture of Kyle teaching us some warm up exercises for actors.

Also, our great and talented counselors performed their own monologues today!  Bravo, ladies!  Thanks for sharing your own wonderful talents with us!

Special Thanks to Brie and Victoria!

Today, our campers learned a lot about creating characters using different techniques.  They practiced different ways of walking and changing the tones of their voices to show emotion.  Brie and Victoria ran a terrific workshop.  We are so grateful for their time and energy!  The campers loved every minute of it!

Kira Q. reported, "Today two actors came to camp.  They were awesome!"

Yofi G. said, "Today I made masks and visitors came to help.  The masks were cool!"

Storrie H. wants everyone to know, "On Thursday we are going on a field trip and on Friday we are having a show and I am really excited!"

Lastly, Raya D. writes in her journal, "Today we did scenes.  We did some and then we got our own.  My buddy is Storrie."

July 19th, 2010 Slideshow

Monologues & Scenes

Today marked the beginning of our second week of Performing Arts Camp.  Several campers wanted to include some thoughts in our blog and here they are.

Natalie B. - "Last week I put on a skit called Neverland 911 and I did a lot behind the stage.  This week we practice monologues, being loud and clear."

Kira B. - "Mon. July 19, 2010.  Today I had a monologue.  It's a kind of play.  I had one about how cats are awesome."

Erica B. - "Today we got to have lots of fun doing lots of things and we got to read monologues to the other girls and boys.  I was so happy it is a new week because we get to do different things from last week and I am looking forward to the week. I wrote this at 1:50 pm."

Raya D. - "July 19, 2010.  Today we did monologues.  It was really fun.  Mine was called Molly!


Yofi G. - "Today I got to see new kids!"

Here our performer, Claire S., is pictured practicing her chosen monologue.  "I LOVE it!" she exclaimed.

Showcase Performance Today at 2PM

Today's Camp Reporters:

• Raya D. writes in her journal "Today is the show.  It is going to be fun!"
• Maeve Mc. adds, "This is the best camp EVER!
• And finally, Claire S. says, "Camp is fun!  I like camp because I can express my emotions in my acting and the counselors help a lot!!!  They are funny and kind.  I love camp so, so, so much!"

A HUGE Thanks to Gerre Garrett from The Waitstaff Comedy Improv Troupe!

Yesterday we had the honor of working with local professional comedian Gerre Garrett.  She had many wonderful questions for our campers and they were completely engaged in each activity.  Her energy was high, her advice for our performers was great, and everyone had a grand time!

Thanks Gerre!

Heather White - Guest Choreographer during Week Three

Heather has been singing, dancing, and acting since childhood. She earned her BFA in Theatre Direction from the University of Rhode Island in 2005. In 2009, she completed her Masters in Theatre at Villanova University. She has worked with children of all ages in choir, dance, and theatre productions. Favorite credits include teaching after-school dance class at Old Greenwich School in Connecticut, and directing and choreographing Disco Inferno at Lansdale Catholic High School. Heather can't wait to work the talented kids at Springside's Performing Arts Camp!

Capoeira with Dallas: Day Three

Thanks to Dallas for spending so much time with our group yesterday.  It was fantastic! 

Special Thanks to Letta Brown!

Letta Brown was our guest performer this morning.  She talked with our campers about her experiences in theatre and a little about all the different types of jobs she has had.  This fall she is the director of The Stagecrafters Spooky Halloween Stories event.  Be sure to check out this local production which includes a great costume contest for kids including prizes!  

www.thestagecrafters.org

Finola Goudy - C.I.T. (Counselor in Training)

Finola has loved theater and music all of her life. She has been dancing Ballet at the Rock School ever since she was four. She has been playing the harp since she was five and played in the Middle School Orchestra for three years. She currently is taking voice lessons and was a member of the Middle School Select Choir for three years. She has been in plays such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. She has been in musicals such as Seussical, Beauty and the Beast and Songs for a New World. She has been accepted into a theater program in New York called Broadway Artists Alliance and will be going to a three day workshop there this summer. She is looking forward to being a CIT at Performing Arts Camp this summer!!! 

Gerre Garrett - Special Guest during Week One

Gerre Garrett holds an MA in Theatre from Villanova University and is a creative dramatics specialist. She has directed productions ranging from Thornton Wilder’s, Our Town with a cast of 30 middle school students to the Philadelphia premier of Dan Butler’s one-man show, The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me.  In addition to her work as a Teaching Artist for Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Gerre has been an adjunct theater instructor at Drexel, Widener, Villanova and Cabrini College. She writes and performs for the Philadelphia-based sketch comedy troupe, The Waitstaff. Her voice is heard locally in industrial films and commercials, and nationally on two television series for the Discovery Network. Acting credits include Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge, Misery,Dancing at Lughnasa, Requiem for a Heavyweight and One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. 

Reporters for Day Two

Raya D. - "Today is the 2nd day and it has been really fun.  I liked the chair game."

Rachel H. - "Today I loved playing all the games like Freeze, Freeze with a Prop, Pantomime Walking Through..., Get Out of the Chair, and Is it Time Yet?  All these games are improv games."

Erica B. - "We were still working on improvisation and a lady came in (Letta Brown) to show us some stuff about improv.  We got to practice a funny poem then act it out to the rest of the group, then the catch was you can't use props or anything.  So the day has been very well so far.  I wrote this at ... 1:56 PM."

Leah M. - "Today was fun.  I love the skits!  It's so much fun to be different people and stuff like that.  The games are so fun!  I love Freeze with a Prop and pantomime walking through.  I'm having a great time!"

Yofi G - "Today I had a great day.  I did skits, wrote, and played."

Comedy & Improv Slideshow: Day One

Week One: Day 1

Today was our introduction to improvisation and comedy.  We performed one-liners, comedy skits, and played many fun games.   Two of our campers submitted journal entries to be shared on our blog.
Maeve M. says, "I had fun doing the skits.  Miss S. and Leah were very helpful.  It's only the 1st day and I'm already having a great time!"
Natalie B. reports, "I liked Neverland 911 and Mrs. Claus Dumps Santa... two very funny comedies."
We are looking forward to planning for our showcase performance!

Letta Brown - Special Guest during Week One

Letta Brown is experienced in many facets of the theatre and entertainment business.  Aside from performing on stage at various local theaters such as Old Academy Players and The Stagecrafters, she has also been stage manager, props master, announcer, lighting, sound, and even script supervisor.  In addition, Letta has worked as a production assistant on several films.  She has had professional training at both the Freedom Theatre and the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.  Welcome Letta!  We look forward to working with you!

Karah Barrist - C.I.T. (Counselor in Training)

I love theater. I've been acting for a few years and this is my 4th year at Performing Arts Camp at Springside.  I recently started dancing and I've been singing since I was a baby. When I was a baby, I would wake up in the morning and sing made up songs in my crib and my mom would listen to me. I play the piano. the flute, the viola and I love them all. Plays I've been in include: Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts), The Wizard of Oz (Soldier and Witch dancer), Alice in Wonderland (Mock Turtle), Peter Pan (Mermaid), Annie (Molly), Honk! (Downy), The King and I (Princess Tuptim) and a few others.

Catherine Pappas - Special Guest Director during Week Two

Catherine Pappas is a well-known member of The Stagecrafters in Chestnut Hill.  She has been involved in some way in theatre in various capacities for close to three decades.  Cate has directed productions of The Ride Down Mount Morgan, A View From the Bridge, Room Service, Coyote on a Fence, Noises Off, Intimate Apparel, Almost Maine, and most recently The Fantasticks.  We have also seen her on stage in The Vampyre, Ravencroft, Book of Days, Red Herring, Plaza Suite, and a staged reading of Three Tall Women.  Cate holds a B.F.A. in Theater from the University of Wisconsin, and when "off the boards", she is Project Manager for Ticket Philadelphia.

Mary Ann Domanska - Camp Director

Mary Ann Domanska began her stage career performing as “Audrey” in Little Shop of Horrors.  She performed as several lead characters for five seasons with the professional outdoor drama, From This Day Forward in Valdese, NC.  Her love of acting grew and she received her B.F.A. in performing arts from Emerson College in Boston, MA, and took advanced acting classes under the renowned method acting coach, Kristin Linklater.  After graduating, she headed for Los Angeles where she worked as a script reader for MGM, and as an assistant for Gilla Roos Casting Agency in Beverly Hills, and for The International Documentary Association in Hollywood.  She also appeared as an extra in several movies and TV shows.  Following her stint in LA, she returned east where she performed in The Taming of the Shrew for the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, and in an original production for the Wilmington Playwrights Festival.

Locally, Mrs. Domanska has performed in plays at Allens Lane Art Center in Mt. Airy, at Stagecrafters in Chestnut Hill, and in several dinner theatres in New Jersey.  She also ran an after school enrichment class in theatre for young children.  She received her M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Chestnut Hill College and has been teaching at Springside School for seven years.  Aside from being a second grade teacher, Mrs. Domanska is also a Junior Girl Scout Troop Leader.  Finally, her most important job is that of mother to Clara Domanska, a rising fifth grader, also at Springside.

BRIE KNIGHT - Special Guest Performer during Week Two

Thanks to her parents, Ms. Knight has always been immersed in culture and the arts.  It is Ms. Knight’s pleasure to share her love and passion for the arts with youth.  Awarded the 2006 MAD Dragon Best Producer Award and a graduate of Drexel University’s Film & Video B.A program in 2006, Ms. Knight is currently the Director of Operations for a Philadelphia based non-profit organization, GreenTreks Network, Inc – specializing in environmental awareness and responsibility through educational materials such as websites and documentaries.

Ms. Knight has also taught theatre and film with Creative Origins, Inc. in 2006 to youth in West Philadelphia.  Ms. Knight has developed and facilitated a filmmaking class with middle school students for the first Philadelphia Youth Film Festival in conjunction with the Philadelphia School District.  Ms. Knight has also taught (and acted) with BuildaBridge, Philadelphia Young Playwrights and Conflict Resolution Theatre.

Also a local actor, Ms. Knight has been recently seen on various Philadelphia stages with Allens Lane, The Drama Group, Stagecrafters and Plays and Players.  Ms. Knight also serves on the Education Committee for Plays and Players and is the newly appointed Director of Education for First World Theatre Ensemble.  Up next for Ms. Knight:  performing in the Washington, D.C Fringe Festival, continuing to build and grow her organization S.T.I.N.G (Supporting Theatre Implementation and Networking Group – a local group dedicated to aiding local artists with their networking and craft building) and finishing up her first crack as a playwright!

NATALIE SMITH - Senior Counselor

Natalie has been involved in acting, singing and dancing for most of her life. She has been singing since she could talk and began taking voice lessons at the age of 12. She has been trained in both musical theatre and classical music and continues to study at Settlement Music School in Germantown with Katherine Mallon-Day. Her love of the theatre began in 6^th grade when she was cast as “The Queen” in a school “hip hop” version of The Magic Flute. Since this show, Natalie has been in over ten different productions and has been featured in both lead and supporting roles. Some of these roles include Sharpay in High School Musical, Mrs. Webb in Our Town, and Maria in The Sound of Music. In addition to extensive theatre work Natalie has also worked on two short student films, one in which she played a leading role. In addition to acting and singing, Natalie has also been trained in jazz, tap, ballet and hip hop at Le Roux School of Dance and has taken choreography classes at Springside School. In school, Natalie has been involved in Springside’s a cappella group, Laurelai, and has been an active member of Players (a performing arts group) all four years of high school. Natalie plans to continue acting at Penn State University next fall where she has been accepted into their prestigious B.A. Acting program.

KYLE DANDRIDGE - Special Guest Performer during Week Two

Kyle is a cha alum and lifer. He graduated in 1997 and was awarded the on-stage dramatics award as a member of Players. While at the George Washington University he worked as a promotional model, and assistant casting director, and studied theater at the Wooly Mammoth Theater Company. He has appeared in several student and independent films and has done extra work for viacom and cbs. Recent theater creds include Member of the Wedding(Honey Camden Brown), To Kill a Mockingbird(Tom Robinson), Bad Seed(Leroy), Intimate Apparell(George Armstrong), Almost Maine(Lendall and Randy), John Henry in my Face(Busby Brown), A Soldiers Play(Tony Smalls), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot(Jesus), and The Fantastiks(The Mute). This fall he will be playing Lysander in A Midsummer's Night Dream. All productions were at Allen Lane, Old Academy Playhouse and The Stagecrafters. Kyle has also assisted Debbie Gress since she took over Players in fall '06. An aspiring screenwriter trying to make a sale, Kyle lives by the mantra "you do TV to be seen, you do film to make money, and you do theater to get good". Passion, Persistance, and Patience are paramount.

JESSICA SATRYAN - Artistic Director

Jessica Satryan teaches music and drama in the Middle and Upper Schools at Springside School.  She also acts as Music Director for the CHASS Players.  Jessica graduated magna cum laude from Grove City College with a Bachelor of Music in music education.  She also earned a Master of Arts degree in theatre from Villanova University, where she completed her performance orals thesis project in directing.  Prior to teaching at Springside, Jessica worked for two years as the Vocal Director for Upper Merion Area High School’s spring musical.  She was also the Music Director for the 2008 and 2009 Consortium for the Arts summer theatre camp.