The Kenny and Marleen Alhadeff Performance Artist Experience
for grades 1-10
Performing Arts Camp is open to kids in grades 1-10, and is meant to be accessible to all levels of talent and theatrical experience. Local Northwest professional actors—from the 
5th Avenue Theater, Village Theatre, and more—will lead a variety of workshops for campers on everything from stage combat and dance to improv and singing to film acting and dialects. Campers will have opportunities to showcase their strengths while working on areas in which they feel less experienced, so they leave with increased confidence in new skills. Each session will culminate in a performance where campers can show off their newfound skills!
Performing Arts Camp builds self-esteem and confidence as it gathers campers into a unified company of performing artists. This ensemble is built on teamwork, collaboration and fun as it encourages young artists to learn and grow throughout the summer.
Campers will learn how to problem-solve, share in front of their peers, take turns, and use their voices, bodies, and imaginations to express themselves. Camp will not only educate young performers about the basic kills and techniques necessary to perform, but also prepares them for success in their everyday lives. Whether your child aspires to be a famous movie star or just wants a creative way to spend their summer, our program is highly structured and requires that every child is motivated to give their full attention and fully participate each day. All groups will participate in art, dance, music, and drama taught by our counselors with extensive performing arts training.
Campers also participate in daily outdoor recreation and swimming.
Drama
Theater fundamentals, games, and vocal exercises help campers learn to express themselves. They will feel theater up close through workshops with professionals from the Seattle theater community.
Backstage Theatre Production
Leading up to each session's final performance, campers will learn about backstage theatre production to give them a fuller understanding of set construction, lighting and sound design.
Music
Campers begin each day with our morning circle, where we learn traditional camp songs passed down from summer to summer. Campers also participate in music rotations where they cover popular songs and learn or create new tunes, while working to listen to their fellow performers and how to use their voices.
Dance
Through a study of technique and choreography, campers learn how to break down complicated routines into manageable steps. They gain flexibility, strength and stamina as they explore dance styles. Campers will become more comfortable in their bodies and learn to express themselves through movement.
Art
Campers participate in studio art classes using a wide variety of materials and inspirations. Some art classes revolve around set and costume design for final productions.
Field Trips
Field trips will include performances and trips to local beaches and parks, as well as annual favorites like the Family Fun Center and Remlinger Farms. Campers receive a well-rounded and dynamic learning experience through these field trips. We believe that a wide variety of life experiences help to cultivate knowledgeable and bright performing artists.
Summer Stock
Grades 7-10
All sessions
Summer Stock is a specialized program that gives older, more experienced campers the chance to exhibit their performance skills in a more intense and demanding environment. This is a great opportunity for past SJCC campers to continue the legacy and be a part of the community. Participants will work their own higher level performance for an end-of-session showcase. They will also spend time developing leadership skills and learning about what it means to be a mentor as they work with younger campers.
Performance Project
Grades 3-6
Session III only (July 29-August 16)
Audition for Performance Project! While Performing Arts Camp focuses on basic skill-building in a wide range of areas, Performance Project will focus on rehearsals for a full-scale production. Show titles will be announced closer to the audition dates.
Campers who plan to audition must prepare a 1-2 minute memorized monologue of their choosing. We recommend the monologue is taken from a play or another form of literature. Monologues that work best are those in which one character is talking to another character from whom they need something. Campers may be asked to repeat their monologue incorporating immediate input from the panel or improvise during the audition.
Campers who audition will receive email notification of casting decisions by Monday, June 3. Performance Project auditions will be held at our Mercer Island campus. Auditions will last 5-10 minutes. The Performing Arts Camp Director will contact campers to schedule their auditions.
LOCATIONS
SJCC MI Campus
3801 East Mercer Way
Mercer Island WA 98040
DATES
Session I: June 17-July 5 (no camp on Wednesday, July 4)
Session II: July 8-26
Session III: July 29-August 16
HOURS
Monday through Friday
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
COST
$600 per session
For more information, contact SJCC Camp Director Mark Rosenberg at MarkR@sjcc.org or 206-388-0830.
Meet Alicia Mendez, Performing Arts Camp Director
Alicia Mendez is a Pacific Northwest transplant from Salt Lake City, Utah. She holds a master’s degree in education from Pacific Lutheran University and spends the school year teaching 8th grade Language Arts in the Franklin School District, where she also coaches volleyball and softball.
Alicia has been directing youth drama camps and children’s theater since 2002. She has served as the Kids Camp Director at Centerstage Theatre and has directed productions there, as well as at the University of Utah’s Theater School for Youth. This summer she’s assistant directing Moon Over Buffalo at Second Story Repertory, and will direct Little Red Riding Hood next season for the company’s Theater for Young Audiences program. Alicia also has experience in many other technical aspects of theater, including costume design, props, and stage management.
As a performer, Alicia has appeared with numerous companies across the Puget Sound, including Second Story Repertory, Harlequin Productions, Centerstage Theatre, Burien Little Theatre, and the Capital Playhouse. Some of her favorite roles include Ti Moune (Once on this Island), Anita (West Side Story), Columbia (The Rocky Horror Show), and Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Her specialties include vocal performance, improv, stage combat, and dialects.
What happens in Performing Arts Camp?
Take a look at our first-session showcase performance from summer 2011:
STROUM JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER SEATTLE©2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Stroum Jewish Community Center. All Rights Reserved. |
3801 East Mercer Way Mercer Island WA 98040 206-232-7115 f: 206-232-7119 directions |
2618 NE 80th Street Seattle WA 98115 206-526-8073 f: 206-526-9958 directions |
