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Tag: Children’s Drama Camp

Children’s Drama Camp performs

Curtains close on children’s drama camp

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Theater.

ANNA MARIA – After two weeks of fun, the curtains have closed on The Center of Anna Maria Island’s drama camp.

Every year the camp ends with two performances on the stage at the Island Players theater. This year, 15 young thespians came together to perform “Character Matters,” a play featuring more than half a dozen musical numbers.

“With only seven rehearsals, we had to do it kind of like how Henry Ford did when he created the assembly line,” said Pamela Sikkema, who has served as director of the camp for the past 11 years. “We would have some of the kids in one room working on their lines, then they would move and work on their song and then rotate to the stage to work on the lines and the song.”

Sikkema noted that this year’s group of young actors ranged in ages from 6 to 13 with many of the younger ones just learning to read. Both the campers and staff were up to the challenge and the children put on the entire 30-minute performance without a break or intermission.

The story of “Character Matters” follows the monthly meeting of the Fairytale Council, which meets to give advice to fairytale characters. Lessons learned include Goldilocks understanding that she is breaking and entering, the Big Bad Wolf finding out it’s wrong to eat sweet grandmothers and everyone trying to be respectful of each other and live a life where character is important.

Although the camp is run by The Center, all rehearsals and both July 21 performances were held at the Island Players theater in Anna Maria. At the close of the performance, The Center’s Executive Director Chris Culhane was presented with a $2,000 donation by Island Players President Sylvia Marnie.

“We’ve partnered with Island Players for years and they give us a check every year,” Culhane said. “It’s a great partnership. The camp is through The Center, but it takes place here at the Island Players. Every year it’s a new batch of kids and a new learning experience; it’s amazing.”

The money donated to The Center is from a grant the Island Players applied for to give back to a children’s program in the community. Both The Center staff and the Island Players volunteers say they look forward to continuing the partnership for years to come.

Children's Drama Camp

Children’s Drama Camp showcases talented Island youth

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Theater.

ANNA MARIA – After two weeks of rehearsal and education, the 2021 Children’s Drama Camp closed with two performances of “Biome” at the Island Players Community Theater.

The Camp is held by The Center of Anna Maria Island every summer and gives area children ages 5-13 a chance to learn all aspects of a theatrical production. Participants help design costumes, make set decorations, practice singing, and, of course, learn acting.

“I really like acting and singing, it’s really fun,” said Ava Harlin, who played Goliath Beetle, one of the three lead roles in the play about three animals who escape the zoo and travel the world searching for their natural biome, along with Elephant and King Snake. “It’s really rewarding to see the whole play come together. In the beginning, it seems a lot harder, but then it all just starts falling into place,” Harlin added, speaking of the challenges of performing in live theater.

“I’ve done this the whole nine years it’s been going on,” said 13-year-old Gabriella Gilbert, who has been acting since she was in pre-school, and played Elephant in the production.

“This will be my last year since I’ve reached the age limit, but I hope to volunteer and continue to work with the camp,” said Gilbert, who also plans to join her school’s drama club.

The production of “Biome” was more than 30 minutes long with more than a half dozen musical numbers and the children delivered their lines with authority and added plenty of personality that made this a genuinely enjoyable experience for everyone in attendance. 

“We had 16 kids this year who ranged in age from 5-13 years old, but we had five kids that were five years old. This presents a challenge because at that age they don’t read yet,” said Pamela Sikkema, drama director for the camp.

“We only get seven two-hour rehearsals, so parents working with their children at home is really important,” said Sikkema, who is also a costume designer, and made all of the costumes seen on stage. 

At the conclusion of the 1 p.m. performance, the Island Players presented a check for $2,000 to The Center of Anna Maria Island. This money comes from a grant the Players apply for every year.

There’s plenty more theater to come as The Island Players are excited to kick off the 2021-22 season on Sept. 16 with “The Savannah Sipping Society.” Tickets are on sale now and more information is available at www.theislandplayers.org.