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22ndCenturyMedia.com camp guide part two
22nd century media | March 5, 2020 | 5
Feel the performer’s spirit at Music Theater Works
On five Mondays this
summer, a group of young
people will gather, and
they will share a single
thought: “Five days to
showtime.”
At the Music Theater
Works Summer Workshops,
performers ages 8
to 13 gather for a week of
rehearsals, singing, dancing
and acting in preparation
for a musical performance
on Saturday for
their friends and family.
Each week is a separate
session, and this year the
shows include The Wizard
of Oz (July 6-11), Seussical
(July 13-18), Legally
Blonde (July 20-25), Guys
and Dolls (July 27- Aug. 1)
and Cinderella (Aug. 3-8).
Putting together a show
in five days makes for an
exciting week, as all are
assigned parts, learn their
songs and practice their
dances until everything is
ready for the big show. It’s
a lot of work, but that has
never seemed to bother the
workshop participants —
they’re having too much
fun.
For many kids, the
workshops give them their
first taste of performing
in musical theater. Many
have gone in as absolute
beginners and emerged as
enthusiastic performers,
eager for their next challenge.
After last year’s workshops,
one mother wrote
to us that her daughter
“was completely taken by
her experiences in camp
last summer. It unlocked a
beautiful part of her and it
has allowed her to blossom
like nothing else she’s ever
experienced. Truly lifechanging.”
Workshop manager
Anya Plotkin is a big fan
of the workshops’ “tagteam”
casting style, in
which everyone is guaranteed
a part.
“Of course, we all want
to be the star of the show.
In our program, each and
every student has an equal
solo. All our kids get their
chance to shine, regardless
of prior experience,”
Plotkin said. “When we do
‘Annie,’ we may have seven
Annies and four Daddy
Warbucks and six Miss
Hannigans. The kids learn
that being part of a team is
a vital element to a great
performance.”
But Plotkin is convinced
the most important part of
the program is how it fosters
self-confidence in the
young performers.
“The rehearsal room is a
safe place for all our kids
to explore who they are,
without fear of censure or
discouragement,” Plotkin
said. “As they grow as
performers, they also grow
as people. They step into
someone else’s shoes, they
make new best friends,
they learn things they never
thought possible before,
we open them up to new
experiences and new ways
of thinking.”
“We help our students
every day, through a love
of music, dance, acting,
and each other,” Plotkin
added.
For more information,
call Music Theater Works
at (847) 920-5360. Workshop
classes are held at
516 4th St. in Wilmette.
Each workshop is Monday
through Friday from
9 a.m. to 3:30 pm, with
a final dress rehearsal on
Saturday at 2 p.m. and a
public performance at 4
p.m. Registration can be
made online at MusicTheaterWorks.com.
Submitted by Music Theater
Works, 516 Fourth St., Wilmette,
(847) 920-5360.
All ages, all abilities.
www.studionorthacademy.com • 847-251-7627