Musical theater camps for youth ages 8 to 14 are being held this summer in the Family Life Center in Point Loma.
Presented by Act Live Now based at Liberty Station in Point Loma, the youth summer musical theater camps are being held at the Family Life Center at 3713 Udall St. There are three, five-day youth summer camps planned for June 17-21, June 24-28, and July 29-Aug. 2.
One of the summer camp instructors will be choreographer Gabriela LeBaron, a recent UC San Diego graduate majoring in theater and dance who has been performing since childhood and began doing musicals at age 15. Passionate about teaching, she started her career by giving ballet classes at a local dance studio.
Noting she was “shy back then,” one of LeBaron’s goals is to help her youthful pupils overcome their fears and become the best performers they can be. “I was inspired by the dance teachers I had, both in good and bad ways,” noted LeBaron, cautioning against instruction that is too rigid and technical. “I saw some teachers who would almost humiliate students in front of the whole class, which is why it’s essential to me to never want to make students in my classes feel that way. For me, it’s all about them having fun, and wanting to instill in them a love for the arts. And the best way to that is by positive reinforcement.”
In youth theater summer camps, LeBaron noted campers do a little of everything, all in fun. “They get to make their tickets for the show, writing the name of the show, time, date and how much to sell tickets for, putting down their price,” LeBaron said adding, “It was a fun challenge and we (instructors) made it work.”
Though the age range is listed as starting at 8, LeBaron said students as young as 5 have participated. “It’s all about teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving,” said LeBaron of summer theater’s goals. She added, “The whole purpose of theatre is storytelling.”
This is why kids adapt to picking up skills involved in performing musical theater, pointed out LeBaron. “Kids have imaginative minds and the storytelling starts to come together when they get together,” she said. “Once you start adding the key elements, like props, it (theater) becomes a big game of playing pretend. There are so many aspects to their dancing, singing, acting, and comedy.”
Added LeBaron: “At these camps, we take three or four of the biggest musical numbers and the kids learn a dance and everyone performs the songs. Most of the kids are excited to try things out. And I’m happy to be the person whose place it is to get them to do that.”
ACTLIVENOW
Where: 3713 Udall St.
Info: actlivenow.com, 619-736-5092.
The group offers in-person, real-time classes with world-class directors, performers, and industry professionals with decades of collective experience. These all help take students’ creative skills to the next level. The aim is to accelerate the development of acting skills, defining the text, creating compelling characters, delivering the truth, and experiencing public performance while giving students the edge they need to reach their artistic goals. The group’s only mission is to provide outstanding live and online training.
