Children's acting camp set for August

The local amateur acting troupe is again offering a camp to involve local children and youths in drama and theater on the heels of a youth production for older young thespians.

Montana Actors' Theatre will hold its Children's Camp in the Little Theatre in Cowan Hall at Montana State University-Northern, Aug. 6-10.

MAT founder Jay Pyette said the acting troupe has been holding the children's camp for 15 years or more, and it will again follow their annual youth production, this year John Patrick's comedy "The Curious Savage" that ran July 12-14.

That production went very well, Pyette said.

"Those kids really stepped it up, " he said, adding that director Audrey Barger did an excellent job with the play.

While the youth production focuses on older youths, the children's camp is open to actors age 7-15, and the week is spent teaching the participants the basics of drama, acting and stagecraft.

The last few years, MAT has used prepared scripts, but this year is returning to "an older model, " Pyette said. The children at the camp will write their own play to perform after the camp is completed, likely the evening of Friday, Aug. 10 — Pyette said the exact time will be announced later.

Two younger MAT veterans will be running the camp, with the guidance of Pyette and MAT director Angela Pratt. Pyette said Katie and Crysta Robinson will head up the activities. Crysta Robinson now is majoring in drama in college herself, he added.

The camp will run from 9 a. m. to 1 p. m. each day Monday through Friday, with the children asked to bring a sack lunch. Cost for the camp is $35 for the first child, and $20 for each additional child in the family.

Pyette said the registration for the camp will be held the first day, Monday, Aug. 6.