Mount Carmel School to host Kids Drama Camp

Mount Carmel School president and Theatre Club adviser Galvin Deleon Guerrero announced yesterday the holding of the club’s Kids Drama Camp beginning this month.

Open to children ages 6 through 12, the session will run from June 23 to August 1. The camp aims to help participants appreciate the performing arts by studying concepts and skills in theater that they will then apply toward a production of abridged versions of the following plays by William Shakespeare: Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Tempest. Each production will also incorporate famous Disney songs into their performances.

Since its inception in 1996, the school’s Theatre Club has staged 34 productions, including 11 by Shakespeare and four by Disney. The club’s most recent production was Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which ran on May 9 and 10. To draw on this experience, current and veteran members of the club have been tapped to run the camp as camp leaders and camp counselors. The club will also draw from vast theatrical resources it has accumulated over the years for use in the drama camp.

“We’ve been wanting to run a camp like this for years now. Our Theatre Club has staged numerous Shakespeare and Disney productions, so this camp will help us share our love of both traditions with kids from around the island. It’ll be fun!” said Deleon Guerrero.

Set to run each weekday from 8am to 4pm at the school, the Kids Drama Camp will help children learn many aspects of the performing arts, including how to perform on stage, how to run the back stage, and how to prepare for a production. Camp participants will also learn and enjoy numerous theater games and activities that will help them overcome stage fright, grow closer together as an acting troupe, and become young budding dramatists. The camp will culminate with a free public show on Aug. 1 at the school’s historic stage.

The camp is free for all participants, but limited to 40 children, so interested parents are encouraged to reserve slots for their children as soon as possible. To register or for more information, call 234-6184 or visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com. The deadline to register is Thursday, June 19.

The Kids Drama Camp is made possible by a grant from the CNMI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ Child Care and Development Fund Program.