Austin Children's Theater News

Summer Camp 2010 ACTion!

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:30:25 GMT

Summer Camp 2010 ACTion!

There’s never an end to the Adventure!

Can you believe we are more than half way through the summer?……….Neither can we!

So far this summer, we have created comedic scenes, taken a journey to Neverland, guest starred at a comic book convention, gone on a rock musical tour, proved to the world that we know we can dance and searched for treasure with pirates from another world.

AND WE"RE NOT DONE YET!

We kicked off the summer with a week of comedy-improv. The very talented and energetic Tami Nelson and Chris Trew, two of Austin Improv’s most decorated pioneers, lead us on this “just wingin it” journey. Chris and Tami are the co-founders of The New Movement Theater : a stand-up and sketch comedy training center based in Austin, Tx. They taught us all kinds of awesome improv games and helped us be comfortable with making things up on the spot. Our favorite eight games made up our “Friday Afternoon Live” performance, which left everyone in stitches.

In our journey to Neverland, we joined up with Peter Pan for a brand new adventure. The Neverland community was faced with a challenge, as an unknown object made a big splash near the mermaids’ cove. This giant rock produced an egg, and the island became home to a new creature- a dragon. Mermaids, fairies, pirates, the lost boys, and even a lost girl, banded together to raise and protect the dragon, while the pirates plotted to steal it. Chaos broke out when a fairy guard fell asleep on the job and the dragon was captured. Of course, the dragon had to be rescued, and everyone met in the woods to talk strategy. Our adventure culminated in a big battle, which foiled Hook’s plans, and proved once again that Peter always wins.

At the 60th Comic Book Convention, we met the mind behind of Everybody Dance Now, one of the most successful comics in history. Her story? Well, she was just an average girl, sittin around, waiting for something to happen. Then one day, BAM! She saw something on TV that inspired her- the 51st Comic Book Convention. She decided to focus her energy on becoming a comic book artist. ZAP! She was transported into the world of comics, as her stories came to life in front of her. After creating a few duds, she finally settled on a winner, and VROOOOM, she sped to the drawing table. BANG! Her career shot forward, and she became the next big thing, inspiring the viewers at home with her incredibly journey. WOW!

Our rock musical tour brought together all kinds of famous musicians, dancers, actors and crew, as they traveled the world with their brand new show. The audience was granted an “all access pass” which took them backstage to see all the action, the drama, the heartache and the celebration- everything that makes a rock tour great! It was the dawning of the age of Aquarius, as the group played a mean pinball during this season of love. With songs from many of our favorite rock musicals, this show brought the house down, and had everyone singing, “Let’s do the time warp again!”

Thousands of contestants came out to audition for the very popular TV show, “We Know You Can Dance!” It was a week of excitement, energy and talent, as dancers broke out their best moves, trying to impress the judges. Through our commercials, interviews, and group dance numbers we learned the art of on-screen acting, as well as some important behind-the-scenes film-making truths. Our dancers came to realize that making a movie is a lot harder than they thought. Of course, we had lots of fun while doing all of this work, and our final product had everyone laughing, dancing and clapping.

We sailed on until we found ourselves shipwrecked on an island full of pirates. This island turned out to have a water-tunnel portal which transported us to another world- one with giant talking lobsters, magic balls that can turn into anything, and “the sweetest thing in the world”. We had a great adventure, full of pirate sword fights, disguises and betrayal, and all while hunting for the treasure. In the end, we discovered that all we really wanted was to go back home. After all, that is the sweetest thing in the world.

In the midst of all of this excitement we have also played many games, created many characters, designed costumes and set, made movie posters, maps and puppets, and learned how to perform on stage and screen.

And all this while developing our own original scripts!

So far this summer we have produced 4 original shows, including one film and one special Peter Pan Play. The Peter Pan Play marked the launch of ACT’s Original Play Program. This special two-week camp was designed to produce a longer play. Generally, our summer camp productions (all original) run about 15-20 minutes. This is because our summer camps usually run for just one week. With the Peter Pan Play, however, we had a full week to write and a full week to rehearse, work out the kinks and pull off a 50 minute show!

All of our productions this summer have been successful and we have had lots of great feedback from all those who came to watch. Of course, it’s easy to create great things when we have had such great children to work with.

OH! But, let’s not forget…we still have 4 weeks of camp to go!

Which also means we have 4 more original scripts to write and perform!

And all of that means…

WE NEED YOU!

Click ONE WEEK CAMPS to find the week that’s right for you!

See you in camp!

Jump into ACTion...Spring classes have been posted!

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:42:57 GMT

Take a look at our selection of Spring classes and workshops!

WINTERactION Break Camp!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:12:51 GMT

All camps are located in Hyde Park at 4001 Speedway, Austin, TX, 78751!

WINTERactION Break Camp December 21-24, 2009

Monday-Wednesday 9am-4:30pm and Thursday 9am-1pm

Explore the many aspects of theater in this 3 and a half day variety camp. Each day is guided by a different theme action packed with games, stage time, art projects and mini performances. On Thursday we will take ACT on the road in costume for a field trip to the Bowling Alley to roll into the holiday spirit! Lunch will be provided on Thursday at the bowling alley. On Thursday, we leave our campus at 9:30am and return by 1pm.

Join the ACT family:

All family members and friends are invited to join our bowling party for an extra $12 a person (this includes the bus ride, bowling and food). It’s going to be a ball!

Tuition: $235

Camper’s field trip fee is part of their tuition for camp.

Ages: 5-12

Dates: December 21-24

M-W 9am – 4:30pm

Th. 9am – 1pm

ENROLL NOW!

Twilight Trick-or-Treat

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:11:59 GMT

AUSTIN CHILDREN’S THEATER AND THE VORTEX PRESENT

THE 2009 ANNUAL TWILIGHT TRICK OR TREAT

Calling all Ghosts, Goblins, and their families!

Join us in costume for the Twilight Trick or Treat

Saturday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m.
at the VORTEX Theater, 2703 Manor Road.

Presented by Austin Children’s Theater and The VORTEX, the Twilight Trick or Treat is an all-ages Halloween frolic and scavenger hunt. You will find spooky storytellers, arts and crafts, games, music and more.

“This is a Halloween event with lots of safe and spooky family fun,” said Talena Martinez, executive director of Austin Children’s Theater. “We encourage kids of all ages to come in costume and have a great time.”

Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. For reservations, call 478-LAVA (5282) or log on to THE VORTEX

Pajama Storytime!

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:10:46 GMT

August 21â€“23, 2009

SPECIAL EVENT!

Pajama Storytime

Friday August 21 at 6:30 at the Arboretum Barnes & Noble

Barnes and Noble will host a Book Fair Fund-raiser to benefit Austin Childrenâ€™s Theater (ACT) the weekend of August 21 – 23. All Austin-area Barnes & Noble stores will participate, donating a percentage of every voucher sale to Austin Childrenâ€™s Theater. Money raised through this fundraiser helps ACT provide and expand its seasonal community programs like The Twilight Trick-or-Treat and The Holiday House Party.

Please note: The only way ACT receives a percentage of your purchase as a donation is when you use ID # 593673 at checkout. It’s back to school time, so while you’re buying the books you need, you’re also helping out ACT.

The Book Fair weekend kicks off at the Arboretum Barnes & Noble with ACTâ€™s Pajama Storytime, Friday, August 21 at 6:30, an interactive theater experience with hands-on activities that promise to be fun for the whole family! Highlights of the evening include movies written and performed by the ACT students and staff, arts and crafts, and a live performance of a new original work.

Austin Childrenâ€™s Theater is a non-profit company whose mission is to educate, inspire and empower children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities through the arts. ACT provides an extracurricular learning experience for Austin youth, through which the students are given the opportunity to create, explore, produce, and perform all aspect of art. ACT relies on community donations and support to thrive and succeed in providing educational and creative outlets for the next generation of artists.

REMEMBER:

Be sure to use ID # 593673 or the attached flyer

and a portion of your purchase will be donated to Austin Children’s Theater!

FREE Audition Workshop

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:58:09 GMT

FREE Audition Workshop for GODSPELL Jr.

We invite you and your friends to attend our free audition workshop on Saturday, September 19th from 5:00-7:00 pm at ACT’s headquarters, Hyde Park United Methodist Church (4001 Speedway)! You’ll learn a song from the production and a dance combination to prepare you for auditions, and light refreshments will be served as the ACT staff and director Adam Roberts are on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding the audition, rehearsal and production process. Please RSVP on the contact page or call 512-927-6633 to let us know that you plan to attend the workshop.

This project is for ages 9-13 and will begin rehearsals on Friday September 23 with performances on the first weekend in December.

Find out more information on the Mainstream Musical Project

FALL 2009 Classes are posted!

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:53:44 GMT

For a full listing of classes check out the programs page or click FALL 2009!

GODSPELL Jr.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:47:13 GMT

Join us for an incredible semester of musical theatre-making as

Austin Childrenâ€™s Theater

proudly presents

GODSPELL JR.

with music by the composer/lyricist of Wicked, Stephen Schwartz!

Directed and choreographed for ACT by Adam Roberts, Godspell Jr. is an especially exciting project for the ACT family: our first-ever production of a mainstream musical! The original 1971 off-Broadway production took New York by storm, and we’re thrilled to bring to life onstage an all-important message of love, respect, kindness and humanity through this version of the musical, designed especially for performance by kids. More information on Godspell Jr. can be found by following this LINK

We invite you and your friends to attend our free audition workshop on Saturday, September 19th from 5:00-7:00 pm at ACT’s headquarters, Hyde Park United Methodist Church (4001 Speedway)! You’ll learn a song from the production and a dance combination to prepare you for auditions, and light refreshments will be served as the ACT staff and director Adam Roberts are on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding the audition, rehearsal and production process. Please RSVP to info@austinchildrenstheater.org or call 512-927-6633 to let us know that you plan to attend the workshop.

This project is for children ages 9-13. Rehearsals are every Friday from 4-7pm beginning September 23 with a few Saturday morning rehearsals. Performances are the weekend of December 4-6th. For a full rehearsal schedule please email or call us.

A participation fee of $550 helps to cover the cost of production elements such as scenery, lighting, costumes, makeup, marketing and artist fees. In addition, as part of the participation fee each student will receive two complimentary tickets to the production and his or her own copy of the official Godspell Jr. script and music to keep as a memento after the production closes.

Meet the Director:

Adam Roberts has served as the artistic director, musical director or choreographer for over seventy productions to date. Having taught and coached musical theatre voice and dance styles throughout the country, his students have appeared in principal roles on Broadway, in regional theatre and on network television, and have been admitted to some of the nationâ€™s most highly competitive collegiate musical theatre programs. With choreography and music credits including two European concert tours, he is also highly active as an interpreter of sacred music, having served as musical director at Calvary United Methodist Church in Tallahassee, Florida and Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wellsville, Ohio, and currently as resident pianist at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Austin. He holds a Master’s degree in Music and a College Teaching Certificate from the Florida State University and received undergraduate degrees from Youngstown and Kent State universities. A member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), the National Registry of Dance Educators (NRDE) and Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), his recently-commissioned review of the Broadway production of 13 will appear in Theatre Journal this October. Adam holds musical theatre faculty positions with ACT, the Jewish Community Association of Austin, Zach Theatre, and St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, in addition to having served as head of the pre-professional Musical Theatre Laboratory at Ballet Austin. He is proud to join ACT once again as artistic director of Godspell Jr.!

Summer Original Musical Reading

Fri, 22 May 2009 09:11:00 GMT

WELCOME TO CAMP KATCHIKOOTEE, an ACT Original Musical

Table Reading

AUSTIN CHILDRENS THEATER (ACT) is proud to present the world premier of an Original Works Program production of the Original Musical Project WELCOME TO CAMP KATCHIKOOTEE. Directed by Adam Roberts, written by Susan Busa and introducing a new team of 4 composers, this musical adventure into the sleep away camp life is sure to be a campinâ€™ good time.

ACT will be hosting a table reading of our newest original musical, WELCOME TO CAMP KATCHIKOOTEE.

Join us Tuesday May 26 at 7pm.

We are looking for talented actors to participate in the reading. If you are interested in being a part of the creative process through the reading, please call us at 512.927.6633. We are looking to have readers of all ages (even adults). If you are interested, we’ll be happy to send you a break down of each character. We are looking for about 21 people to read for us. We will provide dinner at 6:30 for all those willing to read.

Learn more about the show and the steps taken to write an original musical. Whether you want to read or just listen in, join us for the table reading on Tuesday, May 26th at 7:00pm in the Hyde Park Methodist Church located at 4001 Speedway, 78751.

What’s a table reading?….. Well, a table reading is where the writer has the chance to hear a draft of the show out loud to see how it sounds and it’s a great opportunity for you to see (and hear) part of the writer’s creative process.

ABOUT THE MUSICAL AND THE WRITERS:

While the show is about a sleep away camp, ACT only keeps the youth performers from 9-5 M-F for three weeks as we produce the musical! In that time students will work with industry professionals on all the skills needed to perform in a musical including voice, choreography, blocking or staging, working with a live band and much more . Each student will also have the opportunity to explore the technical aspect of theater from working on lighting to designing the costumes. We will also be spend some time in a professional recording studio to cut a soundtrack of all the songs from the show. This three week specialty program is June 22- July 12, with performances July 9-12.

Directing the show is Adam Roberts who has been a member of the ACT family since it began. Adam is a well know vocal coach, choreographer and director. He has served as the artistic director, musical director or choreographer for over sixty musicals to date. Assistant Directing is Talena Martinez, founder and Excutive Director of ACT, works in with local Austin theaters such as The VORTEX, Different Stages, Westlake High School, The Jewish Community Center and St. Stephenâ€™s. Susan Busa has written scripts for many venues, including NBC and Hallmark Hall of Fame. Her script REUNION is currently in development at MGM. The composers include, Nathan Dunton, ACTâ€™s resident composer, has written the music for THE STORY and JUST AS YOU ARE, Aaron Brown, a well known local composer who has been composing for over ten years, Sara Kaye, the art and music teacher at The Jewish Academy, and Ryan Borses, a sophomore in high school at St. Stephenâ€™s.

Bid in the Silent Auction Online!

Thu, 14 May 2009 07:24:52 GMT

Bid in the Silent Auction Online!

Join the Magic ACT and support two fantastic local Austin non-profits that use the performing arts to help build self-confidence and raise self-esteem in Central Texas youth. On May 16th from 2-6 Austin Children’s Theater and Kent Cummin’s Magic Camp will combine efforts to bring the Austin community this MAGICal ACTion packed family friendly carnival. There will be games, magic lessons, juggling, door prizes, face painting, food, live entertainment, silent auctions and more. Silent Auction items include two tickets to the Tony Awards and a weekend getaway in the beautiful Port Aransas, among many others.

ACT’s silent auction is online at cmarket.com! Get a jump start on the bidding for all the amazing items we have available! We will continue bidding through Saturday May 16th.

Our GOAL is to raise $5000 from this Silent Auction!
So bid something you’ve always wanted and help the ACTion at the same time.

Austin Children's Theater News

Summer Camp 2010 ACTion!

Summer Camp 2010 ACTion!

There’s never an end to the Adventure!

WE NEED YOU!

Click ONE WEEK CAMPS to find the week that’s right for you!

Jump into ACTion...Spring classes have been posted!

WINTERactION Break Camp!

WINTERactION Break Camp December 21-24, 2009

Monday-Wednesday 9am-4:30pm and Thursday 9am-1pm

Join the ACT family:

Tuition: $235 Camper’s field trip fee is part of their tuition for camp.

Ages: 5-12

Dates: December 21-24 M-W 9am – 4:30pm Th. 9am – 1pm

ENROLL NOW!

Twilight Trick-or-Treat

AUSTIN CHILDREN’S THEATER AND THE VORTEX PRESENT

THE 2009 ANNUAL TWILIGHT TRICK OR TREAT

Calling all Ghosts, Goblins, and their families!

Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. For reservations, call 478-LAVA (5282) or log on to THE VORTEX

Pajama Storytime!

August 21â€“23, 2009

SPECIAL EVENT!

Pajama Storytime

Friday August 21 at 6:30 at the Arboretum Barnes & Noble

FREE Audition Workshop

FREE Audition Workshop for GODSPELL Jr.

Find out more information on the Mainstream Musical Project

FALL 2009 Classes are posted!

For a full listing of classes check out the programs page or click FALL 2009!

GODSPELL Jr.

Join us for an incredible semester of musical theatre-making as

Austin Childrenâ€™s Theater

proudly presents

GODSPELL JR.

Summer Original Musical Reading

WELCOME TO CAMP KATCHIKOOTEE, an ACT Original Musical

Table Reading

ABOUT THE MUSICAL AND THE WRITERS:

Bid in the Silent Auction Online!

Bid in the Silent Auction Online!

Tuition: $235

Camper’s field trip fee is part of their tuition for camp.

Dates: December 21-24

M-W 9am – 4:30pm

Th. 9am – 1pm