How NOT to Run a Summer Theatre Camp
Greg Ehrhardt, OnStage Blog Editorial Staff
Summer theatre camp is a great way to learn theatre as a young kid and participate in a performance with only 2 to 3 weeks spent rehearsing (seriously, it is amazing how coherent musicals can be pulled off in that time span).
However, what we hear from parents and kids (including my own) who attend theatre camps, we need to offer some tips to those who run them because, boy, do these camps need help.
Now, we’re not going to weigh in on what plays should be performed, how to specifically teach kids how to learn their lines or blocking, or how to run a camp profitably. We’re saving that for the advanced classes. We’ll cover the basics because theatre camps can’t even get the basics right.
You will notice that we framed this article oddly. Most “Tips” articles are framed positively, like “5 Tips on how to run a successful theatre camp”. But in this case, the basics are obvious, yet so often aren’t executed.
So, this article will list some things to NOT do when running a Summer theatre camp.
Before we start, I would like to stress that these rules apply for Summer theatre camp, not just theatre camp, although there’s a lot of overlap. The nuance with Summer theatre camp is that you’re dealing with more kids that need to be “somewhere” for two weeks! This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce kids to theatre, but you need to run your theatre program a bit differently.
You wouldn’t think this list of things NOT to do needs to be published, but, as I will detail below, a theatre camp I sent my own kid to violated several of these rules, so sometimes, it is helpful to start with the basics.
Tip #1: Do NOT berate elementary school kids for forgetting their lines
A good rule of thumb is not to berate children, period, especially those 12 years of age or younger. Many kids in any Summer theatre camp do this for the first time, and most are nervous about getting on stage and performing. Kids this age need encouragement, not a voice in their heads telling them the world will end if they mess up a line.
Don’t make kids feel bad about messing up. They’re kids.
Professional Broadway performers forget their lines sometimes. So will kids.
Give them tips on remembering their lines; don’t embarrass them..
And yes, one of the directors at my daughter’s camp screamed (and I mean screamed) at kids as young as 8 years old for not being off-book by day 4 for The Little Mermaid.
And we wonder why more kids don’t get into theatre.
Tip #2: Do NOT direct a theatre camp performance like you’re trying to impress a Broadway producer
No, you’re not Alexander Hamilton. You are not throwing away your shot. This is not your chance to show the world you belong on Broadway.
You’re running a camp.
Your job is to make sure the kids have fun.
Your secondary job is to have these kids love theatre as much as possible.
You’re not directing professional actors on professional contracts.
You’re directing elementary school kids, many of whom have never seen the inside of a theater before.
Direct accordingly.
Tip #3: Do NOT expect elementary school kids to sit perfectly still for hours at a time while they watch others rehearse
If your camp has kids ages 5-8, odds are they have never sat still for more than 40 minutes at a time.
Don’t expect them to start now in your theatre camp just because you think your camp is special.
Keep them engaged, and have them run around if you must. Remember, they aren’t used to this. Make watching rehearsal a game. Have them wait for certain words in the script and raise their hands when they hear them.
Don’t expect 7-year-olds to act like 70-year-olds.
Tip #4: Do NOT make the kids work during their lunch break
The directors at my daughter’s theatre camp scolded elementary school-aged students who didn’t practice their lines or work on blocking during their lunch break.
Kids (and adults, for that matter) need time to decompress and act like kids. It is ok for kids to talk about non-theatre stuff; they should get to know each other and become friends. It is great for castmates to bond over non-theatre things!
Don’t yell at them to rehearse their lines while eating lunch. They have the rest of the day to do that.
Tip #5: Do NOT play favorites with casting
This one may be controversial because there are undoubtedly some sour grapes with some of the complaints we hear. But we can safely say that every kid should be seriously considered for every role in the play based on their talent and maturity.
However, when it comes to kids’ theatre, it is too young to play favorites seriously. It is a Summer theatre camp, often running for only two weeks. The last thing you want to teach kids about theatre is that you’ll only get the good parts if you know the camp director well.
Level the playing field as much as possible at this age.
Tip #6: Do NOT threaten to throw various objects at the stage if they are messing up in rehearsals
The Music Director at my daughter’s theatre camp threatened to throw shoes at the kids when they made mistakes or weren’t behaving appropriately. My daughter mentioned this repeatedly during camp, and another older student backed up her account. They both said some students didn’t seem bothered, while others were really shook. (My daughter was somewhere in-between, though).
I talked to the music director after the camp was over (I waited because I didn’t want to risk her being punished for my involvement, given how petty some theatre directors are; a decision I regret today). While she was a bit apologetic that my daughter’s feelings were hurt, she was insistent that she never meant any ill intent by it and that “all of her regular students know it’s just a thing she says, and she has never thrown a shoe at anyone.”
And therein lies the problem: treating a summer camp meant for all experience levels like a regular theatre program for kids dedicated to theatre, never mind the fact that she shouldn’t be threatening to throw shoes at anyone, period.
Don’t say this as a joke, especially for elementary school kids you are teaching for the first time. Assume that kids will take any comment in the worst way possible. They’re kids. Treat them like your own.
Tip #7: Do NOT hire instructors who do not like teaching kids
Again, this should be a no-brainer! But too often, we hear of theatre camps hiring kids right out of high school who are actively ignoring kids, watching their phones instead, and/or spending their time screaming at kids to behave.
A good rule of thumb is hiring the people you would want to watch your kids at your camp.
Tip #8: Treat customer service as your number one priority
We’ll end on this because so many of these guidelines come down to this basic principle. I hate to say this, but too many theatre program directors do these camps to serve their purposes and egos. They think it is a privilege for kids to be in THEIR theatre program instead of the other way around.
My daughter attended two weeks of theatre camp, where she had a speaking role in her favorite Disney story, The Little Mermaid. She loved being in the production, where she sang some of her favorite Disney songs as part of an ensemble and acted next to a very talented Ariel.
But she hated rehearsal. She hated practicing under the fear of being screamed at, having a shoe thrown at her, or daring to even have a conversation about something non-theatre related to another kid during a break.
Despite loving being part of a Disney musical, she didn’t want to do it again. It was heartbreaking, as someone who, you know, loves theatre and helps run a theatre blog.
As I mentioned previously, I held off on discussing my daughter’s feedback with the people who run the camp until after the production was over. I know theatre programs too well to know they can be extremely petty, and I didn’t want to risk them punishing my daughter by removing her from a speaking role because I spoke up. My daughter said she was never the one being called out, so she was ok with me waiting until the end (the decision to wait was a decision I regret today, FWIW).
I hoped the camp director would at least listen empathetically to what my daughter had experienced and react accordingly. I have no idea what he knows about the camp; he was not involved in the day-to-day rehearsals, from what multiple kids told me. Perhaps this is a shock. At a minimum, if he knows this is going on, he can at least hear his customer express displeasure at how his program is run.
Boy, was I ever wrong.
About 10 seconds into sharing my daughter’s feedback over the phone with him, he erupted in defiance. He started shouting his resume into the phone, making it seem like I was out of line in questioning his judgment or his team’s judgment. He didn’t say this exactly, but he basically said, “Don’t you know who I am?”
From that moment on, it was clear that my daughter would never again step foot in their theatre camp.
We were there to serve him and his program, not vice versa. He treated it like a privilege to be in his camp.
Nope, sorry. I won't have my daughter learn theatre in an environment like that, nor should anyone.
The number one guideline for running a Summer theatre camp is to make your students have fun and love theatre.
That’s it. Everything else you want to come from the program will follow if you succeed at that.