"A small space where big things happen."

Common Ground Theatre Performance Arts Camp

Common Ground Theatre Performance Arts Camp is a unique experience for aspiring young theatre artists aged 5-12. During the course of the one-week session, children will participate in theatre classes as well as rehearse and perform an original play developed specifically for our program. Full-day campers will explore the technical side of theatre including lights, props, costumes, and sets and participate in performing arts specialty classes. For a registration form, please e-mail Rachel Klem or call (919) 698-3870.

Sessions

Session I: July 9-14: Alice’s Adventures Underground adapted by Rachel Klem
Before Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll wrote this shorter version of the tale as a birthday present for a young friend. Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and meets many zany characters in this dreamlike fantasy.

Session II: August 6-11: Grimms’ Fairy Tales adapted by Rachel Klem
The Brothers Grimm collected over 200 stories from German oral tradition and preserved them in print for young & adult readers. The tales teach life lessons and warn of dangers in the world. Like the most famous stories (ie. Cinderella & Little Red Riding Hood), all of Grimms’ tales conjure a world of mystery, magic and myth.

A Typical Day at Camp

9:00- 9:15- Actor’s warm-up
9:15-10:30- Play Rehearsal
10:30-10:45- Snack
10:45-12:00- Specialty Classes- Dance, Music or Theatre Games
12:00-1:00- Lunch and Games
1:00-3:00- Technical Theatre- set, costumes, lighting, props or Specialty Classes

Important Information

Performance dates:
Campers must be available for all performance dates and times:
Performance Dates:
Session I (July): Fri. July 13 at 5pm, Sat. July 14 at 11am and 1pm
Session II (Aug.): Fri. Aug. 10 at 5pm, Sat. Aug. 11 at 11am and 1pm

Fees:
Morning- 9am- 12pm: $175
Half Day- 9am- 1pm: $200
Full Day – 9am- 3pm: $300

Snacks and Lunches:
Common Ground will provide two snacks throughout the camp day. If your child has any food allergies, we ask that you provide snacks for your child. Common Ground does not provide lunches and each camper should bring a lunch every day.

Staff Bios (Summer of 2011)

Rachel Klem (Director) has been teaching acting for 15 years to all ages. In the Triangle, Ms. Klem has developed programs and taught for John Robert Powers and Meredith College Theatre Department. In Chicago, Ms. Klem developed and implemented educational theatre programs for The City of Chicago and The Chicago Park District. She received a BA in Drama from San Francisco State University, and an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. Ms. Klem is the manager of Common Ground Theatre and a company member of both Ghost & Spice Productions and Transactors Improv. She teaches theatre at NC State.

Anoo Brod (Lead Teacher) has been a professional improviser since joining Transactors Improv Company in 1997. She has taught improvisation to people of all ages throughout the Triangle and beyond since 1999. Some locations include: Spence’s Farm Daycamp, Ethical Culture Society Children’s Program and Orange County Homeschools. Currently, she teaches children and teens at Raleigh Little Theater and Carrboro Art Center’s Youth Performance Arts Conservatory. She loves playing and helping others to play!

Dana Marks (Lead Teacher) is an actor, teacher and director based in Durham, NC. She is a graduate of The American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard. She is the Managing Director of the award-winning Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, which she runs with her husband, actor/director, Jay O’Berski. Acting credits with LGP: ANARCHIST!, Sarah Kane’s 4.48 PSYCHOSIS, Ariel Dorfman’s PICASSO’S CLOSET, JANE EYRE, Virginia Woolf’s THE WAVES, GOIN’A BUFFALO, FISTFUL OF LOVE, William T. Vollmann’s EUROPE CENTRAL, STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, IN THE DOGHOUSE: The Execution Of Dostoyevsky, THREE SISTERS. Dana also works with Manbites Dog Theater in Durham, NC and has been seen there in Age of Arousal, an oak tree, The Fall to Earth, and Back of the Throat. She has done numerous short films and voiced characters for video games. Her directing credits include: HARRIET JACOBS, THE ITALIAN ACTRESS, MY LOVELY SUICIDES, and FAITH HEALER. Dana is a private acting and movement coach and teaches acting and movement at Duke University and NC STATE.

This is Tara Stone’s (Head Counselor) third summer with CGTC. “Last summer was such a blast,” she says “I’m really looking forward to working with everyone again this year.” Tara served with the U.S. Peace Corps as an Urban Youth Development Coordinator and has worked with children in “pretty much every type of setting”, including camps, preschools, and as a mentor to a young woman with special needs. She holds a B.A. in Contemplative Religion with a minor in Theater from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and is a certified English as a Second Language instructor. Tara also studied theater at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute as well as various other institutions around the country. Although she no longer performs, Tara remains active behind the scenes and loves watching children find their voice on stage.