Skip to content

Theatre’s summer camps offer a lot to youths

Estevan’s Souris Valley Theatre youth summer camps for ages six and up are in full swing starting this week.
Souris Valley Theatre camp
Young people gather around to play a game of handshake murderer during a day of youth theatre camp hosted by the Souris Valley Theatre.

Estevan’s Souris Valley Theatre youth summer camps for ages six and up are in full swing starting this week.

The camps are offered for three separate age groups which are categorized into Act 1 for ages six to eight, Act 2 for ages nine to 12, and Act 3 for ages 10 and up. Ran by actors, summer volunteers and other local instructors, each camp is specifically designed to teach the children a variety of theatre related skills and express themselves on stage, and each camp ends with a performance put on by the youths for family and friends.

“Right now we have the Act 1 kids, so around ages six to eight, we have them for this week and then beginning next week we have the nine to 12 year olds,” said Kelsey Potoma, who is in charge of running the youth camps for the first time this year.

“This is definitely the most kids I’ve ever seen in Act 1. I’ve been doing the camp for about three years now and we’ve got about 24 kids for this first week which is quite a few more than we had last year.”

Located at Frehlick Hall in the Woodlawn Regional Park, the Souris Valley Theatre has been open and an active part of the community since 1989 and produces two main stage productions during the summer months every year while also hosting their youth summer camps.

“We’re hoping to bring an enjoyment of theatre to the kids,” said Potoma. “We teach them what it’s like to be on stage, and how to feel comfortable on stage performing.”

The camps are designed as a way for young people to learn aspects of theatre ranging from acting, lighting, choreography, sound design and positive peer interaction.

Varying in length the camps, range from one week with the youngest ages and two weeks in Act 3. As well, pricing varies depending on age groups, with Act 1 camp having the lowest cost at $125, Act 2 at $175 and Act 3 being the most expensive at $275.

“We have Act 1 running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and have them all week until Friday with a performance at noon and then Act 2 is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. all week with their performance on the Friday, and Act 3 we have them for 2 weeks and they put on a full length musical number for their family.”