If you’re a middle schooler in T’burg looking for a week full of laughs, and a great time, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better place than the Trumansburg Middle School Summer Theatre Camp led by Trumansburg Central School District Music Teacher and Drama Club Director Hope Lewis.
This year’s camps were held two separate weeks: the week of July 10 to July 14, and the week of July 24 to July 28. Each week culminates with a Friday performance the campers work on throughout the week. Both sessions were a resounding success, and the camp will once again be offered to any middle school aged student heading into grades 6-8. Lewis said information for next year’s camp will be posted to the school website by April 2024.
Lewis was very excited about the turnout and performance of this year’s campers.
“Each year, the camp morphs and grows,” she said. “Our first year we had eight students at the camp and this year we are up to 21 campers. We spend a lot of time on the acting process. Hearing a line, reacting physically, then speaking. We work on diction (clarity of speaking), projecting our voices, knowing what we want to say and figuring out how to deliver it.”
The camp complements Lewis’s leadership with high school drama club members who volunteer throughout the week. Lewis added that she usually also has “one college student who is pursuing an education degree” on board.
The team effort helped make sure everyone had a blast.
“This camp was a lot of fun,” she said. “Students spent a lot of time working out their own skits. They worked through cooperation in their groups, listened to each other's ideas, tried things out and figured out if they liked it. They also learned how to give and take constructive criticism. They showed sensitivity, humor, and hard work throughout the entire week.”
Lewis hopes next year’s turnout is just as good — if not even bigger.
“Theater is something you can join at any time of your life,” she said. “We are really trying to reach as many middle school-aged students as we can!”