UVU is about to showcase theatrical talent from a group of local youth. As part of the first ever Noorda Summer Theater Camp, three productions begin on June 29. The camp was set up to help kids to not only learn about the theatrical arts, but also to get them directly involved.
The camp participants will be putting on three shows, which were cast based on their age range. The older group will be performing The Secret Life of Girls, a story about girls and cliques and bullying. Another group of older participants is performing High School Hamlet, a mashup of Hamlet and High School Musical.
The youngest kids will be performing Superstudent and the Case of the Water Pistol. The show is a classic superhero story set in an elementary school. Superstudent is double cast, so audiences can see either the very youngest or the next group up perform it.
UVU professor Katie Farmer, who oversees the camp, is directing Superstudent. UVU student Alex Ungerman is directing The Secret Life of Girls. Finally, High School Hamlet is being tackled by local musical theater guru Jeremy Showgren.
“It’s been great seeing the way the kids learn and grow and build confidence with themselves and make connections with each other,” says Ungerman.
About 60 kids total from kindergarten to high school age are in the casts. The camp’s staff of around 70 is teaching classes and overseeing production of the three shows. Fourteen of them are working on these productions directly. Jacob Porter, who is the production assistant on The Secret Life of Girls, says that “the best part of working on the show is seeing the kids… improve with every piece of advice you give them.”
The shows are open to the general public, with The Secret Life of Girls being recommended for teenagers and their parents. These participants and the staff have been working hard, and audiences are surely in for a real treat.
