Theater Camp

Theater Camp was the last week in August>>> the final stages of Summer Vacation.  Through arrangement with Kim Canale and Centre Stage Community Theatre, we planned a week of theater games and activities, which culminated in a library themed play at the end of the program series.

"Run, walk, skip or hop"- the group practicing a special song

The first day of camp was covered by Kimberly Canale, a publicity agent and director (among other roles) with Centre Stage Community Theater.  I arrived the second day of the program and was treated to a special song, written just for the library theater camp.  This song is TOP SECRET (ok, you may have heard some of it or will in a video here or there, but THAT'S IT!)

Games were aplenty all week.  Having a room packed with teens and tweens requires lots of activities to keep the excitement going.  "Pretend" was the basis of the games, just like the one shown below.  "Pretend you are stiff as a board.  You are a block of wood.  You have no muscles, no heart beat, and you cannot move until I, the Magic Fairy, grant you life," was the role Kim gave these exuberant participants.

"You are a block of wood."

I collected unusual items throughout the library to use as props.  The kids were instructed to use the items in unconventional ways and act with them so that others could guess what the item is supposed to be.  This happened to be the all around favorite game--ALL WEEK. 

"That's not a squash, it's a golf club."

Kim suggested a game where participants paired up to act off of each other, like a mirror. This was quite the experience to view in person.  

Script reading was a big part of Theater Camp.  We needed to assign parts for our play and understand who really liked to read out loud and who like to be or hold props.  Luckily this was an easy task.  Each participant voiced their choice of roles and everyone was happy.

Script reading is serious stuff!

We read from Zany Fractured Tales and Plays, which is hilarious at any age!  Each person got to practice with these plays before they hit the big time by acting out the play written especially for this program.

Before I go any further, this tease is necessary.  You will receive no more details about this wonderful program unless you attend the Southeast Steuben County Library's 15th Birthday Party on Saturday, December 5, 2015 from 5-8 pm.  

At 6 pm that evening, the World Premier of our special library play will air for the first time ever.  The actors in the play do not know how they look while acting.  Parents of these actors have not seen the play.  The entire week is somewhat of a mystery to family and friends of these actors and we want to keep it that way!

Much gratitude and appreciation is owed to Kimberly Canale and Centre Stage Community Theatre.  Kim and her volunteers worked tirelessly each day of our camp to produce a fun and fulfilling program for teens and tweens.  The play that Kim wrote is specific to our library history and holds an important message to viewers of all ages.  Please spread the word and save the date to screen our Theater Workshop World Premier.  Bring the family!

.........Ok, just one little sneak preview of our fabulous actors.  

Give them a round of applause!

That's all for now.  Check back soon for more exciting adventures in Young Adult world at the Southeast Steuben County Library.

Thanks for stopping by,

erica

Sandblasting at Corning Museum of Glass

Corning Museum of Glass has a phenomenal education department.  We have teamed up many times to enrich the learning experiences of young adults in my programs.  This time, we got to try sandblasting for the first time in the new Education Lab!

Immaculate Studio

My dear friend, Lu Kania, gave us the short introduction to sandblasting.  It involves these machines:

The Sandblasting Beasts

AND LOTS AND LOTS OF STICKERS!!!! Now chill out a moment....these stickers may look cool, but Lu will tell you, the image will not remain on your glass once "The Beasts" get a taste of them!  The stickers sole purpose is to resist the sand.  That means, the cutesy little sparkles and fishy faces will not be seen by your grandma or Aunt Alice when you gift your amazing sandblasted glass for the holidays.  It means, you create your own design using the stickers as a means to produce a pattern or random chaos.  Here is a sample of our cool creations.

 Once our designs were final, we took turns with "The Beasts" to blast the glass to a frosted appearance.  

The Beasts are sloppy eaters.

I'll show you the process my tiny glass experienced.

Galss is taped and stickered

Glass entered The Beast to be blasted.

Glass has been blasted and is now frosty where there is no sticker.

Some goofball having too much fun with "The Beast".

The glass after being blasted, but before tape is removed.

The process is quick and the result is something we got to take home at the end of the program.  So fun!

A final product, ready for a cold lemonade.

Visit the Corning Museum of Glass to have your own Sandblasting experience.  It's a wonderful experience.