February 2024 Write-Up by Molly Danko for Fine Arts Council Email Newsletter. In this month’s Drama Update, Molly Danko features Andrew Ritchie from Artstrek, a summer theatre school for teens.
When I was in high school, I had the incredible opportunity to go to my first sleepaway camp. In early July I piled into my parents' car with too many bags in tow and drove down to Red Deer for a week at Artstrek. As a theatre kid, it was one of the best weeks of my life! Artstrek was filled with kids like me- Kids that loved theatre and wanted to learn as much as they could. From the moment my 'super' welcomed me into my dorm, I felt at home. The week flew by with full days of classes- acting, singing, mask work, tech, design, devising, etc.- themed games, and activities each night, themed warmups every morning, and of course many snack breaks and time to get to know all my new classmates. Each summer the students at Artstrek get to study a different play and work on it through different theatrical lenses. The first year I went, we studied Catalyst Theatre's production of Frankenstein, and I was hooked from the moment we started reading the play. As a 16 year old kid, Artstrek opened my eyes to so many new aspects of theatre I had never considered. It gave me confidence in my theatrical abilities, and helped me to understand myself a bit better too!
This month I have the pleasure of passing along some info to all of you Fine Arts teachers from Andrew Ritchie, the Program Coordinator at Theatre Alberta. I look back at my summers at Artstrek very fondly, and love that the program is still running for students to attend. So, I ask you all to pass along the information to your students so they can experience the magic of Artstrek!
Artstrek is a summer theatre school for teens that provides professional learning with theatre artists and educators in a collaborative environment. Artstrek is more than 60 years old and has 10,000+ alumni working across Alberta, Canada, and the world. Artstrek students explore the creative process through five daily classes that include the study of acting, movement, voice, devising, design, directing, and dramaturgy. All of these classes take inspiration from a single play of study—this year’s play is going to be a musical!
Artstrek will take place July 7 to July 20, 2024 at Red Deer Polytechnic.EXPLORATION I (Ages 12-15) July 7 - 12, 2024EXPLORATION II (Ages 16-18) July 14 - 20, 2024
Keep an eye out on https://www.theatrealberta.com/artstrek/
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