Magical opportunities this summer for young Prince George actors

There is so much magic in theatre. There is the magic that happens when watching it and sharing and feeling that connection to everyone in the room where it happens. Another magical part is the creation of the stories we share. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be involved in live performance.

In 2013, I was given the opportunity to take over a summer program for kids. It was aptly named Bard in the Yard and was forged in the early 2000s by Debbie McGladdery and Kathy Bloomfield, two talented Speech Arts & Drama teachers. Debbie reached out to me and Sarah Trick, another former student. We were thrilled for this opportunity. I will admit when I was in theatre school, I never imagined myself as an arts educator but things had changed. The energy of the first day when we all got together was unlike anything I had experienced. There was fear, nervousness, and anxiety mixed in with excitement, eagerness, and passion. These young thespians did not let their fear stop them from jumping into this experience.

It is now 10 years and 18 productions later and we are gearing up for another summer. Things have evolved since the program first began; it now offers two performance intensives for the eager young actor. The Modern intensive offers an opportunity to perform a play that is contemporary. The Shakespeare intensive offers the chance to perform an abridged Shakespearean comedy. These both provide an opportunity to learn about all the magical elements that go into creating a full-fledged production. They become part of an ensemble and work together to pull off a show in a short time frame.

I am also grateful for the support of Theatre NorthWest. Since 2015, we have performed on their stage. The opportunity to give our young local actors the chance to perform on a professional stage without having to travel has been paramount to the success of these programs.  I have learned a lot in working with these actors and every year I am amazed at what they can pull off in the span of two weeks.

And here we are at the beginning of another summer, everyone is gearing up for the lake as I am on the way to the theatre to work with the future magicians of theatre. We’ve got magic to do!

For anyone interested in registering for the summer intensives, please visit theatrenorthwest.com or email me at [email protected]

Melissa Glover is a local director, actor, and acting teacher.