About the GBTC Summer Theatre Camps / March Break Theatre Camps

Camps near you ! GBTC offers weekly programs throughout July and August and also during March Break. The program includes plays, mime, improvisation, theatre games, musical theatre, work with simple sets and costumes, and an end-of-week public performance. Also included are outdoor activities, games and sports. Campers develop skills and confidence while engaged in fun and creative games that explore vocal, physical and emotional potential.

GBTC's enthusiastic, caring staff create a warm, supportive environment where campers will feel at home, Campers are supported in creating new friendships and developing skills and confidence that are carried throughout their daily activities. Our Camper to Staff ratios are small so that each child has an opportunity to shine within their age group as well as within the combined camp setting.

At the end of the day, each and every camper leaves with the joy of participation, and a sense of belonging and accomplishment.

Please be assured that we here at GBTC are aware of ongoing health and safety advisories. We will be adjusting our plans, if necessary, in view of safety, and we will be in touch with parents and families with respect to any changes.

The Goal of GBTC Summer & March Break Theatre Camps

Great Big Theatre Company is a non-profit and registered charity; our focus is children's theatre. We offer camps, classes, mainstage and travelling productions, afterschool programs and in-school workshops. Our goal, is to provide a summer camp program that is rewarding, enriching and challenging; that is focused on encouraging participation, and that helps kids develop and try out new skills and capabilites. The program is aimed at growth in self-confidence and self-esteem.

All kids can benefit from drama / acting experience, whether intending to eventually pursue a professional career in acting or simply for the joy of it. The benefits for kids include: increased self-confidence; imagination; empathy; enhanced capacities for cooperation / collaboration; better concentration and "focus"; better communication skills; problem-solving skills: emotional outlet; relaxation; self-discipline; trust; physical fitness; memory; social awareness; aesthetic appreciation; and of course, fun. This inventory of benefits comes from: The Drama Education Network

What Happens At Our Camps

Each camp is one week in length; each week there is new content, including new plays and musical numbers, so that campers who register for more than one week of camp will have new and challenging experiences in each of the camp weeks. Many of our summer campers register for multiple weeks during the summer.

Campers will work together in groups, mostly within their own age groups but also at times across age levels. One goal is to work toward an end-of-week presentation, which is performed on Friday afternoons for an audience of parents, friends and relatives. The kids help with selecting costumes and creating sets. Costumes and props are kept simple and are provided at the camp. To encourage equal participation by all, each age group does its own part of the end-of-week show. Younger and older campers will work on their own separate plays. The final performance also involves more than the plays, including at least one musical number, with group vocals and simple choreography.

It's an exciting experience and one that develops in the kids a sense of teamwork and cooperation, as the week progresses and new elements of the final performance are created, polished and fit into place. Each group works with materials and content that are age-appropriate, challenging and stimulating for their own skill levels and learning styles.

We foster at all times an open, cooperative, supportive and non-competitive environment, in which every child has an opportunity to participate fully and equally.