Keep the Arts Alive in Kids This Summer

Quick! What do you need for a good education?

Reading, writing and ‘rithmetic?

That’s not even correct English. But that’s what most parents and educators will agree upon. You have to have a good foundation, they might say.

And once those basics are covered, what’s next? Sports, of course! Why? Because, apparently, everyone likes sports.

But what happens to the parents of an artist, musician or actor. Or, more importantly, their children, who may be looking for a creative outlet. There aren’t a lot of choices. However, the offers at least one option for those with an inclination for the performing arts.

Their performing arts camp starts June 27 and runs until July 29 on the premises at 593 Bloomfield Avenue. Unlike other performing arts camps, parents and children have a wide range of selections to choose from during those five weeks.

For grades six to 12, the school offers “Kids on Stage,” which combines acting, musical theater and dance for what’s known as the “triple threat." There’s no audition and the kids get lessons in speech and voice, acting techniques as well as dance and choreography. That is an all-day program that goes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Kids on Stage, Jr.” caters to grades three to five but offers the same type of lessons. That program ends on July 24 and the hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What makes the New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts special is that in addition to their regular programs they also have several one-week intensive courses.

“A lot of camps for theater offer one big camp. You have to sing, dance and act and be interested in all of that. Not all kids are. So we wanted to come up with an idea to specialize and give kids more choice of what to have. And we do that as an intensive so they really get to learn something,” says the school’s founder, Bob Sapoff.

For this reason, Sapoff put together Improv Comedy, Musical Theater, Acting Intensive, and Acting for Film & TV as week-long courses. Tweens (grades six to eight) also get Showtime, a course dedicated to classic musicals while teens (grades nine to 12) get an Audition Workshop to help them prepare for the world of professional acting.

Parent Lisa Mocera couldn’t be happier with the school.

“The program is amazing. The teachers are just as amazing as the school is. My daughter loves it,” says Mocera, adding that, “They made her strong enough to believe in herself.”

The New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts can be contacted at (973) 566-9700 or you can visit the website at www.njactors.org.