All the world’s a stage — and Taghum Hall is getting in on the action with a KidsCAN Theatre Camp in July, where young thespians ages eight to 12 will stage an age-appropriate version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare under the direction of accomplished actor, director, and all-around fun person Lindsay Clague.
The two-week camp runs July 14-18 and 21-25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some bursaries are available for families for whom cost is a barrier; enrolment is limited.
“I am so excited to have the chance to explore Shakespeare's fabulous, fun Midsummer Night's Dream with a group of youth participants,” says Clague.
“This play is such a delight to perform — and to watch,” she says, adding that she hopes the experience “might inspire some to fall in love with theatre and Shakespeare just as I did many, many years ago. Our plan is to present the show outside at Taghum Hall on a beautiful midsummer afternoon.”
Clague began her theatre studies in New York, where she attended the Neighbourhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance before moving on to opportunities in Vancouver.
Since moving to Nelson with her family in 2009, she has offered instruction at Selkirk College, School District 8, and at Taghum Hall’s Creative Spaces Camp for kids, and has featured in many local productions. She hits the stage again soon in The Mosquitos, written by local playwright Marya Folinsbee, June 12-13 at the Capitol Theatre.
A host of talented mentors joins Clague. Assistant director Aryn Davidson was involved in UBC’s Brave New Play Rites program, with a focus on community involvement. Participants will create the set with David Bonin, noted for his creative backdrops in many of Taghum Hall’s past youth plays.
Bonin’s granddaughter Jillian West, a veteran of Taghum Hall Youth Presents and a past Creative Spaces facilitator, brings expertise as a mask maker and seamstress. And camp co-ordinator and costumer Dawnia Baines recently took part in Because I’m Your Mother, That’s Why! on the Taghum Hall stage.
KidsCAN Theatre Camp replaces the long-running Creative Spaces summer arts camp for kids, and fills a gap by offering a theatre-making experience to a younger cohort who may later move on to the Capitol Theatre’s camp for older youth. In August, Taghum Hall will offer a second KidsCAN Camp, this one offering rotating sessions in baking, sewing, building, knitting, and felting. Information on all events and programs can be found at www.taghumhall.ca/events.
