9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Arrival and warm-up circle
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
Theatre camp in State College, Pennsylvania
Six weeks of theatre, with a show every Friday
Bunting is a summer theatre camp for ages 8 to 14, in a church hall with a real stage. Campers rehearse all week and perform for their families on Friday afternoon.
A week at camp
Five days of class blocks, ending on stage
Mornings are acting and voice, afternoons are sets, costumes and rehearsal, and Friday swaps the afternoon for the showcase.
Summer
Monday
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Read-through and acting games
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Snack and break
Fellowship room
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Voice and movement
Eunjung Teng · Main hall
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch from home
Fellowship room
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Sets and costumes
Zion Dortch · Craft room
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Rehearsal: opening scenes
Javion Gist · Main hall
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Closing circle and pickup
Side door
Tuesday
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Arrival and warm-up circle
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Scene work
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Snack and break
Fellowship room
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Voice and movement
Eunjung Teng · Main hall
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch from home
Fellowship room
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Sets and costumes
Zion Dortch · Craft room
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Rehearsal: the middle of the show
Javion Gist · Main hall
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Closing circle and pickup
Side door
Wednesday
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Arrival and warm-up circle
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Improvisation
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Snack and break
Fellowship room
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Voice and movement
Eunjung Teng · Main hall
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch from home
Fellowship room
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Props and programs
Zion Dortch · Craft room
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Rehearsal: the last scenes
Javion Gist · Main hall
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Closing circle and pickup
Side door
Thursday
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Arrival and warm-up circle
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Scene rehearsal
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Snack and break
Fellowship room
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Voice and movement
Eunjung Teng · Main hall
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch from home
Fellowship room
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Sets and costumes
Zion Dortch · Craft room
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Run-through of the whole show
Javion Gist · Main hall
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Closing circle and pickup
Side door
Friday
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Arrival and warm-up circle
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Dress rehearsal
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Snack and break
Fellowship room
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Lights and sound cues
Javion Gist · Main hall
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch from home
Fellowship room
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Final run and places
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The Friday showcase
Aldora Wentworth · Main hall
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Bows, strike and pickup
Side door
Sample classes.
Each week has its own show, so the scenes change from week to week. The shape of the day stays the same.
The Friday showcase
Every week ends with a show, and every camper may bring four guests
The hall seats a limited audience, so each camper's guests are on a list that closes on Wednesday.
This summer
- Open house
Information evening
April
Walk through the hall, see the stage and meet Aldora and the counselors.
- Decisions
Families hear from us
May
By email and a phone call, with a place or a spot on the waitlist for each week.
- First day
Week 1 begins
Mid-June
Campers get their parts on Monday morning and start rehearsing the same day.
- Deadline
Guest list closes
Wednesday of each week
Each camper may bring up to four guests to Friday's showcase, because the hall seats a limited audience. Tell us who is coming by Wednesday pickup.
- Recital
The Friday showcase
Every Friday, 2:00 p.m.
Campers perform that week's show on the hall stage for their guests. Doors open at 1:45 p.m., and guests sit in the folding chairs.
Sample dates.
Summer
Six weeks, one show each
Book the weeks that fit your summer. Every week runs Monday to Friday, with a new show and the same day around it.
Summer
- Mid-June
Week 1: Fairy tales on stage
Familiar stories cut down to a few scenes, with narrators, villains and a talking tree.
- Ages 8 to 14
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Late June
Week 2: Mystery at the museum
A whodunit set among the exhibits, with clues to hide, suspects to play and a detective to cast.
- Ages 8 to 14
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Early July
Week 3: Shakespeare, cut down
Scenes from the comedies, trimmed to fit a Friday afternoon and spoken in plain, modern voices.
- Ages 8 to 14
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Waitlist - Mid-July
Week 4: Radio play
A show told through voices and sound effects, with foley tables, a microphone and a live studio audience.
- Ages 8 to 14
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Late July
Week 5: The musical revue
Songs from several shows stitched into one, with group numbers, solos for those who want them and a chorus for the rest.
- Ages 8 to 14
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Full - Early August
Week 6: Tall tales and legends
Giant lumberjacks, river pilots and folk heroes, played big and told twice as loud.
- Ages 8 to 14
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sample sessions.
The hall
A real stage in a church hall
The congregation lends us its hall for the summer: a stage with curtains, a fellowship room for snack and lunch, a craft room for sets and costumes, and a side door for pickup.
A stage with curtains and house lights
A fellowship room for snack and lunch
A craft room for sets and costumes
Folding chairs for the Friday audience
Permit and counselors
Who is in the hall with your camper
Every group has a counselor in the room at all times, and the exits, the stage and pickup each have a routine.
License
Permitted by Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Day camp permit · PA Permit # 000000
Adults to children
1 adult to 8 children
8 to 10 years
Group size: 16
1 adult to 10 children
11 to 14 years
Group size: 20
Capacity
50
Ages 8 to 14
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Medication training
Safety routines
Pickup at the side door
An adult on your list signs your camper in and out at the side door of the hall, and we ask for ID until we know you. Guests at the Friday showcase sign in at the front door and sit in the folding chairs; they don't go backstage.
Fire exits
On Monday morning every group walks the exits with a counselor. We practice leaving the hall once a week, so campers know where to go and who to follow.
On the stage
Campers are on the stage only with a counselor in the room, and the steps at either side are marked. Props are soft or blunt, and a swordfight is a dance with foam.
Water and breaks
Water is on a table at the side of the hall all day. On a pleasant day we take the snack break on the lawn in the shade, and on a hot or wet day it stays in the fellowship room.
Allergies and illness
Tell us about allergies and medicine at registration, and we ask what we need privately. A camper with a fever stays home, and if a camper feels ill at camp, we call you and a counselor stays with them until you arrive.
Counselors in the room
Every group has a counselor in the room at all times, and a counselor in training is never counted in the ratio.
Sample details.
From parents
What parents tell us
“The schedule was on our fridge by Monday, so I knew what each block was and where to be. Friday's showcase started on time and ended on time, and my daughter's grandparents could find a seat.”
Greta H.Parent of a ten-year-old
“Having four guest seats made it easy to plan who came. Pickup at the side door was quick, and a counselor was always standing there when I arrived.”
Raymond O.Parent of a twelve-year-old
“My son chose to run the lights in the radio-play week and was still in every scene. Nobody made him pick one or the other, and he talked about it all evening.”
Dhruv K.Parent of two campers
Sample reviews.
Questions
What families ask us
What ages and weeks do you serve?
Camp is for ages 8 to 14, in six weeks, with one show each week. Campers are in two age groups, so the youngest are not rehearsing beside the oldest.
What is a week like?
Camp runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mornings are acting and voice, afternoons are sets, costumes and rehearsal, and Friday ends with a showcase at 2:00 p.m.
Who can come to the Friday showcase?
Each camper may bring up to four guests. The hall seats a limited audience, so guests are on a list that closes on Wednesday.
Does my child need acting experience?
No. Every camper has a part, and parts are shaped to what a camper wants to try, from a speaking role to running the lights. Every camper moves at their own pace.
How does pickup work?
An adult on your list signs your camper out at the side door of the hall. We ask for ID until we know you, and we call you if someone new is coming.
How does tuition work?
It depends on the weeks you book. Call and we will go through what sets it and how it is paid.
Save a place for the weeks you need
Registration opens in January. Register online, or call and ask about the hall, the showcase or pickup.