The sound of 100 children singing and dancing filled the
courtyard of the Sacred Heart school yesterday during the second
day of San Benito Stage Company’s Children’s Summer Theater
Camp.
Hollister – The sound of 100 children singing and dancing filled the courtyard of the Sacred Heart school yesterday during the second day of San Benito Stage Company’s Children’s Summer Theater Camp.
Kristy Burchard, the camp’s director, is not a typical mother. Instead of sending her four boys off to summer camp, she decided to start a camp here in Hollister, with help from the San Benito Stage Company.
On Monday, her boys were joined by 116 other aspiring actors to spend a week at Sacred Heart School learning the basics of theater. The children, ages 6 to 12, learn ensemble singing, dancing, stage positions and other acting techniques. Burchard, who teaches drama at Tres Pinos school and Sacred Heart Junior High, started the week-long theater camp three years ago.
“I love drama and singing and dancing,” Burchard said. “And my four kids are into it, so we just got hooked.”
This year the camp has a Broadway theme. On Saturday, the camp’s last night, the students will perform a variety show for their parents, to demonstrate the skills they’ve learned during the week, Burchard said.
For 12-year-old camp veteran McKenzie Kehrer, the finale is one the best parts of the camp.
“I’ve always loved this place, it’s full of happy memories for me,” Kehrer said.
The young blonde said her favorite part of the week was the singing.
“I enjoy the ensemble singing because we all learn how to work together,” Kehrer said.
Burchard has assembled a staff of 35 volunteer teenagers to lead the students through activity-packed days filled with a variety of introductory acting classes.
Acting techniques teacher Meggie Zanger, one of the camp’s five paid instructors, has been working at the camp for three years, but this year is her first as a full-time instructor. Following in the footsteps of her older brother, Zanger got involved in acting in high school and has been doing it ever since.
Zanger is now a theater major at Santa Clara University, and has been teaching camp-goers some of the things she learned during her freshman year.
“Seeing the kids actually get it, seeing them learn the same things I’ve been learning, is awesome,” Zanger said.
Zanger is an aspiring actress and she isn’t only teaching, she’s also learning.
“It’s teaching something that I love so it’s fun,” she said. “Acting is second nature for me, but I’ve had to learn to work with little kids.”
Like many of her students, Zanger isn’t sure what she will do with all her acting experience.
“I’m not ruling anything out yet,” Zanger said.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
