BSC Summer Theatre Camp Helps Teens Develop Drama Skills

High school students gather to learn about acting techniques as they rehearse with experienced professionals. The theatre camp group reads through a script in the Advanced Technology Center’s Rogers Black Box Theatre.

From July 15 to 18, Bismarck State College hosted a camp aimed at helping students grades 9 through 12 refine their theatre skills. The camp, which ran for its second consecutive year, was organized and run by Camp Director and BSC Associate Professor of Technical Theatre Dean Bellin along with camp leaders Millie Hyatt, Max Wild, Daniel Walstad, Brittany Bearsheart, and Shaina Hovrud. There was a registration fee that covered the cost of camp attendance, food, and housing.

The idea for the camp was born two years ago when Bellin recognized an opportunity to instill theatrical inspiration in students from across North Dakota.

Bellin expressed his goal of the camp.

“An opportunity to grow their skills related to theatre, to experience working together in a hands-on manner with theatre professionals, and to learn how to talk, think, and perform in a theatrical setting,” Bellin said.

This involved bringing in experienced theatre actors and actresses to share their wealth of knowledge with attending high school students.

Camp activities included team-building exercises, acting games, technical practice sessions, and lectures. Students learned audition skills, foundational information on lights and sound, acting skills, musical theatre skills, and more.

Millie Hyatt, a senior at the Columbia College in Chicago and comedy writing and performance major, taught at the camp last year. This year, she returned to teach an improv class, a movement class, and a warmup/theatre games class. She also directed two partner scenes.

“Getting to know all of the students and watching them improve and learn over the course of the camp,” Hyatt said about her favorite parts of camp.

On the last day of the camp, the students performed a short theatrical scene with a partner in addition to a full-length musical theatre number choreographed by Hyatt.

Talon Hall, a soon-to-be senior at Dickinson High School, said he joined the camp because he wanted more drama experience before his senior year of high school. Hall said he also wished to gain a more in-depth understanding of how theatre functions.

“I learned a lot about working with peers and how to make the show run smoothly,” Hall said.

The theatre camp is expected to return next year. Questions about the camp can be directed to
bsc.theatre@bismarckstate.edu.