Westport Country Playhouse

Early-bird pricing is offered from Friday, November 19 through Sunday, December 5 for Westport Country Playhouse’s CampWCP, a social justice theater camp limited to 20 middle school students (6th through 8th grade). Under the leadership of the Playhouse’s Roz and Bud Siegel director of education Jenny Nelson, CampWCP will run for four weeks, from June 27 through July 23, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the theater’s Lucille Lortel White Barn. CampWCP is licensed by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC).

“Now in its second year, CampWCP empowers young artists to activate their creative voice on issues that matter to them and turn it into something theatrical — so that they can ignite social change for their community and beyond,” said Nelson. “If families are looking for an early holiday gift, register now through December 5th at our early-bird rate of $850 and guarantee your child a spot in this one-of-a-kind summer camp.  Scholarships and payment plans are available to ensure that all young artists have equal access. Space is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.”

CampWCP participants will explore the art of playwriting and devise their own play. Guided by a professional, Theater for Young Audiences playwright, the young artists will collectively create stories together and perform their original play at the Playhouse for an invited audience of family and friends on Saturday, July 23.

Campers will also learn acting techniques from Nelson and how to be a student activist from local community activists. They will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops with Playhouse staff and invited guests. Past workshops have covered movement and language, character building, and theatrical poster design.

Upon graduation, campers will receive a bound copy of their original play collectively created and a limited-edition CampWCP t-shirt. Full details on CampWCP and registration form at:  https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/campwcp2022/

All campers are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination prior to the start of camp. Physical distancing measures, health protocols, and masking may be required based on current CT Office of Early Childhood (OEC) and local guidelines.

CampWCP director Jenny Nelson hails from Arizona where she received her bachelor’s degree in theater, master’s degree in theater from the University of Arizona, and a second master’s degree in education from Fairfield University. She is the associate artistic director of Collective Consciousness Theatre, a social justice theater in New Haven. She has taught at several universities, including City College of New York in the graduate program for theater professionals and educators. She has also worked as an artist and educator at several theaters, including Long Wharf Theatre, Shubert Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre. Recently, Nelson was a nominee for the Tony Teaching Award of Excellence.

Early-bird registration fee for the four-week camp is $850.  After December 5, the fee is $900. Maximum camp capacity is 20 students. To ensure that all young artists have equal access, scholarships and payment plans are available. Contact education@westportplayhouse.org for more information. 

Support for the 2022 Education Program comes from the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation; The David and Geri Epstein Foundation; George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation; Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc., and Roz and Bud Siegel.

For Westport Country Playhouse tickets and information, visit westportplayhouse.org, call (203) 227-4177, or email at boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).