New Musical Theater Casts Children for Summer Productions

Posted

Sherry Doyle, vocal professor at Patrick Henry College and Victory Lakes resident, founded Ovation Theater, a Bristow based musical theater camp, because she missed working with children.

Although Doyle is kept busy caring for her own two young children, teaching college and pursuing a doctorate, she wanted to work with children the way she did when she taught middle and high school choir in Loudoun County a few years ago.

“I want to get involved with the community and provide something for them in the summer,” Doyle said.

As a choir teacher, Doyle decided to create a camp that incorporates her skill in vocal music and the love she had for musical theater since she was in high school. She also knew that musical theater would help children and teens develop a variety of performance-based skills that would translate in the classroom as well as in life.

“They will gain confidence, because they are going to be stepping a little bit out of their comfort zone. They are going to do things they didn’t think they could do,” Doyle said.

Currently her camp works out of Grace Life Church on Linton Hall Road, although it is not officially affiliated with the church or any denomination. The camp takes works in two three-week sessions, in which most children have signed up for one or the other, but can also sign up for both. At the end of the three weeks, they put on a musical.

While she is working with children ages 7-14, some older teens with theater, choir or dance experience are volunteering their time as junior counselors. Ovation has also hired a professional instructor in singing, acting and dance, and several college counselors as well, so the children will have plenty of supervision as well as experienced coaches.

Doyle plans to break down the day in sections. In morning students are divided into groups by age and experience. They practice singing, acting and dance skills with instructors and counselors. Around lunch time, they take a break from the performing arts, play games or work on activities in other disciplines, while the afternoon is reserved solely for play practice.

Ovation Theater is currently offering two sessions. The first session runs from July 9 to July 20 involves more of a Christian based curriculum and performance, while the second session, running from July 30 to Aug 10 is more secular. As both a religious person and a former public school teacher, Doyle recognized the values of both types of instruction.

Within the first three weeks students will prepare to perform “Jonah’s Druthers” a pop-country musical loosely based on the Biblical story of Jonah and the Whale.

“Basically instead of Jonah going into the Whale, he goes into the well. It teaches children to listen to God and trust him,” Doyle said.

Doyle describes the play as spiritual, like students might get in a Bible study production, but it is also modern and great tool for teaching the current styles of musical theater. The music is also contemporary.

“It’s more your Carrie Underwood type style,” Doyle said.

The second session, from, July 30 Aug 10, is more secular, but also more traditional as students will perform "Cinderella," with music from the Disney animated film.

Because Ovation Theater is new, Doyle is still trying to get the word out. She hopes to grow her program next summer, which may result in a more specialized instruction for students of various ages or experience levels.

Right now she is excited to bring musical theater to Western Prince William County. She believes it is a unique summer camp for this are, and a program that will provide children with the opportunity to participate in the performing arts and receive coaching from professionals in a way they might not get a chance to experience in school, especially in the lower grades.

Ovation Theater is still taking new campers and through the end of June, enrollment is only $250 for a three-week session.

Those interested in having their children attending Ovation Theater summer camp program should contact Doyle at 703.599.7441, info@theovationtheater.com, or visit her website www.theovationtheater.com.

acting, acting-camp, bristow, bristow-camps, bristow-news, christian-camp, cinderella, drama, featured, full-image, grace-life-community-church, jonahs-druthers, kids-camps, linton-hall-road, loundon-county-teacher, music, music-camp, musical-theater, news-prince-william-county-va, ovation-theater, patrick-henry-college, performance, shenandoah-university, sherry-doyle, summer-camp, summer-camps, theater, theater-camp, va, voice, voice-professor, voice-teacher, wester-prince-william-county