Every summer around this time Rya Harach starts getting excited. She and her sister Lana begin thinking about the new play they’ll be performing in, the singing, the costumes and the friendships they will forge as Thea Stavroff’s Annual Summer Youth Theatre Workshop approaches.
“We plan our summer’s around it,” said the 14-year-old who is marking her fifth year in the program.
Harach said she enjoys the plays, which are a product of Stavroff’s wondrous imagination, as well as practicing the lines with old friends and new. She likes the challenge of memorizing the lines and said the catchy tunes remain in her mind all summer. And attending the workshops also impact her life beyond the summer, she said.
“Thea’s camp helped me talk in front of people and not be shy,” she said, “I overcame my fear.”
There is still room to sign up for this year’s workshop where students will perform Stavroff’s newest original children’s musical, The Star Children.
The play involves a family of young people who discover an intergalactic communication device while cleaning out their late grandfather’s attic. Not knowing what the device is, one of the children turn it on, and young people on different planets begin receiving signals.
These intelligent beings are all very different and this is where kids in the workshop can get crafty, helping name their planets and create costumes. Young people from around the universe come together in the play, including some from an aggressive planet that has used up all of its resources. These beings are looking for a planet to inhabit and Earth seems like just the ticket. Other beings are so intelligent they have moved beyond war and endeavor to try and help the young people on Earth save their planet, which is headed for certain destruction.
The workshop begins Sunday, July 15 and welcomes kids ages 7-14 years. The week culminates with two performances of the play at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday July 21 at the Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach. Tickets are $6 and the public is welcome.
Fees are affordable and some financial assistance is available. To pre-register, email Thea at tstavroff@shaw.ca or call 250-752-9867.