Show Goes on With O.C. Theatre Company Camps

mvitale

The Music Pier Loggia provides a large, outdoor area for the OCTC summer camps, while also protecting participants from inclement weather.

By MADDY VITALE The Ocean City Theatre Company (OCTC) and the city’s Recreation Department are teaming up to bring theatre camps to kids this summer. CDC guidelines will be adhered to. There will be small group settings of 20 students or less, face masks will be required when not able to social distance, and all of the activities will be held outdoors under the Music Pier Loggia. The three camps, one each for elementary, middle, and high school students, allow those who love the performing arts to join together and share their talents. “The theatre company is super-excited to team up with the city’s Recreation Department to keep the tradition of theatre camp going in Ocean City,” said Michael Hartman, founder of the OCTC and the special events coordinator for the city. “I am actually celebrating 19 summers of theatre camp in Ocean City with the Rec Center.” He emphasized that due to COVID-19 rules, there is limited capacity in each of the groups. “We encourage early sign-up because the spots are for 20 or less for each group,” Hartman noted. “It is really crucial for people who are interested to sign up as soon as possible.” Preliminary sign-ups are this Wednesday. Registration is now open and with limited capacity, interested families are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible to secure a spot by clicking the community pass link at www.ocnj.us/recreation. There will be an array of camps specifically geared toward the different age groups. “The younger kids each week have a different theme to give them a different experience,” Hartman said.

The Music Pier Loggia in this 2019 summer photo, provides a large, outdoor area for the OCTC summer camps, while also protecting participants from inclement weather. The middle school students get to express themselves by writing their own monologue about how they deal with social media, bullying, the pandemic, or anything else they are dealing with. “It is really powerful,” Hartman said of the middle school camp. “There will also be some musical theatre.” Hartman described the high school camp as “intense musical theatre boot camp.” Each group of 20 kids will have a professional coach to guide them through performing challenges. It is not a talent show – it is camp, he emphasized. But the hope is that the older kids could learn more about musical theatre, the different shows and acting techniques and bond in their group of 20 kids. Hartman said this year, more than other years, is so important to keep kids who are a part of theatre, or are new to it, active and interested in the healthy outlet. “So many programs were canceled," he said of the impact of the pandemic. "So many of these kids’ school shows were canceled and they didn’t get the chance for closure with choral and band programs. That was really taken away from them.” With a full schedule of camp programs beginning next week and running through August, there will be strict safety guidelines enforced. But still, the camp will go on and give young talents a place to shine. “Everything really is about safety first and providing an opportunity for the arts,” Hartman said. For more information about the Ocean City Theatre Company, visit www.oceancitytheatrecompany.com. To sign up for the summer camps and to view the dates and times, visit the city’s website at www.ocnj.us/recreation.