Education Unlimited - academic summer camps and pre-college summer programs

New for 2011: Education Unlimited is pleased to offer a special week at Stanford University where students can experiment in the crossroads of Theater Arts and Public Speaking!

This Drama-focused week is designed for middle school students to build on the poise and delivery elements taught in the regular Public Speaking Institute classes, while expanding into a further realm of body movement and staging to help students learn to perform confidently onstage in a variety of settings. Through daily monologue work, scene work and a variety of electives, the students will discover how to create rapport with the audience.

Monologues Learn techniques and practice exercises designed to increase your range, projection, articulation and character development. Participants learn the building blocks to realistic acting through playing objectives (what the character wants), obstacles (what stands in the way), and tactics (how the character tries to get around those obstacles to accomplish her objectives). In the final monologue showcase, students perform for fellow campers, families, and friends.

Ensemble Scene Work Theater at any level is a collaborative process. Working effectively in an ensemble requires that an actor possess both the skills to shine when the spotlight is on them and the ability to support the other members of the group when it’s their turn in the spotlight. Each day, students will practice exercises that help them vocally project, physically tell stories, as well as emotionally and intellectually connect to other characters sharing the stage.

Electives Elective offerings vary and will depend on the specialty of the faculty. Possible electives include:

• Improvisation: Act without a script! Learn about spontaneity, sharing control, and status while creating scenes and playing games that focus on your intuition and ability to create situations together.

• Reader's Theater: In this fun and popular event, students write and perform a short play (or learn and perform a play for other students). Students create their characters, devise plot twists, write dialogue, and deliver partial practice performances followed by the whole play.

• Audition Workshop: Even the most talented actors and speakers might still experience stage fright. Learn helpful tips to overcome fear of an audience and casting directors!

• Mask-Making: Masks add another unique, creative dimension to each character. Students will learn to improve gestures and body language to enhance the characters created in the masks.

Admissions Requirements Eligible students must be entering 7th-8th grade in order to attend the special Drama-focus week of the Public Speaking Institute. Students may have previously participated in a drama camp or acting classes, but it is not a prerequisite for attendance.