After theatre company RuBarb Productions shut down in 2018, two mothers decided to start a theatre group to ensure youths could continue to develop their acting skills.
Jan Nelson and Kelsey Warren recently created Harmony Arts Program Children’s Live Theatre, designed to give kids ages six to 17 the opportunity to learn skills in drama and then put them into action. The co-creators held online tryouts in July and then selected the youths to participate in dramatic plays in early August.
Nine children and eight young adults took part in a Theatrix Day Camp from Aug. 4 to 8 at Moose Jaw Alliance Church, where they explored expression and body language. Having received scripts ahead of time, the young actors rehearsed plays that they then performed on Aug. 8; the children put on Snow White Lite and the young adults performed Whispers.
Snow White Lite was a shortened version of Snow White, while Whispers was about the experiences of children whose parents died during military service.
Bryce Johnson, a Moose Jaw-born theatre actor studying choreographer in Toronto, also provided advice during the week.
Acting is nothing new for Alex Sauer, 11. He explained that he enjoys performing for a crowd — he has acted in five plays — and wanted to participate when he heard about the summer drama camp. He hadn’t been able to act in a while due to the pandemic. His previous performance was last summer when he took part in a Frozen Junior show.
“I love the improvisation (taught during the camp). You can do anything,” he added. “You just have to think of it as it goes. I just find it a lot of fun.”
When RuBarb dissolved its school of performing arts, there were still youths who wanted to put on a show, explained Nelson, who led the children’s group. Her children had participated in RuBarb productions and she saw the loss they experienced. She noticed that parents also felt the loss of the production company.
It was because of that experience with RuBarb that Nelson and Warren started the Harmony Arts Program.
“It’s been a lot of work … . But the goal was to put on a show, and these kids are here because they love theatre … ,” she said.
Nelson added that some youths have already signed up for next year’s drama presentation due to the camp’s influence.
Warren, who led the older youths, helped Nelson start the drama company since her children had also participated in RuBarb productions. She, too, noticed how a void was left after the company shut down.
“I know the benefits it gives to youths,” said Warren. “It is important we provide this experience for them.”
One of the best parts of the summer camp for Warren was watching the youths grow during the week. She also liked guiding the group of mostly high school students and interacting with them.
Having Johnson help choreograph the drama productions and share his knowledge was a benefit, said Warren. It was also great that three other residents shared their experiences — via Zoom — of acting, provided audition tips, and suggested how to pursue a job in the industry.
With a chuckle, Johnson said he offered to help with choreography and thought he would be needed for only an hour. However, that hour turned into a full week.
According to the young adults, Johnson did a great job of helping them; they met many interesting people, and; it was nice to see people in the flesh instead of interacting with them online.
