Forest Hills — Fourth-graders Eliana Gonzalez and Audrey Blink both have dreams of performing on Broadway, which was why they wanted to hone their skills at the Show Stoppers Musical Camp, hosted by the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center.
“We both are hoping to go to (New York’s) Julliard (School), which is a long way off to be thinking about,” Audrey said, adding that a more short-term goal is to see the musical production of “Wicked.”
The two friends were among the 115 students who participated in this summer’s Show Stoppers Musical Camp, offered to students going into grades 4-8. The five-day program ran at the end of July.
“This is something that we used to offer about 10 years ago,” said retired theater teacher Dave Howard, who has joined the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center staff to help run the summer theater programs. “We wanted to build the arts program in Forest Hills and spark some interest among students to continue participating in theater and music.”
When announced, the Show Stoppers program quickly filled up, said Jeremy Cox, the Fine Arts Center theater director. To accommodate the interest, the team expanded the program to include four rotations: dance, singing, performance and tech theater, such as lights, makeup and other backstage activities.
Students were divided into four groups rotating through the different activities. During the music and dance sessions, each group learned a song and dance routine, which they later performed at the end-of-camp showcase for family and friends.
Howard said students also had the opportunity to go through the audition process for solo spots during the final performance.
Discovering all Aspects of Theater
“What has been most interesting has been learning about the backstage — what happens on the sides and what the director does,” said fifth-grader Jackson Wilda. “It also has been interesting to learn about the different types of dance and how to get better in acting.”
Jackson said he has performed in about eight school productions for Ada Visa Elementary. Because of his interest in acting, his mother signed him up for the theater camp.
“I didn’t expect it to be like this fitting, meaning it connects to me,” he said. “It’s a second home.”
Audrey said she likes music, musical theater and acting, while Eliana said she enjoys dance and participates in a private dance school. The two have performed in some school shows for Knapp Forest Elementary; Audrey also has participated in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s summer theater camps.
“The acting in skits and making up our own things, that has been really fun,” Elianna said of the weeklong camp.
“It’s the acting, dancing, but mostly just being here with my own friends,” Audrey said about the experience. “I am really glad I got to do this with my friends.”
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