Camp lets kids be the stars

Centre Stage Productions

The Summer Stock Performance School

of Towne Centre Theatre

BrentWord news services
BRENTWOOD -- This year, Centre Stage will offer 3 separate week-long intensive Musical Theater Camps at Towne Centre Theatre. Each of these camps will be from 9am-12 pm every morning Monday through Thursday, and on Friday from 1pm-7pm with a pizza dinner break at 5 pm. At 7 pm on Friday, the show begins for friends and family.

We will offer two camps for young performers ages 6-11 and one camp for older performers ages 12-17.

Camp #1: Dancing through the Decades; Young Performers (ages 6-11) - June 8-12, (show on Friday, June 8).
Camp #2: Broadway Lights - featuring music from Chicago, Mamma Mia, West Side Story and more! Teen Performers (ages 12-17), June 22-26 (show on June 26)
Camp #3: Rock n’ Roll Revival; Young Performers (ages 6-11), June 29-July 3 (show on July 3)

The Friday evening performances will be a themed musical revue, and all of the musical numbers, dialogue, and choreography will revolve around this theme. Solos and duets will be available to participants, as well as many group numbers.
All participants in the camp will receive a camp T-shirt (used as a costume in the performance), a free pizza dinner the night of the performance, and a CD with the music from the show. Each camper will also receive four tickets to the show on Friday.

Musical Theater Mini Camp tuition is $200 for the first child in a family, and $170 for each additional child. For more information and to register, visit http://www.townecentretheatre.com/.

About the Instructors:
Kari Cherie Smith: As the Theater Arts Teacher and Forensics Coach at Ravenwood High School for the last seven years, Kari Cherie works with theater students on an everyday basis. She graduated from Lipscomb University with a degree in Theater and English Education and a minor in Vocal Performance. Kari is also a seasoned dancer and choreographer, having trained here in Brentwood at The Dance Machine. A four-year member of the Vanderbilt Spirit of Gold Danceline while in college, Kari Cherie has directed and choreographed for many schools and theaters in the area for over a decade. As performer herself, she is excited to be a part of Towne Centre Theatre’s educational effort to reach out to children in the community.

Becca Messner: For over fifteen years, Becca has taught dance and choreographed in Knoxville, Orlando, Nashville, Franklin, and Kentucky. As a charter member of the performance group Kids Unlimited and the Knoxville Performing Arts Insitute, Becca performed in New York, Toronto, the Bahamas, Walt Disney World, and the White House. Productions she has choreographed include Annie, The Wiz, Oliver, Grease, West Side Story, Music Man and Joseph. She also was the choreographer for the Miss Kentucky USA pageant from 2003-2005. She is a graduate of Lipscomb University and danced on the Vanderbilt University Sprit of Gold Danceline for three years.

Randy Dierkes: A recent graduate of Ravenwood High School, Randy is an experienced performer as a singer, dancer, and an actor. As a Towne Center stage performer himself, Randy also brings experiences in school and church choir as well as an extensive background in Forensics and Speech. With dance training at DC and at Spotlite and with vocal training from Tracy Prentice, Randy is excited to be teaching at Towne Centre for a second year. Randy’s stage credits range from Footloose to West Side Story, and he will be attending Florida State University’s musical theater program in the fall.