TORONTO — Close to 50 adults in Toronto will head off to camp July 13 – singing camp, that is.
So far, another 15 have signed up to attend a weeklong theatre camp equivalent beginning Aug. 17.
Both camps are programs of the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre’s (MNJCC) Summer Institute. They have drawn a cross-section of retirees and people in their 30s to their 50s who have booked time off work to beef up their vocal, movement or acting skills.
Both the singers edition, which is now in its fourth year, and the theatre edition, which is entering its second, offer a week of intensive, full-day programming at the downtown MNJCC site, with classes held in the building’s upstairs facilities as well as in the Al Green Theatre.
“The camps offer a chance to meet new people and take risks in a safe environment,” said Deanna Di Lello, programming associate at the MNJCC.
The singing program, she explained, is meant for those who have had previous experience singing in a choir.
It typically attracts people whose regular choir groups are on summer hiatus and who relish an opportunity to fine-tune their vocal production or try out solo work.
Arlene Mayers, 68, is a third-time returnee to the singers edition.
What brings her back, she said, is that “the program gets better and better. Instead of jumping out of an airplane or climbing a mountain, I take an intensive singing course. I am completely out of my comfort zone.”
The singers are divided into two streams: “Andante,” which operates at what Di Lello called a “recreational pace” and is focused on having fun and learning new genres, and “Allegro,” which is faster-paced and geared at singers who wish to really push themselves.
Singing classes include semi-private and group lessons and range from “Jazz Boot Camp Master Class” to “Cabaret/Musical Theatre Master Class.”
The faculty team includes jazz vocalist and broadcaster Heather Bambrick; Micah Barnes, singer-songwriter and member of the a cappella group The Nylons, and jazz vocalist Adi Braun.
Di Lello noted that the singing program still has openings for tenors and basses.
The institute’s theatre camp, which currently has spots remaining, doesn’t require participants to have any prior experience and is designed to give campers a taste of different facets of theatre, including acting, playwriting and directing.
Teachers include playwright and actor Bruce Gram; Julie Tepperman, co-artistic director of Convergence Theatre, and multi-disciplinary theatre artist Marjorie Chan. They guide campers through the basics of improvisation, directing, acting, voice, movement, monologue and “the business of acting,” a class that looks at elements of the industry such as the casting process and self-production.
Unlike other programs, Di Lello stressed, campers of the MNJCC Summer Institute don’t work toward a final production to be performed before an audience.
Instead, the theatre participants will perform a monologue or a scene in front of their fellow campers. The singers, at the end of their program, will perform what she called a “casual cabaret,” with the option of inviting one guest apiece.
“We really want people to feel comfortable and explore what they can do with their voice,” Di Lello said. “We feel that having a final production [before an audience] can put a lot of pressure on people.”
While campers are often initially nervous about performing in front of their peers, she said, by the end, they typically build up real confidence.
“Summer singing camp gives me an intensive jolt of singing bliss… At the conclusion, I have the feeling as if I’d reached the summit of my Mount Everest,” said Henie Frances, 63, also returning for the third year.
Di Lello said the Summer Institute is also distinct from other adult arts camps because the others often take place as retreats outside of the city, requiring participants to pay for lodgings and food.
“This is summer camp for adults but without the camping. They don’t have to stay in bunk beds, they just get to meet new people and have a really good time.”
