Immersive theater camps

Attendees rehearse during a previous Community Stages and Cornerstone School summer camp. [Submitted photo]

Community Stages and Cornerstone School are teaming up again to offer a series of immersive theater camps designed to help young people build creativity, confidence, collaboration and joyful self-expression through the performing arts.

Running throughout June and July in Ocala, the camps welcome students from early elementary through high school and include exploratory drama experiences and a full-scale summer musical production. Programs are led by experienced teaching artists, musicians, directors and arts educators. 

This year’s June camps, “From Page to Stage and Screen,” invite campers to dive into the worlds of beloved stories from literature, Broadway and film through acting, music, movement, storytelling, design and hands-on theatrical creation. Weekly themes draw inspiration from adventures and characters familiar to young audiences while encouraging imagination over perfection and participation over pressure, the news release noted.

In July, older campers will take the stage in a three-week performance intensive culminating in Disney’s “Moana Jr.,” presented at the Dassance Fine Arts Center at the College of Central Florida.

“Our camps are built around the idea that theatre skills are life skills,” said Community Stages director Terry LeCompte, in the release. “We want young people to feel safe being imaginative, expressive, collaborative and bold. Whether a camper dreams of performing professionally or simply needs a place to belong and grow, these programs are designed to help them shine.”

For details, go to joyfuldrama.com/community-stages and thecornerstoneschool.org/summer-camps