Blog

from Jason Silverman, Senior Camp Counselor

Halfway through Session 2 and feeling good!

NTA Summer Session 2 is now in full swing with our campers spending lots of quality time in class, rehearsal, or with one another.  New friendships are being formed and campers are taking new and exciting risks, making each day of camp an adventure.

Some special highlights from the week:

• Junior Camp had a wonderful workshop wtih teaching artist Nancy Voigts where they learned about acting, singing, and dancing (sometimes all at the same time!) from a seasoned professional like herself.
• Senior Camp had an insightful viewpoints/compositional workshop with director Jon Berry, in which they learned how to respond to each others’ energies in the room.
• Junior Camp went to the Emerald City Theatre to see Dr. Doolittle, where our campers experienced what it means to be able to talk to the animals.
• Senior Camp had a private performance of Michael Fosberg’s one-man show, Incognito.  This was a special and truly unique opportunity for all of our campers and staff here at Northlight, and the show proved to be an important experience for everyone involved.  We all learned a little bit more about our perceptions of race and of one another.  Special thanks to Michael!
• On Friday, Junior and Senior Camp had a fantastic time at the pool!  It was great seeing counselors and campers from Junior and Senior Camp playing together in the pool and having an awesome time!

We are having so much fun here at Northlight this summer and look forward to more exciting news from NTA!

from BJ Jones, Artistic Director

It’s high summer here at Northlight.  And even though it feels a bit like Fall, it puts us in mind of the spectacular 35th Anniversary season which will soon be here.

So often people ask me what we do in the off-season here at Northlight.  The answer is, there is no off-season here at Northlight!  There are shows to be cast, production meetings to be scheduled and attended, budgets to be readied, a full camp full of students (2 sessions!) and plays to be read.

I just got back from New York and the opening night of Judith Ivey’s production of Vanities at Second Stage.  The performances were wonderful and Judy’s directorial work was heartfelt and dynamic.  It was an honor to be her guest and exciting to attend a New York opening.  Lauren Kennedy, the star of our production of The Last Five Years, is in the cast and as always is a superb performer with astonishing talent  -  it was great to see her again.

On Monday I had our first production meeting with the designers of The Lady with All the Answers production that we will open in October at Cherry Lane in New York.  Broadway designers Neil Patel and Martin Paklidinez are brilliant and will give us a whole new look to this production.

This week we head to Nantucket with Judy as she reprises her role as Ann Landers for a benefit performance.  She and her husband Tim Braine have a summer home there and are generously donating her performance for one night to benefit some of the island’s charities.  It will be a great warm-up for Cherry Lane in October.  I hope those of you who can will join us in NYC for the production in the Fall.   I will send pictures for all you blogger types! READ MORE

from Jason Silverman, Senior Camp Counselor

Session 2 has gotten off to a terrific start!  We welcomed our new and returning campers with open arms and everyone has been having a blast.  Rehearsals and classes have been productive and engaging for campers, and we are already seeing their amazing growth.

On Thursday, we went to Navy Pier to see Cirque Shanghai: Bright Spirit, which wowed our kids with their flexibility, fearlessness and energy.  On Friday, Junior Camp went to the pool and had a lot of fun, despite the cold.  Senior Camp had a challenging and rewarding workshop with Henry Godinez from the Goodman Theatre,  in which they learned how to approach cold readings and open scenes.

Overall, Week 1 of Session 2 was a huge success and all of us here at NTA are looking forward to 3 more weeks of fun!

from Jason Silverman, Senior Camp Counselor

Hello Again!

Week 4 was an intense, fun, and creative week for our campers, one that they pulled off with lots of flair!  Tech for both camps went incredibly well, much to the help and leadership of Vicki, David, and Martha.  Our kids truly were able to get the experience of performing on a live professional stage.

The showcases on Thursday night were a huge success!  Family and friends were thoroughly entertained by our campers’ work and our campers should be very proud of themselves.

On Friday, we bid adieu to our Session 1 campers and although we couldn’t go to the pool (boo), we were able to have an awesome NTA Session 1 celebration here at Northlight.  Junior Camp created mini-productions of their favorite fairy tales, while Senior Camp played some favorite improv games.  Both camps came together for a pretty cool dance party right on our Northlight stage, complete with lights and booming music.  We all had so much fun doing the conga, playing limbo, and teaching the Electric Slide.

Session 1 flew by so quickly, but it was a total blast.  From all of the NTA staff here, we would like to thank each and every single camper for making each day a joy to come to work and for making our showcases exciting and inspiring.

On to Session 2!!!

from Jason Silverman, Senior Camp Counselor

Hi Everyone!
Here is a quick summary of some of the fun activities going on in NTA Summer Camp Week 3:

-Sadly, core classes are finished for Junior and Senior Camp now. But, our campers have taken away new knowledge on how to use their voice and body on stage, what it takes to adapt a short story, and what happens behind the scenes of a production. All of the staff here is seeing this change in our students and in our camp shows!

-On Wednesday, we all took a magical carpet ride to see Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Aladdin and although it was a gloomy day outside, everyone inside was having a blast seeing their favorite Disney characters such as Aladdin, Jasmine, and Jafar come to life onstage!

-And to finish off our week, our campers had a great workshop with Elizabeth Neukirch from the Goodman Theatre. They learned what it takes to be a theater critic and how to write some thoughtful and helpful reviews. Some of our campers’ reviews of Fiddler on the Roof will be up shortly!

Just to remind everyone, next THURSDAY 07/09 at 6 is our Junior Camp showcase, The Enormous Crocodile and Esiotrot, and at 7:30 is our Senior Camp showcase, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. Please come to our FREE productions to see the exciting work our campers and staff have been preparing for the past few weeks.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!