Summer Youth Theatre presents "Folk Tales for Fun" on June 26

By Jeff Petersen
The La Grande Observer

Published: June 24, 2004

EOU Community School of the Arts

The Observer/LAURA MACKIE-HANCOCK Thirty-seven kids, age 8-15, are in this summer's camp, sponsored by the new Community School of the Arts. The kids play 45 characters in the show that unfolds Saturday. Honing acting skills are, from left, Bryan Kelley, Rachel Winn, Evylyn Brown, Ariana Snow and Shane Miller.

"Folk Tales for Fun" by Carlos Perez, the public performance by the Summer Youth Theatre 2004, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in McKenzie Theatre, Loso Hall, Eastern Oregon University campus. Tickets are $5 at the door.

The performance wraps up a two-week run for the day camp, which is in session 8 a.m. to noon each weekday. Children 12 and under are admitted free.

Thirty-seven kids 8-15 are in this summer's camp, sponsored by the new Community School of the Arts. The kids play 45 characters in the show, so "everybody gets a shot at doing something," said Dave Sintay, 36, camp director.

The play is about six folk tales from all over the world.

Camp directing is nothing new for Sintay. He's worked with the Boy Scouts of America for nine years, has previous theater directing experience and has been working with kids for most of his adult life.

The biggest challenge for him has been rehearsal. College students and community members generally realize practice for a show will include considerable down time. But with kid campers you have to find games and other things to do to keep the attention of those not directly involved on stage.

New this year is a three-pronged focus. Previously the camp focused exclusively on acting. This year, thanks in part to counselors Kathy Hire, who has stage manager expertise, and Sam Vore, who has technical side expertise, the camp has branched out to give kids a look behind the scenes.

In his second year at camp is Bryan Kelley, 11, the son of Ron and Ursula Kelley of La Grande. In the show, he plays a character known as I Don't Know, who really knows everything.

"I'm supposed to act really smart and talk like a robot," Kelley said. "That's pretty hard - saying (a sentence) one word at a time, in monotone."

Meanwhile, first-year camper Ariana Snow, the daughter of Mike and Marlene Snow of Summerville, plays the snake. Snow is fresh off acting as Sintay's daughter, Shprintze, in "Fiddler on the Roof." Sintay played the main role of Tevya.

"Acting like a snake is challenging," Snow says. "You have to learn to slither, extend your Ss."

One of the neatest thing they've learned so far in camp (as of the first Thursday), Kelley says is the teamwork needed to produce lights and sound effects.

Snow agrees that it's fascinating to see how it all works so everybody hits the cues.

She says theater camp has been a fun way to meet a whole lot of people.

"It gets to be a big family," she says. "It gets really hard to leave them all."

Contact Information

University Advancement Eastern Oregon University One University Boulevard La Grande, OR 97850 phone 541.962.3740 fax 541.962.3680 email University Advancement