The Melanie Thornton Youth Arts Foundation Inc.

Welcome to "The Moral of the Story" Performing Arts Summer Camp.  This camp is designed to be mobile and can also be administered at any church, school or community center. 

This is the only program of it's kind in the state of Georgia. 

“The Moral of the Story” Summer Camp offers fun, new friends, education, leadership opportunities, a safe place to face fears, magic, and much much more. A full-scale performance, drama training, and drama games are the primary components of the camp.   The camp provides a physically and emotionally safe environment to provide optimal conditions for growth and learning as both an actor and a person all while having a fun, exciting and inspirational experience. The campers are grouped by age and when not preparing for the performance rotate from one training class to another. We designed our summer camp to be the kind of place that can positively impact lives.

Camp classes and rehearsals provide training in ACTING, DANCING, IMPROVISATION, STAGE MAKEUP, SINGING, SET DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, & MUSICAL THEATER! Preparation and rehearsal for the performance begin in the first few days. Rehearsal time expands as the camp progresses. Drama games are incorporated within the training and rehearsal sessions.

The Moral of the Story’s primary goals are to:

1.  Give campers an inviting, safe environment to spend their summer

2.  Improve camper’s academic performance and desire to stay in school

3.  Develop camper’s leadership potential and skills

4.  Improve camper’s confidence and self image

5.  Improve early decision-making skills that help campers think critically about the choices they make and the social influences that interfere with good decisions, as well as resistance skills

6.  Broaden camper’s knowledge and experience in the arts

7.  Assist campers in preparing for a successful academic school year

BASIC CURRICULUM:  Campers will participate in, experience and learn from daily activities in the following areas

1. Classical literature - Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn about books and literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey.  Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We interpret the author's message with the distinct purpose of developing an updated story, with the same message, based on the classical piece.  With this study students greatly improve their reading and comprehension skills.
2. History – While the ancient world may seem remote and quite divorced from the problems of the present, the study of History can help students make sense of the world as it is today. The nature and impact of various cultural and religious developments, the responses of societies to complex social and economic challenges, the issues of justice, discrimination and violence were as much part of the ancient world as they are of ours.  Students learn the historical perspective of classical literature pieces by studying about the time from which the piece was written. 
3. Creative Writing – A script is the cornerstone of a production from which the actors, designers, and directors all take their cues. Students will create, develop and write original scripts that will include characters, settings and stage direction.  Script writing will improve student’s reading and writing skills.  Younger students who are unable to write learn by verbalizing their ideas for a new story based on the classic.
4. Show Production – Older Students learn about and gain experience in creating show concepts, designing the production, running the show, amazing an audience, and capturing every moment of the excitement.  Students will be trained to identify:  the various crews and their functions in a play or musical; managerial and design jobs, such as stage managers, technical directors, and set designers; business/managerial careers associated with live theatrical performance will also be discussed; the actor’s relationship to stage managers and crew members will be delineated; backstage and rehearsal etiquette.  Students will be trained in the fundamentals of make-up design and costuming.  Students are instructed in the process of integrating the technical elements with performance elements and the purpose of technical and dress rehearsals. Students will participate in a final production, including the sequence of rehearsals, tech rehearsal, dress rehearsals, and a performance of their full production and/or scene, dance, and singing projects.
5. Entrepreneurship - It is abundantly clear that entrepreneurship is important for economic growth, productivity, innovation and employment.  By producing their own show, students develop skills in goal setting, business development, sales, marketing, accounting and more.
6. Self Development – Character building lessons are designed specifically to develop moral qualities such as humility, truthfulness, honesty, courtesy, tolerance and sacrifice.  These lessons, strategically weaved throughout the program, strengthen student’s self esteem, optimism and commitment to personal fulfillment and helps students exercise ethical judgment and social responsibility. Campers learn about living healthy through I-CAN Garden's cooperative garden project. Campers will plant, harvest and sample healthy foods from their own garden. The CETPA Clubhouse will provide a daily sports experience to encourage campers to keep exercise a part of their lives.
7. Music- The addition of music to a standard play heightens emotion, reinforces dramatic action, evokes atmosphere and mood in ways that words alone cannot.  In our show productions songs do not exist only for their entertainment value.  Our students learn to develop story, mood, theme, and communicating drama through music.  Vocal training is a integral part of the music curriculum where lessons are centered around using proper vocal technique.
8. Dance – Students will experience and practice:  dance warm-ups, strengthening exercises, and other basic concepts.  They will learn basic dance steps “every actor should know,” combinations, social dances and choreography techniques.
9. Drama – As a part of our drama curriculum young students play different kinds of drama and theater games and participate in exercises to improve observation, concentration, trust, responsibility, imagination, vocabulary and language.  We will practice reading stories and poetry aloud to improve expression through body language, voice and speech.  Our older students participate in improvisation exercises to develop creativity, observation skills, character development, and concentration.  Scene analysis (instructor directed close reading of the play, cutting a scene for rehearsal, character analysis, scene objectives, beats, and subtext) is taught and then applied by the students.
10. Art – There is a lot of art work in theater:  costumes, sets, sound, lights, and etc.  Students will design the set for this performance incorporating the ideas found in the production concept; design the costumes for this performance research the historical period required by the concept on the Internet to be able to find visual representations of architecture, decor, and fashion; and present concepts for set design and costume.  Lighting and sound technical designs are created for the production as well.

Classical Literature we will explore and update this summer: 

This year “The Moral of the Story” will journey through the pages of “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.  Campers will learn about Mary Shelley, her life and the time in which she wrote “Frankenstein.”  The story of Frankenstein is a heartfelt journey of a new being trying to fit in and be loved.  His attempts were unsuccessful and only heightened his own fear and the fears of people around him.  Enraged by his lack of success he began to bully his neighbors. 

“Frankenstein” offers the unique opportunity to talk about and work on solutions for being bullied and bullying others.  Through the study of this classic piece of literature and the development of a new story based on it campers learn and redevelop the moral of the story.

Sample Daily Schedule:

9:00 – 9:30 - Drama Games or vocal training

9:30 – 10:30 – Script writing, script read through or play rehearsal

10:30 – 11:15 – Performance Music

11:15 – 12:15 – special guests, peer group or rehearsal

12:15 – 12:30 – bathroom break & lunch preparation

12:30 – 1:00 – lunch

1:00 – 2:00 – performance choreography

2:00 to 3:00 – Art (production related)

3:00 to 4:00 – Script writing, script read through or play rehearsal

Friday Field Trips:

June 7^th:  Ice Forum Duluth ice skating and Suwanee Park ($10)

June 14^th:  Monroe Farm and historic city tour ($10)

June 21^st:  Rhodes Jordan Park Swimming & Movie ($10)

June 28^th:  Amicalola Falls &  the North Georgia Zoo($15)

Each day, the parent or guardian of each camper must sign their child in and out of camp via our sign in sheet. 

On field trip Fridays we will depart between 7:30am & 8:30am and arrive back between 4:30pm & 5:30pm.  Campers must be dropped off 15 to 30 minutes before departure time.  Campers must be picked up within 15 minutes of arrival time on Field Trip Fridays.

Camper Absences

Please call or text us at (678) 462-0535 if your child will be absent from camp.

Camper Daily Supplies

Lunch and snacks provided

Camp Performance – Rehearsals (during camp hours)

• Tech rehearsal - Monday, June 24^th
• Rehearsal – Tuesday, June 25^th
• Dress Rehearsal – Wednesday, June 26th

Camp Performance

Meadowcreek High School Theater (across from gym) 4455 Steve Reynolds Blvd., Norcross, GA 30093

• Show duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes.
• Show date & time: Thursday, June 27th, 6:00 pm
• If your camper cannot attend the performance, please notify us as soon as possible.
• Two tickets are provided to each camper.  Additional ticket sales begin on Monday, June 17th. Tickets are $5 and will be available online at www.foundationforyoutharts.org and at camp site.

Tuition

Early-registration Discount – register by May 15th:

One camper per family: $750.00 each

Two or more campers per family: $700.00 each

Register after May 15th: $825 each

Summer Camp tuition is due at the time of registration, full payment or a 50% deposit. The balance is due by June 1st. There are no refunds after June 1st. The tuition includes a $50 non-refundable registration fee.