By Nancy Raskauskas
The Entertainer | Posted: Thursday, June 25, 2009 12:00 am
Young performers get their feet wet at Adventures in Acting summer camp
CORVALLIS - Adventures In Acting's annual theater camp is back for a fourth year with "Wipeout!" a musical comedy with a cast of 53 local youths representing 15 mid-valley schools.
Two "whirlpool" weeks of rehearsals will culminate in three performances this weekend at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at Ashbrook Independent School, 4045 S.W. Research Way.
Thanks to the work of a dedicated camp staff that includes local educators, artists, musicians and several high school thespians, the campers n some of whom have never acted before - were breezing through a technical rehearsal on Tuesday, hitting cues and remembering lines and dance moves, for the most part.
CDs and scripts were handed out to most campers in advance of the first day of camp, according to camp director Beth Riley, a teacher at Oak Grove Elementary School in Albany. But, predictably, very few kids showed up with their lines learned.
"They're acting and singing and just getting used to how things work," Riley said.
"We're very about performing and confidence building," she added.
The play stars 15-year-old Grant Thackray, who will be a junior at Corvallis High School next fall. Thackry portrays Rip Tide, a surfer dude who is commanding on the waves, but awkward and shy on dry land.
Anna Turkisher, 13, who will be an eighth-grader at Chedelin Middle School next fall, plays Rip's love interest, Midge.
Midge's mother, Captain Billie (Erynne van Zee), and her Aunt Willie (Dana Skaar) own a ramshackle snack shack on Avalon Beach - home to a flock of misfit kids, easily identifiable in the play by their plaid surf shorts.
The owner of a resort at a nearby beach called The Cove, Ms. Saucelito (Andrea Bartlow), hopes to take advantage of hard times at Avalon to acquire the property.
In several humorous scenes, the rich kids from The Cove, lead by Ms. Saucelito's son Reef (Jacob Soloff), face off with the "ragamuffins" of Avalon.
The feud culminates in a surfing competition between Rip Tide and Reef, with the ownership of the beach at stake.
The camp teaches theater in interactive ways. A party scene was designed by the campers themselves.
"They had to brainstorm what you would do at a luau," Riley said.
In addition, Riley expanded several of the play's roles into two parts to accommodate the large cast, with the result being several very humorous partnerships, such as Scratch and Sniff (Jack Coen and Derek Espinoza), a pair of magazine reporters who take dictation for the imperious editor of a surf magazine (Camille Ravlin).
"That is one of the duos we made. I think that it worked out really well," Riley said.
Another double is made up of a spacy pair of Avalon girls named Sandy and Candy (Jasmine Hammerstad and Lizzie Gullerud), who are tethered to each other by a shared pair of earbuds hooked to an oversized iPod.
About half of the campers are returning actors. Interestingly, out of 54 campers, only 11 are boys.
Jacob James, 17, who will be a junior at Crescent Valley High School next year, has taken part in the camp's previous productions of "Wonderland," "No Strings Attached" and "Romeo and Harriet."
James portrays Loco, a bongo-playing beach bum, and said one of his favorite things about camp is getting to work with all different ages.
"He's just grown into such an incredible role model," Riley said.
CHECK IT OUT
WHO: Adventures in Acting
WHAT: "Wipeout!"
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27.
WHERE: Ashbrook Independent School Theater, 4045 S.W. Research Way.
COST: $10 for adults, $7 for students and seniors. All Saturday matinee tickets $7. Tickets available at Gracewinds Music and at the door.
INFO: adventuresinacting