Two sisters from Grove Hall are among five Dot residents who will be spending the next five weeks writing scenes and rehearsing to appear in them at the Strand Theatre. X and Y, who attend the writing improvement classes in their neighborhood during the school year, are among the 25 lucky youngsters who have been selected by lottery to participate in the third annual WORDplay Summer Theater and Writing Camp for children ages 11-14.
The free, intensive five-week camp from July 13 through August 14 is a collaboration between The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) and 826 Boston, a nonprofit tutoring program geared toward underserved youth. WORDplay takes place Monday through Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 826 Boston’s youth writing and tutoring center, which is located at 3035 Washington St. in Roxbury.
Performing on a large professional stage like the one at the Strand can be a life-changing experience, especially for those who have never set foot “on the boards.” Just ask Elijah W., a ten year old who participated in last summer’s camp, “We even had dressing rooms. We had cheering fans. I felt like I was famous!”
This summer, the campers will write scripts and design sets and costumes around a theme inspired by the A.R.T.’s upcoming world premiere musical, “Waitress,” which will open at the A.R.T. on August 1. The campers will create their production under the guidance of writing tutors from 826 Boston and professional theater artists from the A.R.T. They will also have the opportunity to connect with members of the “Waitress” team during a trip to the A.R.T.’s Mainstage as part of the curriculum.
The camp will culminate in a one-night performance by the students at the Strand on Thurs., Aug. 14th at 7 p.m. The resulting play script will be published by 826 Boston and provided to each camper at a special book release party later in August.
Located in Egleston Square, 826 Boston is an award-winning, nonprofit youth writing and tutoring center dedicated to teaching writing to underserved students ages 6 to 18 and to helping Boston public school teachers inspire their students to write. An independent, locally founded organization, 826 Boston is a chapter of the vibrant national network launched by the writer Dave Eggers and the educator Ninive Calegari. The Boston chapter is grateful to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft for providing for the second year in a row the funding for this summer camp in memory of his late wife Myra Kraft.
The 826 network recently won the American Literacy Prize for its “innovative history of addressing community illiteracy…and its unique approach to helping at-risk K-12 students achieve reading and writing proficiency.” Since opening its doors in 2007, 826 Boston has trained 3,000 volunteers to provide tutoring and writing support to more than 13,000 underserved youth from Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain.
