Oxford to Have First Full-Fledged Musical Summer Camp in June and July

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The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, along with Mockingbird Music and Oxford Acting Studio, brings to Oxford the 2014 winner of New York City’s Children’s Musical Theater Festival, “The Most Epic Birthday Party Ever,” a Musical Theater Camp.

The camp will be at The Powerhouse Community Arts Center in Oxford the weeks of June 20 to 24 and June 27 to July 1. The participants, children ages five to 15, will be taught singing and acting skills throughout the two week camp, at the end of which they will give a grand performance of the musical.

Although there were Mockingbird Music Summer Singing Camps last summer, this will be the first full-fledged musical summer camp. Davis Jones, who has been involved in musical theater for more than 25 years, is the director of Mockingbird Music and lead instructor for the camp. He previously did some directing for The InArte Children’s Theater, an off-broadway children’s theater in New York. There, Jones co-wrote and put on “Adventures of the Couch Potatoes.”

Jones said, “It was a lot of fun to see the children put on something that I created, but more importantly something they really enjoyed. So, when I started up my music business Mockingbird Music, I knew that it had to involve singing summer camps for children.”

So, last year, Jones started with the YAC creating music singing camps. The camps featured songs from various time periods, and when successful, Jones had a conversation with Rhes Lowe, owner and director of Oxford Acting Studio, as well as Andi Bedsworth, owner and instructor of Arts on the Go about putting on a full scale children’s musical.

He said, “I was enthralled with the idea!” Jones says, “And I kept thinking about all last fall and winter and when the new year came around, I contacted everyone again, and Wayne Andrews director of the YAC and Rhes were on board, and thought it was great idea! So Rhes and I are putting it on together and I can’t wait to start.”

When choosing the production for the camp, “The Most Epic Birthday Party Ever” (book, music, and lyrics by Denver Casado and Betina Hershey), Jones said, “I wanted to pick something that was new and fresh because I didn’t want to direct something that the audience had already heard before… I felt it was too predictable and therefore not as enjoyable if everyone knew what was going to happen and heard some or most the songs already.”

It’s a mystery story about almost-12-year-old Skylar’s birthday party, at which all adults suddenly disappear and the kids have to make some important decisions to figure out a solution.

During week one of the camp, June 20-24, the kids will meet every day from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. After they audition and have been assigned roles, the campers will start working on their singing skills and learning songs and lines of the musical. During the second week, June 27-July 1, they will keep sharpening their singing while also learning about acting. On the night of July 1st, there will be a performance where the kids will show off all their hard work.

Recalling last year’s singing camps and past children’s musicals that he directed, Jones said, “Everyone seem to enjoy it. Parents I think, really enjoyed watching their kids get up and sing and dance. For some it was the first time they ever had the opportunity.”

There are more than 10 weeks of camps offered by the Arts Council during the summer in addition to classes during the school year.

Wayne Andrews, director of the arts council, says, “The Arts are one of the few things that you can do your entire life…Offering these camps, classes and arts experiences is important. In addition to being fun they keep the mind and body active during the summer while helping to build confidence, speaking skills, and working as a team.”

Emma Elgin is a HottyToddy.com intern. She can be reached at emmaeelgin@gmail.com.