Backyard Drama Camps

As a child growing up in Texas the backyard was where I spent most of my time. It was also the place to which I would drag my Mother and Grandmother when I wanted them to watch a show I had created. They would give me the handmade tickets I had “sold” them minutes before and sit on the porch swing that hung from a giant oak tree. 

The show was almost always a solo endeavor unless I could force my little brother to participate. It is one of my fondest childhood memories and now, many years later, the Backyard Drama Camps are bringing this homespun magic to families in Los Angeles. 

The focus of the Backyard Drama Camps is to produce a show with creativity and joy! We often start with an existing story - a fairytale, myth, or old text like Don Quixote or Shakespeare and then make it our own. Sometimes we write/create a show from scratch which is always fun and fascinating! Playing lots of theater games and making our own props, and sets, is also a huge part of the Drama camps. 

During the casting process the children are encouraged to express their interest in any character they might like to play, there are no auditions. If more than one child is interested in the same part, we triple cast it and they all perform the part at some point during the show. Conversely, if a child is shy and not wanting a speaking part at all, we create a part in which they feel comfortable. 

The Backyard Drama Camps are about learning to have confidence voicing creative ideas in a group, growing comfortable in front of a small audience of parents and peers and, of course, having tons of fun using our imaginations to make magic on the stage!

"This drama camp creates the simple childhood beauty and delight that I remember experiencing as a child putting on plays in my own backyard with nothing more than what was in our imagination and lying around the house. In our cluttered day to day lives, the simplicity of this was refreshing!"        Anne Parker, mother of Evan and Cleo

Logistics for the Backyard Drama Camps:

Time: 9:30-3:00 Monday thru Friday, performance at 10:00 on Saturday

Price: $245 (we offer a 10% discount for siblings)

Location: Glendale