Due to high demand, we have just added 10 FINAL SPACES!
Alice in Wonderland Jr
Summer 2018: 4-Week Full Day Production Camp
This PROFESSIONAL STAGE EXPERIENCE features 2 live performances on the MAIN STAGE at the historic Athenaeum Theatre complete with FULL COSTUMES, SETS, LIGHTS, and SOUND. Our design and creative teams work together seamlessly to ensure the best production process and camp experience possible! This is a rich training ground for young musical theater performers in an educational environment that is both nurturing and fun!
Dates: July 23-August 18, 2018
Final Performances: August 17th (evening) and August 18th (matinee)
In this 4-week, full day camp, students will work together to rehearse and perform in a full-length musical! During each 6-hour day (10 am-4 pm), campers will engage in physical and vocal warm-ups, learn choreography, staging and vocal parts as well as rotate through specialized workshops taught by professional teaching artists that develop skills in acting, stagecraft, character development and more. Campers will also work together to build costume, prop and set pieces that will be used in a fully produced performance under the bright lights on the Main Stage of the ATHENAEUM THEATER in Lakeview. This camp will be jam packed with activities to ignite your child’s imagination, build their self-esteem and encourage lasting friendships. We will send home weekly newsletters with updates on both the production and the camp from the perspective of our directors and teaching artists to keep you up to date with our progress and adventures!
Alice in Wonderland Musical Synopsis
Travel down the rabbit hole and join Alice, one of literature’s most beloved heroines, in her madcap adventures. Featuring updated songs from Disney’s thrilling animated motion picture, Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR. is a fast-paced take on the classic tale.
The ever-curious Alice’s journey begins innocently enough as she chases the White Rabbit. Her adventures become increasingly more strange as she races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game!
Roles are plentiful, including three Cheshire Cats and dozens of other wonderfully wacky characters, providing plentiful opportunities to showcase campers of all different musical skill levels. A chorus of kids playing in the park, rock lobsters, talking fish, royal cardsmen, unbirthday partiers, as well as a group of mean-girl flowers, allows for all sorts of amazing creative opportunities.
Production Camp Details
Dates: July 23-August 18, 2018 (Monday through Friday)
Time: 10am-4pm
Performances: Friday, August 17th and Saturday, August 18th
Ages: Students entering 2nd-8th grades
Price: $1,595 (To help make our programs even more affordable, payment plans are available through our registration system.)
Price Includes: Showkit, costumes, rehearsal process, professional skill-building workshops, musical lunches, performances, show t-shirt, and an amazing bonding experience with friends under the bright lights, with costumes, sets, props and makeup on a professional stage performing one of the best musicals ever written!
Before and After Care Options Available:
8:30-10 am ($15 per day) and/or 4-5:30 pm ($15 per day)
Location: All camp rehearsals and performances, July 23rd through August 18th, will take place at the beautiful and historic Athenaeum Theatre located at 2936 North Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657. Final performances on Friday, August 17th and Saturday, August 18th, will take place on Athenaeum Theatre's professional main stage.
We are seeking students entering 9th through 12th grades interested in assisting backstage and in various aspects of the rehearsal process to assist us as Junior Counselors and members of our stage crew. We are also seeking college students to intern with us in various capacities including stage management, production design coordinators, stage crew, assistant directors, and so much more. To apply, fill out this form and the Production Manager will contact you. To learn more or for further questions, please email admin@dreambigeducation.org or call 773-944-9146.
Every moment of every Production Camp day will be filled with fun activities, rehearsals and workshops to professionally prepare our cast for their show and also provide a memorable camp experience. Though we will balance the day with rest, work and play, we have organized our camp and staff to ensure that no camper will ever be sitting on the sidelines waiting for their time to rehearse. To give you a sense of how we will plan our days, see the sample breakdown below.
8:30-10 am Optional Stage Crew Before Care (Kids will work with staff members to create and add embellishments to props, costumes and set pieces.)
9:45-10 am All Campers Arrive
10-10:30 am Morning cast meeting and breakout into team meetings.
10:30am-12:30 pm Rehearsals and Review Time to reinforce staging, songs and choreography and Skill-Building Workshops (character development, drama games, design components, set decoration, etc)
12:30-1:30 pm Picnic lunch at the local park where campers can enjoy some unstructured downtime with the whole cast.
1:30-3:30 pm Rehearsals, Review Time to reinforce staging, songs and choreography and Skill-Building Workshops
3:30-3:45 pm Team time to acknowledge accomplishments of the day, review at-home rehearsal goals and plan for the next day.
3:45-4:00 pm Full cast together for closing group time
4:00-5:30 pm Optional Stage Crew After Care (Kids will work with staff members to create and add embellishments to props, costumes and set pieces.)
Each Friday, we will send home newsletters with updates from all of our directors and teaching artists that give you a peak into all the amazing accomplishments and exciting adventures our campers are experiencing. For now, here is an overview of major mile-markers for each week.
Week 1: Over the first two days, campers will audition for their top 3 choices. The rest of the week will include the first full cast read through and beginning to learn parts and blocking.
Week 2: Campers will continue to learn and block their parts as well as expand upon choreography.
Week 3: Campers will have the entire show memorized, choreographed and blocked by the end of this week.
Week 4: During our final week, we will put the whole show together on the Main Stage gradually adding all of the technical elements of our show including sets, costumes, props, sound and lights! By the end the week, it’s SHOW TIME for all of our adoring fans! Family, friends, and community members are all invited! A cast party after Saturday afternoon’s matinee will culminate this show-stopping experience!
On the first day of camp, every participant will be invited to audition for their favorite roles. Our directors work very hard to ensure that the process is not stressful or overwhelming and, if a child wishes to not audition, that is perfectly acceptable. Every camper will have a part on the stage. In June, we will make available audition sides (songs and scenes) for your camper to practice. These materials can be practiced as little or as much as your child would like and are meant to help him or her feel prepared and confident on the first day of camp. The actual audition will simply be your child performing what he or she has prepared in front of the director and musical director.
Ticket on sale now! August 17th @ 7pm and August 18th @ 2:30pm at the Athenaeum Theatre in Lakeview.
To purchase tickets, visit the Athenaeum Theatre Box Office or call 773-935-6875. Group rates available.
Ticket pricing:
VIP seating - $50 When bought as a pair or more ($100 and up), your VIP package will include a Alice in Wonderland, Jr. poster signed by the cast, free cast photo, and an exclusive meet-and-greet and informal presentation
Premier seating- $25
Standard seating- $18 for 13+ and $16 for 12 and under
Summer Production Scholarship Fund
Core to Dream Big’s mission is providing a way to include all kids who want to participate in our programming. Since our inception 13 years ago, we’ve never turned a student away due to lack of funds.
We couldn’t make our production camp accessible to everyone without our donors over the past 3 years, we’ve been able to fund an average of 15 production camp scholarships each summer! Each and every one of your contributions at every level is greatly appreciated by all of our scholarship recipients, their parents and our entire staff. You have all helped to make these students’ dreams come true. We hope to continue providing this opportunity to all who wish to participate!
If you would like to contribute and help fund even more scholarships, please click the donate button below:
Because we are always striving to make our programs stronger, please always feel free to contact Executive Director, Lisa Lang at Lisa@dreambigeducation.org with any feedback.
