The foundation of all Creative Root programming is based on the principal of ensemble—our practice to be aware, respectful and kind to one another as we collaborate and create theatre together. On our very first day of class or camp, each ensemble will create their own agreement together so that everyone can offer and share what they need in order to be their best, most confident, creative self and collaborator.

Creative Root works towards always holding an inclusive space. Let us know how best to support your child in order to create an environment where they can be their most happy, silliest, imaginative and brilliant selves.

At Creative Root, we want to make sure that every student feels safe emotionally, physically, and creatively while working together. This includes being a respectful artistic collaborator and mindful of how we use our words and physical actions while working together. Creative Root celebrates leading with kindness by actively listening to all ideas, making space for others, taking turns during an exercise, using safety and awareness with our bodies, observing personal boundaries, being a positive, supportive ensemble member and offering feedback that is constructive. We all shine when we take care of each other!

We will learn and grow together! Our instructors and staff are equally excited about sharing their knowledge as they are about learning from each and every camper. It is a top priority to provide a fun, collaborative and safe environment for our campers to create in. We will do our best to transparent about what we are doing and why as well as sharing our daily schedule and goals. Remember that staff and instructors are also a part of the ensemble, so being a respectful artistic collaborator with them is just as important as it is with your peers. We also encourage campers—and parents—to ask questions and share how things are working (or not) for you.

We have a collective goal to explore theater through a variety of lenses (movement, writing, singing, designing) and let that inspire the art we make together—all guided by our experienced instructors. Theater is a team effort, and we invite and encourage everyone to fully participate in the creative process in order to develop a piece of theater that is entirely unique to that ensemble. And while casting and performing is one aspect of the process, at Creative Root, we don’t believe it’s the most important and we don’t want it to define our entire experience. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover something new you love that you never knew about before! We hope so!

How lucky we are to get to have classes and camp at the amazing Theatre School building and DePaul campus! We ask that campers always respect the physical spaces that we work —rehearsal rooms, the lobby, The Quad, bathrooms, and the playground. Also, for your students’s safety, we want to make sure we are always using the spaces for what they were designed for and that we leave no trace! (Except for all the positive, creative energy we put into the universe!) Staff and Instructors will always let campers know what are able to, or not able to do, in our work and play spaces. Or if you don’t know, just ask!

We will learn about all things theater—from acting to design to scriptwriting. You’ll learn how to build a story and bring it to life, all while making new friends! We will grow and deepen our ensemble through collaboration—working with and learning from each other to share our own individual stories and talents. We’ll always start each day by warming up our bodies and minds with gentle yoga-based stretching, breathing exercises, and mindfulness. We will warm up our actor’s tools (imaginations//bodies//voices) and build our ensemble through a variety of fun theater games and activities. In our first week, we will spend time together exploring our story, its characters and collectively creating a script. In our second week, we’ll bring our story to life through rehearsals and design elements focusing on props, costumes, and shaping what our world looks like. The awesome part about summer camp is that each camp experience is unique to its ensemble and how they envision their story together!

Each camp session is between two and three weeks long, running Monday through Friday (no weekends) from 9 am to 3 pm. Please note that Session 3 is half day, Monday through Friday, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (we will not break for lunch, but ask that you pack a snack for your camper).

9:00-9:15 Drop-Off
9:00- 9:45 am – Check-in, ensemble warm-up, and goal setting for the day
9:45 – 10:30 am – Theater games to build the ensemble
10:30-10:45 am – Snack and bathroom break
10:45-12:00 pm – Creative storytelling and movement, writing, and rehearsal
12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch club and playground
1:00-2:50 pm – Mindful moment—re-centering for the afternoon, craft projects, and rehearsal
2:45-3:00 pm – Closing reflection & Pick Up

TBD

No, not really, but we do generally incorporate a lot of music, singing, and dancing. Each show is designed around its unique, creative ensemble, and what they would like to highlight and share while telling the story. If we have campers who really love to tell stories through music, song, and dance then we will lean into that for that particular production. Singing and dancing can be really scary for some young artists, so it’s always opt-in. For those that really LOVE musical theater, we do offer several Musical Theatre classes that dive into the contemporary and classic musical genre throughout the year.