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The Young Actors' Theatre Camp, (CampYATC), is a multi award winning arts camp for ages 8-18 that caters to each student’s specific interests and skill level. We have 5 Summer Overnight Sessions to choose from including 7, 10, and 20 day sessions. Be ready for the best summer of your life! Learn from the Stars and elevate your skills to the next level. This summer CampYATC welcomes guest faculty, Megan Hilty (SMASH), Laurie Metcalf (The Connors), Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice), Eden Espinosa (Wicked), Jim O’Heir (Parks and Recreation), Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls), Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde), Julia Lester (HMTMTS), and the Stars of HAMILTON and DEAR EVAN HANSEN, plus SO many more! All of our Instructors work in the Industry and students are treated to master classes and workshops in all the areas of the performing arts! Over our twenty years, we’ve had close to 10,000 campers including today’s stars of Broadway, Film & TV including TONY WINNER Ari’el Stachel, Bobby Conte Thornton (Company, Bronx Tale) and Jillian Butler (Les Mis). The Young Actors’ Theatre Camp is for students ages 8-18 of all levels. Students are groups in cabins and classes by age. “Disneyland got it wrong! YATC is the Happiest Place on Earth!” -August. R., Camper for 7 years All of our camps are COVID compliant and SAFE with the strong guidance from the CDC, ACA, and County of Santa Cruz. Our Staff is also vaccinated as well! Please join us for one of out “Camp Chats” on Wednesdays at 5PM (PST) and Saturdays at 10AM (PST). Simply email info@campyatc.com for the Zoom Link and come find out about all the amazing and safe offerings we have this summer! Ages 8-18, All-Levels Encouraged. We are looking forward to an amazing summer! Register Today, as spots are extremely limited in 2021. Call (925)858-3548 or Visit www.CampYATC.com Get $100 off a Summer 2021 session with the code: 100SCH21 https://summercamphub.com/best-arts-summer-camps/ A Typical Day at YATC is: 8:00 am Optional Morning Yoga Class To start the day focused and ready! 9:00 am Breakfast Get energized for an incredible day! 10:00am Film Class Learning about camera angles and how to act for Film. Let's make a movie! 12:00 pm Activity Period Capture the Dance Flag/ Disney Trivia/ Zombie Tag/ Pool Time! 1:00 pm Lunch The Dining Hall has AMAZING food!! 2:00pm Improv Class Learn FUN games and how to support your scene partner! 3:00pm Activity Period Pool Time! / Optional Hip Hop Dance Class/ You’re So Awesome: Battle of Compliments/ Dungeons and Dragons! 4:00pm Musical Theatre Dance Learn Choreography from our AMAZING teacher, Emmy! 6:00pm Themed Dinner Costumes are encouraged! Dress to the theme and get ready for trivia, performances, and a top notch playlist! 7:00pm-9:00pm Activity Period The Business of Show Business/ Movie Night/ One on One Session with a Staff Member of your choice to nail that dramatic monologue you've been working on!(Not required) 9:00pm Cabin Time Cabin Bonding with the Counselor and Get Ready for Bed! 9:30pm Lights Out! Prepare for another AMAZING day at camp! Youtube Vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTHU5jOdm38 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngactorstheatrecamp Instagram: https://Instagram.com/campyatc Twitter: https://twitter.com/CampYATC Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/johnainsworth

Here we are, one full year without Broadway due to COVID-19. But we have not been without creativity, collaboration, and community from theatre working professionals and fans around the world. As heartbreaking as it was to watch show after show close, some for good and some temporarily, the theatre community has stuck together. Various Broadway staples created opportunities to share established as well as new talent with the world such as Laura Benanti's "Sunshine Songs" or Seth Rudetsky's "Stars in the House". The Actors' Fund brought us parody entertaiment and cast reunions from some of the most popular shows. Creatives were quick to jump to social media to show support for other artists to take the plunge and share their own art for the time publically. Our community helped show the world the power of supporting each other with kindness and positivity even as it seemed our worlds were crashing down around us. With the West Ends's announcement for re-opening in April 2021, it gives hope to a return to pre-pandemic life. COVID safety protocols will be in place to ensure social disancing and requiring masks. After this year of not being able to watch a performance live and not on a screen, I would personally be happy to climb into a plastic bubble if it was required to see a live show. One thing we have all learned this year is to take more control over our art. There was a huge explosion of self creation, whether shared publically or not. The whole world turned to art for comfort when we were told to shelter in place and completely uproot our routines. It's re-emergence calls for a celebration (safely). In the uncharted territory or a global pandemic, we cared for one another and will continue to do so after this. The house lights are flickering to tell us, theatre is coming back SOON!

Nothing makes us more proud than hearing about the shows you're doing, classes you're taking, or just anything you've done that makes you proud! Send us information on your shows and we can make an instagram post or story about you! Send Valerie@CampYATC.com pictures of the show poster, or a picture of you in the show, a two sentence summary about what you're doing, and tell us who to tag on Instagram! We LOVE supporting you and are so thankful that so many of you continue to support us and help CampYATC grow! Not sure where to start? Here's an Example: "Gazpacho is playing his own concert at the Young Actors' Theatre Camp, this summer in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA! He'll be performing several shows from July 5th-August 11th [insert specific dates and times]! Tickets are available here [direct link to tickets]. Let him know when you're coming so he can say hi after the shows!" @campyatc @theshawnryan @vdohrer

There is much debate and controversy surrounding the idea of types and the necessity of knowing your type is not something young actors always get to learn early on. Many drama classes reinforce the idea that theater is a magical world where anyone can play anything. Type-Casting is often met with some understandable resistance and frustration. It is thought in theatre that you can play any role, and the idea of only being able to play certain roles based on your look is contradictory. In an ideal world, anyone COULD play anything, but the professional world does not often work that way. Part of creating the world of the story, relies on things "making sense." A common criticism of NBC's hit show, "This Is Us", is that Mandy Moore is not convincing as a 60+ year old woman. Is it the makeup artist's fault? Is Mandy Moore's acting not strong enough? Possibly, but the main thing is we know and love her as her younger self and it breaks the world of the show and brings the viewers back to reality.

Actors face type casting to varying degrees of appreciation when it leads to work and frustration when it doesn't. There is slightly more leeway in theatre over film, but not by much. Recently, the Off Broadway Production of Little Shop Of Horrors has received criticism for casting Broadway veterans, (and YATC Master Class Teachers), Jonathan Groff and Jeremy Jordan as their lead, Seymour. Fans are not buying the heartthrobs as the timid and dorky character. The Slate article written by Heather Schedel, Against Hot Seymour, points out "as written, Seymour is one of pop culture’s greatest nerds, a character defined by his clumsiness, unrequited crush on his co-worker Audrey, and propensity for letting a literal plant push him around. The part historically has been nearly synonymous with the actor Rick Moranis, who made something of a specialty of such roles in the 1980s and ’90s and who played Seymour to nebbishy perfection in the 1986 film version of the musical." Here is where the worlds of film and theatre intertwine. Rick Moranis became the face of Seymour which then creates the obstacle to challenge the physical appearance of future Seymours. It begs the question: would this be a controversy if it had purely existed in the world of live theatre rather than being immortalized on film? With more and more musicals being turned into movies and movies being adapted into musicals, the line get fuzzier and fuzzier. Putting glasses on someone does not cover up perfect bone structure of a conventionally attractive person. The comparison is not unlike the chick flick cliche that when the nerdy girl with glasses, takes them off and takes down her ponytail, she is suddenly drop dead gorgeous. Who knew?? A problem with having leading men such as Jeremy Jordan and Jonathan Groff play Seymour is in one of the best known songs from the show, "Suddenly Seymour", where Audrey notices him for the first time as a someone she is attracted to despite him being nerdy and the polar opposite of the type of guy she is normally attracted to. It turns this realization comical, when Seymour is played by a classic leading man and is no longer an underdog story. Jeremy Jordan, who in real life is a bit shy and awkward, fits some aspects of Seymour's character but from his looks alone, he is not the obvious choice for a dorky character. The same can be said of the incredibly humble and sweet, Jonathan Groff, who despite immense careen success sees himself as just a theatre nerd. YATC is lucky to have both incredibly talented actors on our teaching staff, but the topic of debate brings up interesting points. Do you think Jeremy Jordan and Jonathan Groff fit the type to play Seymour? Let us know in the comments! For Further Reading: https://slate.com/culture/2020/02/hot-actors-stop-playing-seymour.html

The number one goal of a performer is to land a leading role in a play or musical. For some of those not experienced with the industry in the professional sense, an offer of understudy, swing, or standby, is met with disappointment and even slight embarrassment. It’s time for that reputation to change and for the unsung performers of the production to get the recognition and appreciation they so deserve. We’ll start with the most well-known term, Understudy. The Understudy is responsible for learning their own part in the ensemble or a smaller role, and be ready to perform either one of two of the leading roles at a moment’s notice. There are two types of Swings and it’s important to know the difference. An Off-Stage Swing is a performer who is only in the show if they are covering a role for a missing actor. An On-Stage Swing may be a part of the ensemble and may be asked to cover up to twelve roles, commonly referred to as Tracks in the show. Any casting director you ask will tell you that the most talented performers are cast as Swings since the production team needs to be able to trust that the Swing can remember blocking for multiple parts and deliver a performance like they do it eight times a week in that role. A Standby is not common for school or community theatre productions. Like an Off-Stage Swing, a Standby is not in the show unless the lead that they are covering is absent. There is no guarantee that the Standby will get a chance to perform but they must always be ready. As cast members take vacations, have family emergencies, or get injured or ill, the Standby is there to jump in where it be 1 hour before curtain or during intermission to take over the second act. Sure, it might be more attractive to say you are the lead in a production, but mastering the skills needed to become a great Understudy, Swing, or Standby, will make you an invaluable part of the cast. There are several reasons why these people are the most impressive performers in a show. Mary Claire Miskell was an off-stage swing in the musical “13” and covered five different tracks. Her experience and tips for future swings will make the difference between overwhelm and outstanding. “I had a separate script for each of the two leads and one for the three ensemble tracks. I had a highlighter with a matching pen for each and a million photocopies of a diagram of the stage to insert into my script for musical numbers and blocking. Never assume something is too easy to forget because you will. You want everything in writing but keep your script clean and simple for last-minute reviews when you go on. Sometimes you have set dates to go on for certain tracks but keep lightly reviewing the other roles as well because you might (probably will) have to go on sooner than planned.” In the role of Sven, in the Broadway musical, Frozen, three to four performances a week are played by the Standby. The role is incredibly physically demanding and requires not only an hour of pre-show stretching and warm ups, but two hours of stretching post-show as well as physical therapy and massage therapy in order for Andrew Pirozzi to stay healthy and ready for the next show. Although Pirozzi is the creator of the Broadway role and sometimes wishes he could be at every performance, he knows that it is not safe for him to push himself into more shows. Sven is a very specific track that requires not only an incredible amount of upper body strength, but also requires puppetry to move parts of the head. So, should you accept an offer to be an Understudy, Swing, or Standby? Yes! Especially if you are just starting out in the business, you want to build a reputation that you are a hard worker, dependable, and a pleasant to be around. The less a creative team has to worry about you, the happier they’ll be. The most important thing for an actor to remember, regardless of the role, is that the story is not there to serve your ego. YOU are there to serve the story. Like the saying goes, “there are no small roles, only small actors.” For further tips and tales from the Broadway Battlefield, we recommend checking out Jennie Ford’s book series, “Be The Best on Broadway.” Not only will you get real stories from Broadway productions, but you’ll see examples of how to organize blocking for different roles.

Camp Alum, Jillian Butler first came to the Young Actor’ Theatre Camp solely as a dancer, and since then YATC has had the immense privilege of watching Jillian push herself into a triple threat and beyond. Jillian defines dedication to the craft by setting goals and using her creativity and work ethic to achieve them. It may surprise those who do not personally know Jillian, but she is never one to turn down a request for help. No matter how dedicated she is to being the strongest performer she can be, Jillian never turns down the opportunity to help a friend run lines for an audition or give notes on a song. The importance of supporting one another in an artistic community makes it easier for art to heal the world. Unsurprisingly, Jillian has been a part of 3 very successful  musical national tours since graduating from college in 2015. From a step sister in Cinderella, to the understudy of both Nessa Rose and Glinda in Wicked, Jillian is now shining as Cosette in Les Miserables in the national tour.  Two of the three YATC directors were lucky enough to seen Jillian in action as she made her way home to, San Francisco. “It’s a truly beautiful thing to watch someone you’ve grown up with, live their dream. It makes me so proud to know the phenomenal person behind the phenomenal performer,” says Associate Director, Valerie Dohrer. More importantly than her success in show business is that Jillian has the kindest heart of anyone we know. As a counselor, her campers described her as a Disney Princess because of her gentle patience and heart-warming smile. We are proud to have Jillian as part of all of our lives. We know that in the blink of an eye, Jillian is going to be taking home her first, of many, Tony Awards!