Shakespeare Camps - San Francisco June 18, 2007

The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival announces that it will hold eight Shakespeare Camps for youth 7-13 and one for teens 12-18 in San Francisco this summer. Camps will be held at five different locations throughout the city.

Each two-week session includes a series of performance-oriented workshops where children will learn about acting and improvisation, voice projection, Shakespearean language and set and costume design. Instructors are well-trained adults, many with college degrees in the theater arts and acting experience. Liz Anderson, who will teach at Drew School during the first session, is a bilingual teacher who is on the staff at Brava Theater Center.

At 2:00 p.m. on the final day of each camp, campers will stage their own mini-performance of a Shakespearean play for family and friends. A cast party will follow the performance.

Camp sessions for the 7-13 age group are:

Session 1: June 18-29 at Drew School, 2901 California Street, and Brandeis Hillel Day School, 655 Brotherhood Way.

Session 2: July 9-20 at San Francisco School, 300 Gaven Street, and Brandeis Hillel Day School, 655 Brotherhood Way.

Session 3: July 23-August 3 at Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street and Brandeis Hillel School, 655 Brotherhood Way.

Session 4: August 6-17 at Temple Emanu-El, 2 Lake Street, and Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street.

The Teen Shakespeare Camp will take place during Session 2, from July 9-20, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., at Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street.

"It's amazing to see what can be accomplished in two weeks and parents are always astonished when they see their children perform," says Executive Director Toby Leavitt.

"We focus on a different Shakespearean work each year and many campers, more than 75%, come back every summer to learn something new. Most of them say that camp is their favorite summer vacation experience and some have attended camp for five or six summers.

About San Francisco Shakespeare Festival:
The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival began in 1983, with Free Shakespeare in the Park's debut production of The Tempest in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. Today we are a regional theater company and major arts education provider that includes our sister organizations, the Oakland-East Bay Shakespeare Festival and the Silicon Valley Shakespeare Festival.

Official Website: http://sfshakes.org