SUBMITTED BY STEVEN ARNOLD | THE GARFIELD CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Registration for the Garfield Center for the Arts summer theatre camp, Playmakers, will begin Monday, March 28 online at garfieldcenter.org/camps/. Registration will be accessible starting promptly at 8:00 AM that morning.
Playmakers at The Garfield Center for the Arts is a successful annual summer youth education camp for children ages 8-15 that teaches skills in theatre craft and performance. The camp had been suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic but is finally returning after its two year hiatus. This summer, Playmakers runs four weeks, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, starting Tuesday, July 5. The camp culminates in two 7:00 PM evening performances and a 2:00 PM matinee performance that includes all participants on the weekend of July 29, 30 and 31. The production title for this year’s camp has not yet been determined but performances will be free to family, friends and the public with donations welcome. When the Playmakers production title is chosen, a social media post will be put up on the Garfield Center’s Facebook page.
The camp divides participants into two age groups, ages 8 to 11 and ages 12 to 15, for age-specific activities. The remaining camp time is spent with all participants working together to produce and perform a selected play title. Campers will also enjoy cultural performances, presented by The Hedgelawn Foundation, on select camp days. The cultural performances are also open to the public for a nominal fee.
The enrollment fee for Playmakers is $400.00 for each child that falls in the 8 to 11 year old age group and $450.00 for each participant that falls in the 12 to 15 year old age group.
The Garfield Center is pleased to announce that leading Playmakers this summer as its director is Amanda Mickle. Originally from Smyrna Delaware, Amanda is no stranger to theatre and performance. She started at an early age in dance, learning and performing ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical for 13 years with The School of Delaware Ballet and Delaware Ballet. She danced in The Nutcracker for seven years, holding various supporting and lead roles, and other spring performances. Amanda’s favorite role was The Wicked Stepmother in Delaware Ballet’s performance of Cinderella. After graduating high school, she attended Washington College, where she studied English and Education. At Washington College, Amanda was immersed in various types of literature ranging from poems, essays, novels, literature, and drama. Currently, she is the 7th and 8th grade Language Arts teacher at Kent School. At Kent School, she has directed and choreographed the 8th Grade Musical for two years with last year’s Disney’s Frozen Jr. and this year’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. Amanda currently resides in Galena with her husband and three pets, Henry, Bonnie, and Molly, and she is incredibly excited to lead the Garfield Center’s prestigious Playmakers.
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