The Troy University Department of Theatre and Dance’s Summer Spotlight returns to the Troy Campus this June and July to provide participants of all ages with opportunities to have fun and hone their skills in the fine and performing arts.

The event, now in its 13th year, features three programs for children and teens ages 4-13 and a series of “intensives” for high school and college students.

“Summer Spotlight offers each participant, from the youngest to the oldest, the chance to let loose, have some fun and become versed in all types of creative expression– onstage, backstage and everything else,” said Tori Lee Averett, Director of the Summer Spotlight program and Assistant Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts. “The counselors for the sessions are fine and performing arts majors, so not only do our students get the experience of sharing their knowledge and experience, our participants get to learn from someone who’s been in their shoes and can guide them through it.”

The intensives will be held from July 17-23 and are weeklong, residential camps for high school and college students. Participants will be immersed in all aspects of theatre, dance and film, and on stage, on screen or behind the scenes. These camps also provide participants with the opportunity to interact with peers, college faculty members and guest artists from throughout the country.

In the Performance Intensive, participants sharpen their skills daily with room to choose their own classes in everything from musical theatre to puppetry to hip hop to playwriting. Auditions solidify their place in a company for the week, and the Spotlight Showcase at the end of the week for friends and family lets them take the stage.

Participants in the Tech and Management Intensive run the shows— each student has the opportunity to experiment with various technical theatre challenges and skillsets, try out designs and manage mini-productions throughout the week. The Spotlight Showcase at the end of the week is completely managed by Tech & Management participants.

Those who choose the Film Intensive will work together to write a script, create storyboards, plan a shot list, shoot scenes, edit footage and ultimately showcase their short film at the end of the week. 

“More than teaching our young adults these valuable skills, we want them to come away with a sense of accomplishment, community, growth and expansion,” Averett said. “We’ve had so many participants come back year after year, and it’s such a joy to see their confidence grow, and of course we always love to see when these participants decide to become our full-time students here at TROY. The Department of Theatre and Dance is committed to doing everything we can to help our students succeed.”

The camps for children and teens kick off with a Creative Drama “Mini Spotlighters” half-day camp for kids ages 4-7 from June 27-July 1, ComiCamp for kids ages 10-14 also from June 27-July 1 and Creative Drama Camp for kids ages 8-13 from July 10-15.

ComiCamp is a day camp that gives opportunities for creative children to make their own characters, stories, illustrations and come away with an original comic book of their own. The camp is a collaborative effort of the University’s Departments of Art and Design and Theatre and Dance. The Creative Drama Camp provides opportunities for young performers and those who choose their creative talents behind-the-scenes.

Registration is now open. June 15 is the registration deadline for the children’s day camps. The deadline to register for the intensives is July 1.

Register by June 1 for an Early Bird Discount. Summer Spotlight scholarships are also available.

Additional information is also available through the Department of Theatre and Dance at theatreanddance@troy.edu or at 334-808-6142.