Creative Adventurers Club 2021
Welcome to Waterville Valley’s Theatre Under The Stars 16th season of NY Times and Boston Globe applauded, NH Governor’s Award for Excellence lauded and Boston Outer Critics Association winning outdoor theatre festival and youth programs!
Founded by an award-winning and Emmy-nominated theatre, film and television professional, from our very first season in 2006, our theatrical productions and youth programs have been stand-outs for the cutting-edge ways in which we work with kids and young adults to have fun while also bringing out the best in themselves and others.
Created with input from leaders in educational arts programming, in 2019 we launched The Creative Adventurers Club as the first (and only) of its’ kind in our area: An innovative “Outward Bound for the Arts”, it emphasizes the newest educational model; a fluid, experiential learning mentorship (rather than teacher-student) experience.
A 2 week-long creative “hang” where kids age 6-17 and adult mentors explore various arts mediums—theater, stage combat, video, writing, poetry, playwrighting, singing, songwriting, visual arts. Together the adult mentors and kid adventurers engage in nature, recreational and arts activities; exploring all the various ways that the inspiring beauty of the natural surroundings feeds the artistic expressions of the soul. We work in an inclusive and collaborative way, where everyone—regardless of age or level of experience—is allowed a creative voice.
Although we have a plan for each day and a basic outline for the camp, the kid adventurers have a say in crafting and shaping what we explore, what we do and how we do it. This ensures that every year is fresh and unique.
Creative Adventurers Club is crafted to have each adventurer come away with a greater sense of accomplishment, creativity and self-worth. Teachers remark that after a summer with us, their students come back to school with increased verbal and reading skills as well as confidence and maturity. Using Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy “As You Like It” as a jumping off point, together adult mentors and kid adventurers will collaboratively craft a multiple arts-based presentation to be unveiled on Sat Aug 21st. While we envision a theatrical presentation of the show with various artistic mediums displayed/performed, it truly will be up the club to decide what we do. As the journey we all take together is far more important than the destination— and the process IS the product—anything tangible we have to present on Aug 21st will simply be a by-product of the time we spend together as a club.
Camp Schedule
So that kids are able to participate in all programming that the Valley has to offer, we have consulted (and worked in coordination with) the WV Rec Dept. and have devised the following 2021 schedule:
Monday 8/9 - Friday 8/13: 330pm-630pm
Saturday 8/14: 10am-2pm
Monday 8/16 - Friday 8/20: 10am-2pm
Saturday 8/21: 2pm-6pm (with show at 6pm that evening).
PLEASE NOTE: For the week of 8/9-13, kids who do both programs will be released from Rec at 3pm.
TO BRING TO CLUB: Kids will need to be dressed appropriately for the weather and for outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming. With snacks/beverages, sunscreen, bug-spray, notebook, writing instruments, the printed copy of “As You Like It” we e-send a few weeks prior (and that they need to have read and understood prior to start date) and any other materials we e-send. If they have special interests (hand-held instrument, drawing, illustration, etc.) they should bring materials that can be used in exploring those mediums. A note about Covid-19: We will follow all state and federally mandated protocols in place at the time of camp to ensure the health of all involved.