Musical Theatre Summer Camp

What were you doing this holiday? Some of us were very busy and set out on an exciting adventure to Nairobi Garden Estate – where we got to meet children from all over the world who had a passion for singing, dancing and acting. We all needed to be passionate about musical theatre because we were faced with the difficult challenge of preparing a one hour musical (without scripts or lyrics) to present at a matinee show one week after arrival – with just 40 hours to work with. So from the moment we arrived the clock was ticking and we were under pressure! Costumes had to be found or made; props had to be created; energetic dances had to be memorised; songs had to be learnt and then there were the lines! Most of us took on 3 or 4 different roles and had lot of costume changes and lots of lines to learn and not just learn …. but make the lines come alive! We had to be aware of the audience and our positioning on stage and we had to make sure there were no blank gaps between scenes to keep the energy of the play. We worked on the feel-good story of ‘Annie’ and adapted it to fit a Nairobi context. At the end of the week – the audience – made up of family and friends were suitably impressed! We did it … not a single script was needed and all of us knew the songs and the dances and our entrances and exits. The result was a vibrant and enjoyable production that confirmed, for many of us, our absolute love of the performing arts. The final icing on the cake was that Mr Magambo, who had only been released from hospital 10 days ago, came to give us our certificates. We were exhausted but wonderfully satisfied by the end of the experience and slept all the way back to Arusha.