Strauss Youth Academy for the Arts, or SYAA for short, is hosting its summer workshop series "Raise the Curtain!" during the summer of 2018.
The mission of SYAA is to provide education, instruction, and training of youth and children in the performing and fine arts while producing high-quality theatrical entertainment for the community. Part of the way SYAA works to achieve this mission is by hosting summer workshops which focus on different aspects of theatre using fun themes from current media. Centerstage Workshops are week-long camps for children ages 5-12. These camps end with a showcase, in which campers have a chance to show off the skills they have learned. SYAA also offers other workshops and production intensives during the summer.
Three Centerstage Workshops focus on song and dance. "SYAA Under the Big Top: Our Greatest Show" uses the music from The Greatest Showman to teach these skills June 4-8. While this workshop is already sold out, there are still opportunities to learn these skills at either "Elsa & Anna's Broadway Takeover" or "SYAA's Descendants, Too!" which are both July 16-20.
During "Coco's Crazy Celebration," June 4-8, campers learn how to create and apply their own stage makeup. June 11-15, students explore set design and develop both original set decor and superhero or supervillain characters. In "The Avengers: Mission at SYAA." Improvisation and comedy are the featured skills in "Spongebob & his Laugh Out Loud Adventure." July 9-13, campers can also learn about science, theatre, and stage combat in "Whatsit, Who, and Which: A New Wrinkle in Time" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasure on the Bayou."
SYAA also offers a playwriting workshop June 25-30 for ages 13-18. Campers can explore a variety of writing and creative exercises. The goal for the campers is to write the full script for a murder mystery comedy. The writers then see their work come to life as campers participating in the production intensive perform the finished script.
Resident Director and Choreographer Walter Allen is leading the workshop "Auditioning for Musical Theatre" for ages 8-18 on July 21 and 28. Campers work on two contrasting musical selections, as well as the basics of dance auditions and cold reading. As they work on these skills, campers go through several mock auditions. After each audition, they receive constructive criticism on their performance.
Registration and a full list of everything SYAA has to offer is available here.