PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Walzak

After an abrupt end to education classes in March, the Highland Arts Theatre is pleased to announce that theatre day camps will once again be available in July and August for youth ages 10 to 18. This will be the theatre’s fifth year offering summer classes in acting, dancing, music, and creative writing, and Artistic & Executive Director, Wesley J. Colford, can’t wait to get back to class.

“This has been such a chaotic and bizarre time for all of us,” said Colford. “We didn’t think we’d be able to do anything for a much longer time but we are just so grateful that there have been so few cases in Nova Scotia and especially in Cape Breton. We’ll be proceeding very carefully and with safety as the number one priority, but this feels like a good next step with extensive safety precautions.”

For the past month, Nova Scotia Health Officials, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Strang, have been telling the public to expect day camps to be possible for July and August. Last week, they released official safety guidelines for any organizations running day camps.

“We’ve been working around the clock to think of everything we can do to ensure our participants and staff are completely protected while still having an amazing and fun time.” said Colford. “It’s going to be a bit different than previous years, but it’s going to be so good to be in the same room with everyone again… even if we’re six feet apart.”

Along with strict physical distancing, camp sizes will be limited to only 10 participants per group. Cleaning and handwashing will be substantially increased, and anyone with household members who have been out of the province for less than two weeks will not be permitted to attend in person.

New this year, the HAT is offering an Online version of the camp featuring the same roster of professional instructors. This sub-group of the camp with be delivered through Zoom and is designed for anyone who wants to participate but may be wearier about attending in person, or who reside with family members who are at greater risk. It will also serve as a quarantine option for any students who become sick during the timeline of the camps.

Instead of a public performance at the end of their camp, campers for the two-week sessions will co-create their own original performance which will then be video-taped and sent to parents and loved ones.

“It’s not going to be the same, but it’s going to be a new and exciting challenge. We have an amazing staff and we can’t wait to see what these incredibly creative young artists come up with.”

Camps are being offered through July and August in ten-person groups based on age, experience level, and duration. Participants can choose between one or two week camps at beginner or advanced levels for ages 10 to 18. Some camps are already close to filling up.

Interested parties can register for any of the remaining time slots via the HAT website: www.highlandartstheatre.com where you can also read the entire safety plan for HATCH camps.

The HAT Box Office phone line remains unavailable for the time being as core staff continue to work from home, but any questions or alternate registration can be sent to: [email protected] or by messaging their Facebook page.

Highland Arts Theatre

40 Bentinck Street, Sydney, NS B1P 1G2

T: 902.565.3637

E: [email protected]