The Children’s Summer Theatre Workshop (CSTW) returns Monday.
Held each summer since 1995, CSTW focuses on enhancing a student’s performance skills.
“We want the kids to be comfortable with being in front of a large group of people,” Bowlus Fine Arts Center director Susan Raines said.
The students also can expect to learn about proper staging etiquette, practice improvisation and even miming, she said.
There are about five high school students who help with the program. All are previous CSTW students.
The earliest students have the option of being exposed to drama classes is at the high school level without CSTW, Raines said.
“CSTW is a way for students to form a love for theater at an early age,” Raines said.
Students also develop communication skills as they get older.
“Theater is another form of communication,” Raines said. “It may not be your own words but someone else’s.”
Along with the Bowlus, the workshop is sponsored by the Iola Community Theatre and the Sleeper Family Trust. Classes will be held at the ICT Warehouse.
Donations are a large part of the Bowlus’ success, Raines said. The workshop is no different.
The workshop is open to elementary and middle school students. For more information on enrollment, contact the Bowlus Center at (620) 365-4765 or visit them at www.bowluscenter.org. Enrollment will be accepted up until the first day of the workshop.
Classes run Monday through June 22.
Elementary school students will meet from 8 to 10 a.m.; middle-schoolers from 10 a.m. to noon.
