The first order of business at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center’s theater camp this week was to introduce the 18 young campers to the majesty that is “Schoolhouse Rock.”
The vast majority had never heard or seen the iconic musical cartoon clips from a generation ago, that covered myriad educational topics from proper grammar (“Conjunction Junction”) to how the government works (“I’m Just a Bill.”)
“Most of these kids aren’t old enough to remember it,” instructor Mandy Moyer chuckled.
That’s because the original shorts ran from 1973 to 1985, although new songs were added as recently as 2009.
Iola is about to be reintroduced to the concept with the Theater Camp’s production of “Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr.” June 27 and 28 at the Bowlus.
Moyer will direct the production, a collaborative effort between the Bowlus and Iola Community Theatre, with others from Allen Community College lending a hand.
“I was really surprised at the turnout,” Moyer said.
Fourteen had pre-registered, but when auditions opened Monday, 18 were in attendance. Daily rehearsals have followed since then
The campers got their first full run-through of the show on Wednesday, with students breaking off into their various roles. A handful of soloists will be backed by an ensemble choir, with others who opted to not perform on stage handling stagecraft and tech duties.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Moyer said. “We’ve got a lot of younger kids interacting with older ones.”
The camp is open to those entering college down to middle-schoolers.
On top of rehearsals, Moyer is sprinkling in improv games and other exercises, partly to get them comfortable with the performing arts, and also to introduce the campers to each other.
“A few of these kids don’t know each other.”
The performances run at 7 p.m. Friday, June 27, and at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 28, at the Bowlus. Admission will be a free-will donation.
The camp is sponsored by the Whitehead Trust.
