Q: Will there be a family performance weekend for the Three-Week Program?

A: Of course! Expanding our community at the end of camp and performing for families and friends is one of our favorite and one of the most significant parts of the Acting Manitou program. Most of the shows will be longer, ninety minutes to two hours, and there will be more total shows. For these reasons, the performance weekend will most likely begin Friday afternoon and run through Saturday evening. We know this will entail families taking an extra day off and we hope this is a possibility. As always, we will announce the cast lists during the first several days of camp and immediately alert families about which day their child will perform on. Because we have two days of performances, we will probably plan multiple barbecues/dining opportunities/and family events. Please let us know if you have any good ideas about this!

Q: How will the two programs be structurally different

A: In several ways. We feel that our theater workshops are successful, but often we run out of time having only just scratched the surface of a particular skill. The three-week program allows us to have more focused, longer theater workshops, which will lead to greater retention of the skills and a higher impact on the campers’ performances. The workshops during the three-week program will frequently span several days, rather than single ninety-minute periods. Also, often they will culminate in a presentation of the skill during that evening’s activity program. For example, if the students are participating in a developing an audition monologue workshop, on the final day of the workshop, the campers will perform their monologues for their peers. On alternate days, we will offer elective workshops, which give campers the opportunity to choose a specialty workshop that particularly interests them. The eleven-day program will feature a theater workshop model that will more closely resemble the model of previous years. During the three-week program, a set designer, technical director, carpenter, costume designer and light designer will be on hand. These individuals will create dynamic designs for our plays to inhabit, as well as teach design classes that will give our campers hands-on experience in different areas of theater production. During the eleven-day program, the production elements will take more of a backseat and the performances will have minimalist design concepts.

Q: Will the three-week program still have the FUN Evening Activities?!

Absolutely. The best, most thrilling ones will return, and new evening activities will emerge.

Q: I want to send my child to the three-week program I am worried about the cost. Can you help?

As always, we do not want people to be deterred by the camp costs. Need-based scholarships are absolutely available to campers. Campers who have previously received funds will see their scholarship amount increase exponentially. Campers who have never received need-based scholarships, are welcome to apply.

Also, our business manager has created a payment plan that spreads the payments out over five months. We hope this will assist in making the cost of camp more manageable.

The three-week program not only offers a longer camping period, but far more staff and diverse opportunities. When compared to theater programs of similar length and scope, Acting Manitou continues to emerge as the most affordable program.

Please do hesitate to contact us with any concerns or questions regarding payment.

Q: How will the new site be ready in only a year?

Building of the new site had already begun last summer. The owners of Camp Manitou have presented to us a clear and do-able building schedule for the year, and so far they have been on schedule at every stage of their plans. The most challenging part of the new site will be the foundation. Once that is complete in mid-November, the new, camp-style buildings go up very quickly. For example, Camp Manitou can build a new bunk in a week’s time!

Also, there is actually a mini-arts camp using the new site in late June-early July, before we arrive. The campgrounds should be in their final stages of completion in mid-May.

Q: Where will the new site be?

As you drive down the major road towards Camp Manitou, you approach a convenience store called D+L. If you take a right down this street, the entrance to the new camp-site will be on the left hand side. The site is adjacent to Camp Manitou, but the path between the camps is not easy to maneuver. You can only access the new site from the road.

Q: How much interaction will exist between the campers of Camp Manitou and the campers of Acting Manitou?

Little to none. We believe in creating an insular, supportive, safe community. Our campers will be expressly forbidden from entering the Camp Manitou camp-site unsupervised and the same rule will apply to their campers. We have not ruled out the possibility of inviting their campers to a performance or going ourselves to watch one of their sporting events. Otherwise, these are two separate camps.

Q: What are some of the features of the new site?

Most of the new bunks will be “companion” bunks like bunks 23a and 23b in the former camp site. The dining hall, which will be called The Pavilion, will have a wrap around porch deck and outdoor and indoor eating options. The Pavilion will also serve as a common meeting area for Acting Manitou, as it will be designed more as a “student center” than dining hall. There will be two theatres at the new site, an outdoor amphitheatre, and an indoor theatre. The indoor theatre will have attached to it a costume shop, prop storage, and carpentry shop. There will be multiple rehearsal rooms at the camp. The new site will also have an office and infirmary, basketball courts, tennis court, large open field, and pool. The designer is working to make the camp feel very Maine-centric. There will be a great outdoors feel to the camp, with large rocks and trees at every turn. In fact, the back wall of the outdoor amphitheatre will be trees.

Q: How will the three-week program and new-site be staffed?

Along with Acting Manitou’s usual staff of directors, teaching artists, counselors, musical directors, and production designers, the new site will have its own dining staff, health center staff, administration staff, lifeguard, and night security.

Q: Who can I cantact for more information?

A: You can reach the acting Manitou business office at 201-857-5208 or e-mail at adam@actingmanitou.com.