Fifteen aspiring actors, ages 6-18, got a chance to learn more about the craft at the Arts Council of Scotland County’s (ACSC) 2024 Theater Camp directed by well-known local storyteller Tyris Jones.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
During the Arts Council of Scotland County’s Theater Camp, which ran from July 22- Aug. 1, children learned many skills necessary to stage a theater production. They learned things like stage directions and positions and the importance of setting and character development.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG —Fifteen aspiring actors, ages 6-18, got a chance to learn more about the craft at the Arts Council of Scotland County’s (ACSC) 2024 Theater Camp directed by well-known local storyteller Tyris Jones.
The theme of this year’s camp was Creative Imagination: A Journey of Creativity. To help students in their journey, Jones had the participants make their own walking sticks with tree limbs he picked up around his neighborhood. Students festooned their sticks with colorful swaths of yarn and tassels.
During the camp, which ran from July 22- Aug. 1, children learned many skills necessary to stage a theater production. They learned things like stage directions and positions and the importance of setting and character development.
The nine-day camp culminated in a performance Thursday night at the Storytelling Arts Center/ACSC, which is where the camp took place. The show was a medley of skits and songs with participants showing off what they learned. The audience was particularly impressed when the group did the alphabet song in sign language.
The night also included a memorial to Rick Cotton. Cotton was a strong supporter and assistant to Jones and the theater camp who was killed in a motor vehicle accident earlier in the year. They lit a candle in his memory and recited his motto: “Reach one, Teach one.” Cotton’s mother then made a donation to ACSC in his memory.
Asked about their favorite part of theater camp, 13-year-old Sanira Smith, a first-time participant, told The Laurinburg Exchange, “When I first came here, I didn’t talk to anyone. I was too shy. Now, I talk to everyone.”
Other students said their favorite things were making new friends, hearing Jones tell stories, and, of course, eating pizza.
Theater camp assistants and volunteers were Estavia Bethea, Cooper Hummel, Jaden Everett, Sonyla Thomas and Samyha Gibson.
Jones, a Laurinburg native and graduate of NCCU, has been doing this camp since 2015. He said his goal is for children to realize, “We all have a gift. I plant that little seed and hope that it takes root and flourishes and grows.”