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First Posted: 8/4/2014
As the curtain closes on its inaugural summer camp program, the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple will expand its new and vibrant Creative and Performing Arts Academy (CaPAA) to include a wide variety of course offerings throughout the fall and spring.
CaPAA classes, which cater to students in grades Pre-K to 12, and include offerings such as Magic with NEPA’s own Damian the Magician, Movement for Actors, beginner and advanced theatre classes, creative writing classes and more, will begin Sept. 8.
To introduce the staff and share information about the new programs, the SCC will host two open houses, both coinciding with Summer Camp program performances. The first is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 8 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. after the Summer Camp’s “Wicked” Showcase, and the second for Friday, August 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. prior to the Summer Camp’s production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR.”
The open houses will allow interested individuals to opportunity to meet the CaPAA staff, ask questions, register for classes and tour the facilities.
“Our goal for CaPAA is very simple: to give the children of NEPA a safe and exciting environment to explore their passion for the performing arts,” said Michael Melcher, the Executive Director of the Scranton Cultural Center, in a news release. “By opening the academy, the Scranton Cultural Center is reaffirming its mission to be NEPA’s premier venue for the arts in our community.”
Academy students will work very closely with highly-skilled professional music directors, stage directors, choreographers and artists whose passion is working with children through the creative and performing arts.
Children in Pre-K to fourth grades will participate in the Little Dragon Playhouse, with the majority of classes taking place in the newly renovated, fully-accessible lower level area formerly known as the Junior Ballroom. Little Dragon Playhouse students will experience theatre in an introductory fashion with the main focus of having fun. Children in 5th to 12th grades will be categorized into two conservatories, Junior and Senior, based on grade and experience. Junior and Senior Conservatory students will focus on specific curriculum and further developing individual skills. In addition, Junior and Senior Conservatory students will have the opportunity to participate in a full-scale production of “Willy Wonka” in Spring 2015.
If unable to attend, interested individuals are encouraged to make arrangements for an individual tour by contacting the CaPAA Director, Sheri Melcher via email at [email protected] or by calling 570-346-7369, ext. 104.
The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple’s 2014-2015 season is supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Lackawanna County Office of Education and Culture, and County Commissioners Corey D. O’Brien, Jim Wansacz and Patrick M. O’Malley.