The upcoming Gimli Junior Musical Theatre Summer Camp is taking off faster than a flying carpet with its production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr.
Instructor Romanna Klymkiw, who runs the camp with Evergreen School Division band and music teacher Stephanie Marks, said the camp can accommodate up to 40 kids this year, and they’ve already registered 29 as of May 8.
“The reason our camp is so popular is that there’s nothing really like this out here in the Interlake,” said Klymkiw, who has a bachelor of music from the University of Manitoba and runs her own music school in Gimli. “We provide a very high quality program that’s both affordable and accessible — and, most of all, it’s fun.”
The two-week musical camp, which culminates in a free public performance in Gimli Park, is geared to kids aged 5-14.
The condensed time frame means there’s a lot of work to accomplish, including memorizing lines and blocking, but it’s very rewarding, said Klymkiw. On the first day of camp, kids can audition for select roles (they’re sent the score when they register) or they can opt to be placed in a role. Each child will get a part.
Aladdin Jr. is a musical adaptation of the Disney animated film Aladdin. It features a street urchin who finds a magic lamp and gets three wishes from the Genie who lives in the lamp. He goes up against the forces of evil and wins the heart of princess Jasmine. The story’s themes include friendship, honesty and being true to oneself.
The adaptation they’ll be performing in July is very similar to the show on Broadway, said Klymkiw. Last year’s show, Disney’s Moana Jr., had close to 200 people pack into Gimli Park.
The camp is in its fourth year. Klymkiw and Marks met at the University of Manitoba’s music school and were part of the musical theatre ensemble there. Coincidentally, they both moved to Gimli, where they decided to do a “summer project.” They tapped AJ Platt from Arborg to be the choreographer.
Kids don’t have to have any experience in musical theatre to join the camp; it’s open to all skill levels and experience, said Klymkiw. They’ll be putting youngsters through their paces in singing, acting and dancing.
“Something I’ve found to be very rewarding is watching the shy or introverted kids come out of their shell at camp,” she said. “We see them making friends and becoming somebody entirely new on stage.”
Kids don’t have to worry about forgetting a line during the public performance — even seasoned pros forget sometimes — since Klymkiw and Marks will be there to help them. They teach the kids that if something happens, they “just have to keep going and improvise” or another performer can do their line.
Surprisingly, the camp is attracting lots of boys.
“It’s really encouraging to see how many boys we have participating in the program,” said Klymkiw. “You wouldn’t think that to be the case, but we have almost an equal number of boys and girls already enrolled. In musical theatre, I don’t think that’s very common.”
Kids and their parents don’t have to worry about providing costumes since Klymkiw said they’ll be purchasing costumes this year. Previously, they rented costumes. They’ll also be building some of the set’s pieces.
To break up the rehearsal schedule, Klymkiw and Marks provide fun outdoor activities, games, crafts, Zumba and yoga.
The camp has to purchase the right to Disney’s show, which costs about $700. If they don’t purchase the rights, Klymkiw said Disney can sue them. The rights give them access to playbooks for the kids, scripts and vocal scores, rehearsal tracks (instrumentals) and performance tracks.
In addition to the purchase of costumes this year, the camp is renting microphones and buying craft supplies and snacks and beverages for the kids.
Last year, Klymkiw said some parents and local businesses helped out with the production, and the camp offered concessions (drinks and snacks) to the audience on performance day. The money they raised from the concessions was given to a community cause.
“We let the kids pick a charitable cause for the money raised from concessions. They chose wildfires victims last year. We ended up raising over $700 from concessions and donations that day,” said Klymkiw. “The popcorn and lemonade was provided by the RM of Gimli Recreation Centre, and Co-op donated some candy. A parent made fancy Moana cookies.
“We have been lucky to leverage community connections such as the Gimli Recreation Centre which provides our rehearsal and performance space for free every year, as well as local support to help us,” she said. “We welcome sponsorships or in-kind donations.”
Registration for the Gimli Junior Musical Theatre Summer Camp costs $425 and closes on June 15. Register through the Gimli Recreation Centre.
The camp takes place on July 2-3, 6-10, and 13-16 at the Gimli Pavilion stage in Gimli Park from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The show will be held on July 16. People are welcome to bring a lawn chair to Gimli Park to enjoy the performance.
For more information about camp sponsorships or volunteer opportunities, call Romanna Klymkiw at her music studio at 204-792-6019.
