By Kim Hilsenbeck
Standing on the stage back-to-back in pairs, students in the Lehman High School summer theater camp waited for the count.
“One, two, three,” shouted one of the directors.
On that cue, they all jumped and turned to their partners.
Some acted like gorillas with a loud yell and chest pounding. Others made gestures as if they were a hunter. Still others made a karate chop motion.
The game, one of several played during the week long camp, was similar to the children’s game Rock, Paper, Scissors. One of the pair was out depending on which gesture he or she made.
Gorillas can bear hug karate chops, hunters can shoot gorillas and karate chops can knock the gun out of the hunter’s hands.
Or something like that.
Regardless, the 22 summer campers enjoyed playing that and other games, including one where they stood in a circle and mimicked another person’s actions and verbal phrase. But the words had to be a line from one of the three short plays the students will perform for their families this Sunday.
In the game ‘night watchman,’ or statues as some call it, the statues move stealthily around the museum but try not to get caught by the security guard. If a guard sees a statue move, he or she is out of the game.
Though the games appear to be just fun on the surface, Lehman theater teacher and camp director Marissa Meek said each one is designed to teach the campers a skill related to theater performance.
“[This one] is a body control and paying attention exercise,” she said.
The camp is open to elementary age students entering second through sixth grade. Meek started it at Lehman about five summers ago. She also founded the camp at Hays High School two decades ago, now run by Brandon Snyder.
After auditioning for one of about 15 parts in three short plays, the Lehman camp participants learned Tuesday which role they received.
Meek gave campers a pep talk before she read who was cast in which role.
“Everyone did awesome in their audition,” she said. “But you may not get the role you wanted.”
“We’re trying to put together the whole pizza,” she said. “And some of you are sauce, some are cheese and some are pepperoni. But you’re all in the pizza.”
She asked the students to be respectful no matter whether they got the role they wanted or not.
As she rattled off the parts for each of the three short plays, whoops and hollers and clapping erupted.
During the full day summer camp, about 22 students will work together along with several current and former Lobo students to pull together a production. Meek said the students will learn several aspects of theater including casting, costumes, props, set design and of course, acting.
Most of the student directors said being in camp gives the students confidence.
The directors said they see children from the entire spectrum at theater camp: athletes, science kids, math lovers, the musically inclined.
“We accept everyone,” one of the directors said.
A few of the directors participated in similar summer camps as youngsters, including Taylor Tatom of Kyle.
“I went to a camp at the Carver Museum (in Austin) and we put together a full blown musical,” Tatom said.
What do you get out of being a camp director?
“Directing experience, experience with other actors and … helping kids build their skills from the ground up,” said director and Lehman junior Andy Garza of Kyle.
Sami Gates, who graduated in June, said she enjoys helping the students build a foundation in the arts.
Ashley Osorio, another recent graduate, was in about a dozen shows and musicals over the three years she was involved with the Lobo theater troupe. She said some campers don’t know anything about theater and are really shy.
“As the week goes on, they start feeling more confident and more comfortable with themselves,” she said.
