2017 German Theater Summer Camp

Dates: One week: June 19 – June 23, 9am-3pm, after care possible

Ages: 5-8 & 9-15, basic knowledge of German is required

Tuition: $345

Location: Private house with backyard in Takoma Park, MD, 20912,

15 walking minutes from Takoma Metro

Description:

“The Song of the Nibelungs” re-told through crankies and music!

In this German immersion theater camp, participants will be working with professional drama, stage design and music educators (all German native speakers) to explore love, betrayal and magic in the medieval legend of Siegfried, the dragon killer, his mysterious knights, princess Kriemhild as well as super-human queen Brunhild from Iceland. Campers will be immersed in the German language through listening, writing, speaking and reading while participating in movement, acting games, music making (singing and instrumental), crafting, and building “crankies” (here’s a mini example). At the end of the camp, participants will perform a showing of the re-written version of the main scenes of the legend with crankies and songs.

German native or heritage speakers will be fully immersed in German; a camp counselor will work as a language bridge between German and English for learners of German who need assistance.

Instructors:

Margrit Wong, founder and director, MA in Theater Pedagogy (University of Fine Arts, Berlin) and German and English Literature (Freie Universität, Berlin).

Since 2011, Margrit has been happily teaching German as a foreign language to home-schoolers in the DC metro area, utilizing puppet theater, shadow theater, poetry and songs to introduce students of all ages to the rich culture of Germany. This is her third German immersion theater summer camp, which has attracted young German speakers and learners from all over Maryland, DC and Virginia. She has previously taught at Goethe Institut, Catholic University of America, and as a high school teacher for English, German and Drama in Berlin, Germany .

Rebecca Salms – stage and costume designer, will help with crafts and paint our crankie. She has been working in theater and film for decades and has helped lead theater camps in Takoma Park for many summers.

Ole Hass, co-founder of Beech Tree Puppets, which brings story-telling to children and adults in the Greater Washington-Baltimore area. Ole holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park, and has sung as soloist with many of the area’s performing institutions. While his daughter attended Acorn Hill Kindergarten, he worked there as a teaching assistant. Ole currently teaches German part time for the Young Artists at Washington National Opera. He grew up in Hamburg, Germany.

Camp Counselor: high school graduate from Deutsche Schule Washington, theater enthusiast.

Contact: Margrit.wong@gmail.com                Phone: 240-393 7173


(Under “Item Price”, enter $150 for deposit, $345 for payment in full, or $320 for sibling discount)

Rhythm of a camp day:

9 am arrival

9:15 – 10:30am crafting or movement, physical drama games

10:30am waterbreak & snack (fruit/ cerial bar – bring your own)

11:00 -12:30pm work on content of “Das Nibelungenlied”, reading, writing; visual arts work/making crankies in small groups

12:30-1:30pm lunch break (byol) outdoors

1:30 -2:45pm music: songs (medieval),  improvisation/composition: how do we accompany scenes with music? (instruments like flute and violin/viola welcome!) OR visual arts projects and journaling

2:45-3pm clean up and pick up