Kids get dramatic at LTO's theatre camp

What do you get when you combine two best friends with a summer off and a passion for all things theater?

You get the Little Theatre of Owatonna Summer Theatre Camp, back for its second year under the leadership of friends Maggie Jones and Jamie Jennissen. Before the two women prepare to return to their teaching jobs at St. Mary’s School — Jones as the music teacher and Jennissen as the library teacher — the pair has been spending the last week instilling the love of all things theater into the hearts of 30 local kids.

“This is one of the best things I have ever done. I am so proud of these kids,” Jennissen gushed, as she looked around the gathering space at Trinity Lutheran Church, where four different groups of kids — or this week, actors — rehearsed their lines and stage blocking in preparation for Friday afternoon’s showcase.

Jones said the kids in attendance this year, an additional five from the inaugural camp season in 2023 on top of a waiting list, range from all different levels of theater experience, making the environment fun and exciting for all those involved.

“We have kids who have been in LTO or school shows in the past, some kids who are in speech and some who are brand new to theater,” Jones said. “They’ve all been working on their plays since Tuesday, and it’s been amazing to see how far each of them have come.”

One of their favorite parts of the camp comes at the end of each day, where Jennissen said they have the actos reflect on the work they’ve done.

“So many of them say they did things they didn’t know they could do,” she said.

While the leaders provided the actors with a book of 10 minutes plays to select from and plenty of direction and tips, the kids themselves are responsible for the shows they put on at the end of the week. From props, costumes, blocking and even sound effects, each group has been able to make their show exactly how they envision it.

They are also learning from one another, something 12-year-old Emma Miller said she has been enjoying throughout her time at camp. While the St. Mary’s student was in one play in fourth grade years ago and even attended the theatre camp last year, she admitted she came into this week still fairly novice to the stage.

“My friend Nova has helped me a lot, especially with blocking,” Miller said, motioning to Nova Maas, the recent stay of LTO’s Dear Edwina Jr.

For Miller’s group, they selected the play “The Rhyming Chef,” a spoof on shows similar to The Great British Bake Off. Miller plays the role of a cameraman.

“It has actually been kind of hard, because I have to go on stage without my back facing the audience, but I am also supposed to be filming the show,” Miller said. “It’s a weird show, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Seasoned actor and Owatonna Middle School student Demitri Bauer said his group also picked a “weird” play to perform, but added it’s a lot of fun and he’s enjoyed playing a character that is a “sneaky jokester” just like him. Their play, “Jack’s Giant Toothache” is about the characters from Jack and the Beanstalk, but where the giant’s baby is teething. Bauer plays the titular character Jack.

With previous theater experience, both his own and from his brother’s time performing in high school plays, the 12-year-old said he’s been able to teach his fellow actors a few tricks of the trade throughout the week.

“I have been able to show them the best ways to block and move on stage in a way that makes more sense,” Bauer said.

Both Bauer and Miller recommend anyone interested in theater to take part in the LTO camp next summer, with Miller adding that even someone who doesn’t think they like the stage will end up having plenty of fun. For those who are more serious in developing their acting skills, Bauer recommends also joining a speech team.

“I was doing theater before I joined speech, and joining the speech team has impacted my theater skills a lot, especially with memorizing lines,” Bauer said.

For Jones and Jennissen, who pitched the theatre camp idea to the LTO board in 2022 as a way to get kids excited and “bit by the theater bug,” they hope to see each actor develop into future supporters of local theater.

“We are hoping to lay the foundation for their love of theater,” Jones said.

For those kids who may have landed on the waiting list for the theatre camp this summer, fear not — the two leaders assert the LTO Summer Theatre Camp is here to stay and will be returning year after year.