Traveling Players Ensemble Camp 2008!

Check out our New 1-week Stage Combat Intensive!

Traveling Players Accomplishments Selected as a "Summer School in the Arts" by the NEA - One of 25 in the Nation 102 performances, including: The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage Colonial Williamsburg International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap The Folger Shakespeare Library's Secondary School Festival Reston Multicultural Festival 8 students won their school's English Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition Featured on WAMU's "Metro Connection" 298 happy campers!

Traveling Players Ensemble’s camp provides intensive, classical theatre training to small troupes of actors who are carefully guided by professional theatre artists to perform in outdoor amphitheaters.  Our program reflects the origins of theatre, when troupes of actors roamed the ancient and medieval countryside, relying on the barest props and boldest imagination to convey their art.  Each session culminates in a fully mounted and designed performance which tours to several locations, thereby cultivating stronger, more adaptable and capable artists and individuals.

Our unique day camp (Monday-Friday) features a campout every Thursday—when performers learn Leave No Trace camping techniques, to pitch tents and cook outdoors.  In their final week, teens campout close to their performance site—giving them the experience of wandering entertainers who carry their dinner, tent and props in their trusty pack.  As artists and backpackers, campers learn self-reliance, creative problem solving, and to appreciate challenges and beauty.  (View brochure - pdf).

Find the program for your camper:


Middle School Ensemble | High School Ensemble | Stage Combat Intensive | Traveling Troupe | Technical Theatre | Internships | Work & Play

Middle School Ensemble - 4 weeks
Join one of our Middle School Ensembles and perform in comedies that embrace the true spirit of wandering entertainers and Commedia dell’Arte.  Moliere’s The Doctor in Spite of Himself is classic slapstick with fake doctors, incompetent servants, wacky diseases, true love and funny fight scenes.  Gozzi’s Blue Monster is an exotic farce written in verse—with girls disguised as boys, boys transformed into (blue) monsters, old incompetent kings, wicked queens, and a seven-headed hydra.  The productions will perform for local girl and boy scouts, camps, libraries, children’s hospital—in addition to a public performance at Madeira’s amphitheater.  Campers can register for both sessions to perform in both shows. <top of page>

Rising 9^th Graders
Enroll in either the Middle School Ensemble or the High School Ensemble, or choose one session in each Ensemble. One session in each Ensemble is the best—two plays, two directors, two casts of friends, and a full summer of fun. (In general, we recommend that rising 9th graders remain in the Middle School Ensemble, unless they have a strong affinity towards Shakespeare, or are doing both Middle School and High School ensembles. Please call if you're unsure which ensemble is appropriate.)

High School Ensemble - 4 weeks
Perform “Shakespeare in the Park” in Shenandoah National Park while backpacking off the Appalachian Trail!  As You Like It is Shakespeare’s delightful comedy where characters venture into the woods and return transformed.  Sibling rivalries, wrestling matches, jesters, love letters affixed to trees, wandering sheep, and women disguised as men tell this tale of how we can find our true selves (and true love) while in nature.  Our performance schedule includes Skyline Drive (taking a vigorous hike between shows to “shower” in waterfalls) before returning to Madeira for a public performance.  Performers can register for both sessions to experience the challenge of being cast differently in the two productions.  Technical theatre program, too! <top of page>

To view footage of performance, click on image above to be redirected to The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage website. Search archive for "Traveling Players."

Brawl Ridiculous: Stage Combat from Clowns to Kings - 1 week

***Spaces Still Available***

This intensive 1-week camp (for rising 8th-12th graders) will look at the tricks of the trade behind stage combat, from slapstick pratfalls to Elizabethan swordplay. Using the principles of commedia dell'arte and clowning - the very same skills that Shakespeare expected his actors to master - we'll explore the techniques, ideas, and possibilities within classic fight scenes in a safe, high-energy environment.

To register, please fill out the Stage Combat Registration Form and Health Form. Session dates do not conflict with 1st session attendance.

Traveling Troupe - 7 weeks

Join Traveling Troupe and perform in Colonial Williamsburg! 

Experience going on a professional tour while still in high school: 5 weeks of rehearsal followed by a 2-week tour by bus and backpack!  Performances include: “Shakespeare in the Park” in Shenandoah National Park, while backpacking off the Appalachian Trail; Colonial Williamsburg, site of the first theater in the colonies; and our home amphitheater at Madeira.  The tour includes outdoor excursions like swimming, white water rafting, hiking, and a day pass to Colonial Williamsburg. 

UPDATED! Troupe will perform A Winter's Tale, Shakespeare’s royal romance with an enchanted ending.  Self-deception, wary kings, pregnant queens, pickpockets, bears, hoedowns, shepardesses, village idiots, and young lovers relay a legend of love lost and found.  After the downfall of a kingdom and a “winter” of reflection, this yarn erupts into spring revealing love, delight and redemption. 

Traveling Troupe is by-audition-only.  It is highly recommended that you simultaneously register for the High School Ensemble session(s) of your choice, thereby reserving you a spot. If you are later selected for Traveling Troupe, we will transfer your deposit. (For more information on auditions, click here.) <top of page>

To hear the interview, click on image above to be redirected to WAMU's website. Click on "Metro Connections," go to "Archives" and scroll down to April 16, 2004. The segment is titled "Summer Camp for Young Actors."

Technical Theatre - 4 or 7 weeks
Technical training is offered to 2 Traveling Troupe and 2 High School Ensemble students each session.  Tech campers work with professional designers and craftspeople to build sets, props, and costumes; operate lights and sound; and function as stage managers.  (Interested in Troupe? Call for an interview.)  <top of page>

Internships - 1 or 2 weeks
Gain community service hours as an intern – available for enrolled campers who wish to extend their time at TPE. Lend a hand in our busy costume and scene shops; aid our talented directors; or serve as ushers. Interns pay a reduced fee and enjoy all the benefits of being part of the TPE community.

Work & Play - 8 weeks
Only 4 spots! Enroll in the High School Ensemble for one session (Play), and apply to Work as an assistant counselor for the Middle School Ensemble for the other session. Receive training as a counselor, Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, First Aid and CPR. Deepen your understanding of theatre by assistant teaching and assistant stage managing. Can also be used to acquire community service hours. <top of page>