Children Leap into Acting at Theatre Camp

The children in George Moses' theatre camp paused to think. He'd just thrown them one of the more difficult review questions of the day.

"Why is it important to stay in character?" Moses asked the group.

"If you're in a play and you're acting like you're dying in a hospital, why is it important to not laugh?" Moses continued, hoping the hint would refresh his students' memories. 

It did. 10-year-old Kasia Samuel spoke up. 

"Because people pay good money to see you perform, and they don't want to see you laughing," Samuel said.  

Samuel is one of 25 students in the Youth Summer Theatre Enrichment Camp at Pine Grove Community Center. George Moses, III started the camp this summer. 

"I wanted something new and fresh to the community," Moses said, "and something new and fresh in my life as well." 

Site Manager Kami Wright said Moses is giving the children an experience they'll never forget. 

"It's going to give them a passion for singing, dancing and acting," Wright said. "We've never had anything like this in the community." 

Moses said the day usually starts with a review of information the students learned the day before. Then, they play games to work on their theatre skills, such as pantomiming and improvising. 

But they aren't just playing games. The students are preparing for a production of "Good Morning, Ms. Fogle," a play about an unruly group of students and a substitute teacher who changes their attitudes. Moses wrote the play himself.  

The group will perform July 31 at Crane Creek Community Center.

Moses said his interest in theatre started at a young age. When he was nine or 10 years old, he started writing. When he was in college, he wrote a sitcom for a class and took a video production class. 

"That's when I really fell in love with theatre," Moses said. 

Moses wrote and directed his first play, "The Final Destination," at the church where he's the minister of music and at Columbia's Town Theatre. "Good Morning, Ms. Fogle" will be his second production. 

"I believe in delivering a great quality showcase of acting every time the curtain rises for production," Moses said.