EMBARK! 2024 registration is now open!
The theatre camp for all students!*
Endstation Theatre Company believes in the transformative experience of theatre and supports the development of young people through self-expression.
In 2017, Endstation launched the Embark! Youth Theatre Conservatory. This program focuses on teaching the 3C’s: Confidence, Creativity, and Communication. The Conservatory gives rising 3rd through graduating 12th graders the opportunity to hone their skills under the direction of experienced theatre practitioners from around the region and nation.
Students of similar age and/or experience will be grouped into three different levels that rotate between six unique classes.
For any questions please contact our camp director, Erin Foreman, at EMBARK@endstationtheatre.org
Want to know more about Embark? WATCH THIS AWESOME VIDEO!
*Skills include: acting, improv, Shakespeare, song performance, dance, character voices, devised work, and much, much more!
Sample Schedule
8:30–9:00 Student Drop-off
9:00–9:20 Beginnings
9:25–10:15 Acting
10:20–11:10 Musical Theatre
11:15–12:05 Voice & Movement
12:10–12:50 Lunch
12:55–1:45 Dance
1:50–2:40 Improv
2:45–3:35 Shakespeare
3:40–4:00 End of Day
More important stuff:
July 8-19, 2024 (M-F; M-F)
Tuition is $400
Partial and full scholarships are available!
Advanced training is now offered for high-school students!
The program will culminate in a showcase presentation & awards ceremony on Friday, July 19th!
Class Descriptions
Acting
Most artists use instruments to create a masterpiece. Well, actors are their own instrument. They use their mind, body, and soul to create fantastical worlds for audiences to believe in. We will hone each camper’s mastery of their own unique instrument, using a simplified version of Uta Hagen’s “Object Exercises” as a framework.
Voice and Movement
Voice and movement will explore the expressive capacity of the human body as applied to theatre. The approach will be holistic mind, body, and vocal exercises, which will be applied to game-based performance exercises. These techniques will provide a basis to acting and improvisation, while enabling students to better understand their vocal and bodily range.
Musical Theatre
The definition of Musical Theatre is the genre of drama where singing and dancing play an essential part. This class engages the physical tools of voice and body, while unlocking the mind’s tools of imagination and commitment to explore telling stories through a musical lens.
Scene Work
Students will have the choice of a classical or contemporary monologue or scene in order to exercise the following skills: memorization, character development, blocking, and the magic "what if" (using imagination to develop a world for your character).
Improv
Improv will investigate the fundamentals of improvisational performance. The students will explore the background of improvisation as well as the rules to performing unscripted material through a variety of games and exercises. The exercises used will coincide with the basics of acting as well as voice and movement. Students will learn to take initiative, react spontaneously, and work with a team to create a cohesive story.
Dance
Students will focus on movement through a structured musical lens by exploring various dance styles used in current Broadway Musicals. They will engage full body movement through warm-ups and inclusive choreography, learn and perform choreography with peers, and leave room for expression through dance. Camp will culminate in learned group dance numbers, as well as class combinations and, of course, the STEVE DANCE.
Past Staff Includes!
Erin Foreman
Camp Director
Erin Foreman is the technical director at E.C. Glass High School. She holds an MA in Theatre and has directed, designed, and performed in productions both in Lynchburg community theatre and in the Lynchburg City Schools. Erin is a member of the Virginia Department of Education Fine Arts Resource Team and also participated in the pilot program for United States Institute of Theatre Technicians to develop a high school credentialing exam for theatre technicians. Erin’s favorite role is mom to her son, Thomas. She dedicates this season to the memory of her father, Mark Foreman.
Karl Lindevaldsen
Acting
Karl has been performing since he was a young child. He was part of a professional improvisation group called The Fantasy Players that performed throughout the NY metro area. After graduating from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, Karl joined the historic theater company, The Light Opera of Manhattan, and performed in numerous operettas, including The Pirates of Penzance, The New Moon, The Merry Widow, and Naughty Marietta. He performed in many cabarets in NYC and was chosen to perform for Ronald Reagan’s inauguration in 1985. Karl continued to sing in concerts and perform as a soloist in NYC. He performed with Endstation Theater Company in Assassins as Charles Guiteau, The King in Big River, Father in Violet, and, this month, he is excited to be part of Bye Bye Birdie. Throughout his time in Lynchburg, he has been a guest instructor for various theater programs for children, youth, and college students and has been a judge for VTA. This past winter he was a guest director for The Crucible at Brookville High School.
McKayla Hill
Musical Theatre & Dance
A Florida native who grew up performing in school and professional settings, McKayla came to Lynchburg to graduate from Liberty University with a degree in vocal music. She has worked at Linkhorne Middle school as the Choir and Drama teacher, which allowed her to direct several musicals including Honk Jr., Suessical Jr., Annie Jr., and Madagascar Jr. Currently she teaches voice lessons at Hill City Music Studios.
Zachary Zahand
Voice & Movement / Improv
A middle school theatre teacher, Zachary has been involved with theatre since 2004 and has worked professionally in both Virginia and West Virginia. Zachary holds his BA in Theatre from Longwood University, where he studied Meisner, Chekhov, and Stanislavski techniques. Some favorite roles of his have been Horton in Seussical and Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, though his favorite past role is having been the Managing Director for the Virginia Theatre Association. Zachary is excited to return to Lynchburg to join Endstation this summer and spread the joy of theatre!
Pierson Blount
Junior Teacher, Voice & Movement
Pierson is excited to return to Endstation's Embark! as a teacher of Voice and Movement this year. He is a junior at Elon University, with a major in Cinema & Television Arts and a minor in Music Production. Pierson works as a voice actor for various small projects, including student films at his university. He was most recently seen in United Theatre Company’s 2021 summer production of Heathers: The Musical, playing the roles of Ram’s Dad, Big Bud Dean, and Coach Ripper. Pierson has loved performing onstage ever since middle school, appearing in over a dozen shows and productions. Notable performances include Glass Theatre’s Our Town (Stage Manager), Hairspray (Wilbur Turnblad), The Matchmaker (Barnaby Tucker), and In The Heights (Piragua Guy), which was cancelled because of COVID-19. Pierson has also worked as a tour guide for the Candlelight Tours at Lynchburg City Cemetery. Aside from theatre, Pierson is a member of Elon University’s male acapella group, Smooth Progressions, as a Tenor. He also practices juggling as a hobby. Pierson can’t wait to continue teaching the very classes that propelled his acting journey!
Dyllan Hutchison
Teaching Assistant, Musical Theatre
Dyllan Hutchison is a past camper of Embark! and is thrilled to be returning as a Teaching Assistant! She is currently a Junior at George Mason University pursuing a BFA in performing arts. Recently she has been elected president of the Mason Improv Association and has gotten involved in different aspects of student films with hair, makeup, and costuming, and theater in an international play exchange. She is also writing an original play, which she is looking forward to seeing performed in the coming fall semester. Dyllan has been involved in theater since the sixth grade and some notable roles of hers include Florence in Leading Ladies, Charlie Vine in Abra Cadaver, and Mrs. Webb in Our Town. She is really excited to try teaching and hopefully encourage this year's campers the same way she way her coaches and TAs were able to encourage her when she attended Embark!
Bobby Vinson
Teaching Assistant, Acting
A former Embark! camper, Bobby is excited to be returning this summer as a Teaching Assistant. He is a rising sophomore at the University of Lynchburg, where he is currently pursuing a Theatre Performance major while working in the technical department. He has also been working at Endstation as a Carpentry Apprentice for both Buried Deep and Bye Bye Birdie.