Theatre Camp
Build confidence on the stage.
Our Theatre Camp offers a chance for participants to blend theatre, vocal/musical training, and dance. A series of guest artists and instructors will challenge students’ creativity while also concentrating on safe technique and building healthy personal rehearsal practices. We meet each student at their current skill level to ensure that every participant, whether new to the stage or a veteran, is challenged and supported.
Students will participate in interdisciplinary workshops for other aspects of the performing arts and enjoy trips off campus, open mic nights, and a variety of summer fun. The week will close with a performance for family and friends.
Meet the Director
Kelly Dowling joined the Mercersburg Academy faculty in 2015 and is currently head of the arts department. She previously served as managing director and a company member of the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory; taught drama and technical theatre at Winters Mill High School in Westminster, Maryland, and the Madeira School in Langley, VA; and worked as technical director of the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater in Washington, D.C.
Kelly has served on the board of directors for the Charm City Fringe Fest, as an editor for the Shakespeare Standard website, and as a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from Catawba College and also studied at the Marymount London School of Drama in England.
Featured Performance: TBA
In 2023, Theater Camp was thrilled to be able to perform Honk! Jr. Adapted from an award-winning West End show, and with a score by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (Mary Poppins), this musical is a heartwarming celebration of being different that delights all ages with its sparkling wit, unique charm, and memorable score. Hilarious but also deeply moving, Honk! Jr. is a treat for the performers and audience alike!
Burgin Center for the Arts
Completed in 2006, the 65,000-square-foot Burgin Center for the Arts is a hub of artistic exploration. It houses Mercersburg’s music, dance, theatre, and studio arts programs, 599-seat proscenium Simon Theatre, 120-seat black box Hale Studio Theatre, Cofrin Gallery, recital hall, chorale room, dance studios, ceramics studio, art studios, recording studio, digital arts lab, Maker’s Lab, technical theatre shop, and classroom, rehearsal, and office space.
The Burgin Center’s design—the work of New York architecture firm Polshek Partnership—is simple yet majestic, modern yet classical. The floor-to-ceiling glass that forms the building’s outer wall allows for the interplay between internal and external space as well as engagement with the landscape along front campus. It also creates a beautiful luminosity when the Burgin Center is lit at night.
