Theater Camp
Build confidence on the stage.
Our Theater Camp offers a chance for participants to blend theater, 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 and a variety of summer fun. The culmination of the camp will be a performance of the Broadway musical The Addams Family.
Meet the Director
Chaz Macklin joined Mercersburg Academy in February 2024 as technical director of the Burgin Center for the Arts. Prior to Mercersburg, he taught students the joys of behind-the-scenes work in various community theater organizations. Chaz received a bachelor’s degree in performance studies from Texas A&M University and has eight years of experience in theatrical technology, with six years of technical direction. He has a passion for sharing his love of theater with students of all ages. Chaz is the proud owner of a German shepherd named Lola.
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, theater, 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 theater 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.
Dates:
June 21 to July 3, 2026
Open To:
Ages 11-16, coed
Cost:
$1,850 (commuter)
$2,050 (residential)
A Typical Day
8-8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
9-11:30 a.m.
Training activities (voice lessons, dance Lessons, etc.)
12-12:45 p.m.
Lunch
1-2 p.m.
Supplemental classes
2-3 p.m.
Musical work
3-5:15 p.m.
Afternoon Activity (off-campus performance, swimming, games)
5:30-6:15 p.m.
Dinner
6:30-9 p.m.
Evening activities (campfire, movie night, karaoke)
9:15-10 p.m.
Dorm and lights out