In its continuing pursuit to provide outstanding opportunities for artistic achievement in southern New Mexico, the Doña Ana Arts Council is rolling out its annual youth camp programs for summer 2015. A participant in the Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program with the Las Cruces Public Schools since 1996, the Arts Council is pleased to announce the addition of a new entry to the program, an Opera Storytellers’ Camp, just in time for the Rio Grande Theatre’s 10th anniversary celebration.
“We are collaborating with the Santa Fe Opera to bring an opera specialist and a composer to Las Cruces. They will work with students to create and put on a short opera production at the end of the week-long camp,” said Executive Director for the Doña Ana Arts Council Kathleen Albers. “I am very excited to introduce this new camp to our already vibrant slate of programs for the youth of our community. And, as always, we offer scholarships for families who need assistance, because we do not want money, or the lack of same, to be a barrier to a child who wishes to follow his or her dream.”
Career Art Path (CAP) is a two-week immersion program in the visual arts for middle school students. The program is designed for students entering the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades and will be held June 15-26, 2015 at Alma d’Arte Charter High School, 402 W Court Ave, Las Cruces, NM. Tuition is $100 per student for the two-week program. The Arts Council and program founders, Marian and Jordon Wolle, donate financial support to any student who has an expressed interest in the visual arts, but who is unable to pay the full tuition.
Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) has become a proud tradition of the Doña Ana Arts Council, bringing quality theater experiences for children to Las Cruces for over three decades. The Missoula Children’s Theatre is now set for July 6-11, 2015. The open auditions will be at 10:00 a.m. sharp on Monday, July 6 at the Rio Grande Theatre. The performances will be on Friday, July 10 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 11 at 11 a.m. For students entering grades 1-12. Tuition is $60 per student; partial scholarships available. The show title this year is Red Riding Hood.
Opera Storytellers of Las Cruces will debut this summer as a camp for kids. Presented by The Doña Ana Arts Council in collaboration with The Santa Fe Opera, the camp will run July 20-25, 2015 and will be presented at the Rio Grande Theatre. The program is designed for students entering 3rd – 8th grade. 25 – 30 students will use elements of opera, libretto writing, music composition and theatrical staging to compose and present their own musical drama based on the Hero’s Journey. Tuition is $100 per student; partial scholarships are available.
The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main Street, in Las Cruces, NM, and is managed by the Doña Ana Arts Council for the City of Las Cruces. Offices are located upstairs in the theater and are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the Doña Ana Arts Council’s Summer Youth Programs visit www.DAArts.org , or call (575) 523-6403.