From the Director

From the Director

BCT Summer Camp registration is happening now!

We've got July all planned out for many wonderfully wacky outdoor theatrical experiences for campers ages 7-15. A delightful thing about BCT is the friendships that are fostered between age groups (we like to call it "Big Sister/Big Brother"), and we have proof that those friendships last all the way through college and beyond.

Here's what we've got planned for summer:

JULY 8-12: RANDOM ACTS & SNEAKY SET-UPS. Last year we had two dozen kids flash-mobbing, creating "celebrities" out of the average Bellinghamster, and singing to riders on the city bus. It's fun-filled mischief that brings out the playfulness in everyone.

JULY 15-19: THE WUTCRAKER BOOT-CAMP. In preparation for The Wutcraker in December, campers get a jump on auditions for this community-wide intergenerational parody (winner of the Mayor's Arts Award). Campers will learn how to swordfight like the Rat King, rap like the Ice Gang, and dance like a Booger Flung Scary!

JULY 22-26: "SPRINKLE PARK—THE MUSICAL." Campers meet at Fairhaven Park this week with swimming suits, picnics, and imagination. We'll play tons of fun theatre games and create an original musical or a lip-sync performance to share on Friday with families in the park. Wet. Wacky. Fun!

JULY 29-August 2: THE WOZARD OF IZ. Of course you've heard of Toto... but have you heard of Dorothy's dog "Thumb Thumb?" And what about Auntie "Um," and "Professor Lost His Marbles?" And Elvis! What is Elvis doing in Oz?? A hilarious rendition on that old classic, kids' imaginations have warped this adventure into a new dimension. Parts for Middle School kids and younger.

HOW TO REGISTER: It's an old-fashioned approach, but it's indicative of the hands-on care BCT's summer camp offers your camper—simply do this:
1) click “Contact Us” and send us an email with your name and the name of your camper(s), how old they are, and what camp(s) they’re interested in attending.
2) We will send you a registration and medical release form to fill out. Please fill it out and mail it along with a check for tuition (made out to B.C.T.) to our MAILING ADDRESS: 809 Donovan Ave. Bellingham, WA 98225
3) We will send you a confirmation email
4) In early June, we will send out another email with camp details and potential car-pooling possibilities to all the families who have signed up for summer camp.

It's easy!
For more information, call Drue at (360) 734-9999

Director & Teachers

Director & Teachers

Founder and Director

Bellingham Children's Theatre Director/Founder Drue RobinsonDrue Robinson founded the Bellingham Children’s Theatre in 1994. She holds an MFA in Acting from Columbia University in New York City, where she trained with Obie-award winning director Anne Bogart in Viewpoints and Suzuki, studied acting and movement with Andrei Serban, Niky Wolcz, and Larry Singer, as well as Voice with renowned vocal instructor Kristin Linklater. In addition to devising new works for the general public, and for BCT, Drue teaches interdisciplinary performance studies at  Fairhaven College on the campus of WWU.

Devising original theatre is incredibly rewarding work. It’s especially poignant when the players involved are youth and elders form our own community. At BCT we offer an approach to theatre that isn’t often found: rather than staging popular Disney or Broadway shows over and over again, at BCT we collaboratively create shows that spring from the imaginations and life experiences of the cast members themselves. What often results is hlarious, poignant, and moving theatre filled with depth, soul, and personality. I’m proud to be the only theatre in Bellingham to have been given two Mayor’s Arts Awards, and am honored to have a devoted audience base that supports BCT’s original work. We’re home-grown local, wonderfully experimental, and committed to teaching solid fundamentals in Acting to all ages.

Some of Drue’s scripts can be found at Playscripts.com. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and her other companies include: Viewpoints Theatre Ensemble, Sister Stage, and the World Intergenerational Theatre Institute.

 

Teachers

JessikaJessika Houston moved to Bellingham in the fall of 2009, and is so thankful to be a part of the welcoming creative community here.  As a teaching artist, actor, and dancer, she’s been going non-stop and is now so excited to be a part of Bellingham Children’s Theatre. Jessika grew up dancing, and started teaching dance professionally at the age of 15. When she was 18 she moved to Seattle and and changed her focus to theatre, and education. In 2007, she graduated cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Theatre and Performing Arts. She then studied and completed the teaching artist internship and apprenticeship at the Seattle Children’s Theatre, where she continued to work as a teaching artist. With a passion of giving education and theatre to all, she lived in Nepal for 5 months to do just that.  After traveling in Asia for 9 months, Seattle was too much for her to handle….and Bellingham became the perfect fit!

 

 

Angela Mills-Watson is an alum of Bellingham Children’s Theater who started her acting career as “Aunti Um” in BCT’s Silver Beach Elementary School production of Wozard of Iz when she was in 5th grade. She graced BCT’s stage from 1994 to 2000, originating roles in many new productions: Schnuzik, Once Upon the End, and Whistlin’ Dixie to name a few. She performed in BCT’s Seattle Fringe Festival 2000 cast of Once Upon The End which was awarded the People’s Choice. In 2010 she returned to BCT as an adult actor in The Wutcraker and became a member of Viewpoints Theater Ensemble, performing in Chekhov in Love, and Poke • Chat • Friend: Relationships and Technology. Angela has enjoyed roles in Hello Dolly, The Miracle Worker, The Music Man, and Inherit the Wind. She, like Jessika, studied at Cornish College of the Arts and graduated in 2007 with her BFA in Musical Theater. In the winter of 2008/09 she spent her time traveling to schools with Missoula Children’s theater. Though she loved Seattle, Angela always hoped to return home to Bellingham and somehow keep theater in her life. She would like to thank Drue for introducing her to theater and helping her to keep it a part of her life.

“I love Drue and BCT and I can’t wait to see what this next adventure brings.”