Camp Concludes with Singing of 'So Long, Farewell'
Bishop High School senior Maggie Langhorne, one of 32 performers taking part in ThinkCamps’s Bravissimo theater camp this summer at Westmont, stars as Maria in “The Sound of Music” Thursday, June 30, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Friday, July 1, at 11 a.m., all in Porter Theatre. Tickets are $5 and can be reserved by email at thinkcamps@westmont.edu and picked up at the door. Thursday evening’s show is expected to sell out quickly.
“The Sound of Music” is co-directed by Rebecca Leftwich Hodson, director of performing arts at Providence Hall, and Miller James, Westmont adjunct instructor in stage craft/costume design and director of Ensemble’s Storybook Theater. Emily Jewell Conway is choreographer.
Langhorne began her vocal training with Hodson as a child in the Santa Barbara Children’s Chorus. She first worked with James when he stage directed the children's chorus production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” in 2004. Most recently, Langhorne starred as Sally in Providence Hall’s production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” Beginning July 1, she’ll be singing in the chorus of Santa Barbara Children’s Theater’s production of the same show at Center Stage, which James directs.
Daniel Evarone, who stars as the captain, and Chloe Eaton, who’s Mother Abbess, are recent graduates of Providence Hall and have played numerous roles in their school productions. They also performed in last year’s Bravissimo production of “Oklahoma.” Eaton will attend Gordon College this fall, majoring in theater arts.
Eight-year-old Maddie Thomas, this year’s youngest camper, plays Gretl. She is the daughter of Mitchell Thomas, associate professor of theater arts at Westmont.
Bravissimo campers, ages 8-18, come from as far north as Santa Ynez Valley and as far south as Thousand Oaks. A handful of students have participated in nearly every production since Bravissimo began in 2006.
The camp, which began June 18, engages students in the process of creating and performing a full-scale musical. Instructors teach singing technique, acting, set-design, costuming and technical direction. ThinkCamps are part of the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts at Westmont.