Weston is preparing for in-person theatre camps as summer approaches
Shakespeare in Action, a theatre company located in the Weston neighbourhood, is planning on hosting in-person camps for youth this summer for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The company is planning on running two outdoor camps for youth: the Nobles camp for youth ages 11 to 14 and the Groundlings camp for children ages seven to 10.
Shakespeare in Action is a Toronto-based performing arts company and charity that relocated to Weston in spring 2019. According to their website, the company aims to make Shakespeare accessible to youth and adults across different backgrounds.
“One thing that has become really clear this year is that digitals are really cool and interesting tools. One thing that has also become clear is that people need internet and computers and that becomes a barrier for many young people, including many families in our community of Weston,” said David di Giovanni, the Artistic Director of Shakespeare in Action, in a phone interview.
According to the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy, Weston is one of 31 communities that has been designated as a Neighbourhood Improvement Area (NIA) since 2014. The strategy details extra support that NIAs receive through various programs and services.
This includes the Youth Hub, a youth-specific space that opened in Weston Public Library in late 2020.
Christina Paschakis, the Branch Head at Weston Public Library, said having safe spaces for youth in Weston is very important. “Many of the teens that have become regulars at our branch, throughout the years, often feel they are driven out of other spaces– whether due to stereotypes of teens being ‘troublemakers’, and loud or disruptive, or because those spaces are just simply not designed with youth in mind,” she wrote in an email.
Jacqueline Stone, a family worker for Catholic Children’s Aid, said that children are social human beings and, when kids go to camp, she sees them blossom. “Most children think that what happens at school and home is their world. When they go and meet other children, their world opens,” she said in a phone interview.
Di Giovanni said that this year, camps will be limited to 10 campers and the camps will take place primarily in outdoor spaces within the Weston community, such as outside Artscape and in Memorial Park.
Paschakis said that programs and services in Weston, like Shakespeare in Action, know how important they are to youth. “Our goal, whether via the traditional programming in the physical spaces themselves or by now moving onto virtual platforms, is to continue providing these valuable services and programs to youth, while continuing to reduce the barriers surrounding their accessing of these services as much as possible,” she wrote.
Di Giovanni said that despite the challenging year, he still feels responsible for coming up with creative and safe ways for kids to engage with theatre- like the summer camps. “It’s still really important that we make sure these spaces exist so that we can create spaces where kids can have fun together, socialize together, and can be creative together. We can do what we’re supposed to do as a charity with a mission which is to create accessible opportunities for young people to engage with theatre,” said di Giovanni.
Shakespeare in Action is still taking applications for participants and camps are set to run throughout July.