A few more FAQs

OK, so I know MadCAP is different from other programs in a lot of ways, but what are the top three things that would make this a valuable experience for my family?

First of all, every MadCAP experience is different.  However, as the Artistic Director and a teacher that has seen a lot of students come through MadCAP programming, here are three things I value highly about our educational philosophy and approach:

• MadCAP strives to create a strong, consistent, nurturing community.  Our students are mutually supportive, work together well, and we have very little tolerance for unkind or disrespectful behaviors. Our older students model this for our younger students by working well together, attending and cheering for performances and activities involving all ages, and our staff models this in every teaching and non-teaching moment.  Our strong community is evidenced by the high retention rates of participants in our program and the consistently positive feedback from parents and families.
• MadCAP students will inevitably meet NEW friends from OTHER schools.    So often in communities that are larger (like Madison), students make friends within their school, neighborhood, and perhaps church or faith-based group.  At MadCAP, students from around the city and surrounding neighborhoods work together.  Students who sometimes struggle to find their niche in the school communities where they study can reinvent themselves, discover new friends, and meet other friends with similar interests...sometimes when they least expect this.  Every session is the genesis of new friendships and unexpected happy discoveries.
• MadCAP students are PROUD of their accomplishments, and we are PROUD OF THEM.   MadCAP is a completely PROCESS-BASED program.  Our emphasis is NOT on the final product or performance, but the product (performance) is inevitably great, and this is reflected in the pride our students feel after weeks of hard work.  We work hard together, but we also play hard.  Our staff assembles casts (gives out parts) & presents curriculum in a way designed to challenge each and every student to meet their individual highest potential while also encouraging group collaboration.  Our students are proud of what they accomplish, and this JOY is evidenced on stage.

What if I've already done a few summers with MadCAP, I've finished fourth or fifth grade, and I want to be in the "big kids" group?

Great!  There is an age guideline, but that's just what it is...a GUIDELINE.  We welcome all ages and ability levels, so if you (or your child) would like to bump up to the older kids' group, just e-mail Kjerstie to make arrangements.  The only thing to note is that the older kids are allowed open campus lunch (though encouraged to join the group for a picnic).  If parents prefer lunchtimes be supervised, it is the students' responsibility to let the staff know about that plan.

Does MadCAP offer Financial Aid?

MadCAP does offer tuition waivers to families that qualify on the HUD guidelines.   Financial aid forms are available by contacting our office.  Applications are approved by a committee of Board and community representatives.  *Please note, MadCAP has received a large number of financial aid requests this year, and may not be able to fill all of them.*

Now, about this "Dinner Theatre" thing....

Lots of folks have wondered just what we mean when we say that our THROUGH THE DECADES series will perform in a Dinner Theatre setting.  Well, just that.

Madison has some great favorite summer activities involving the arts...Concerts on the Square and Opera in the Park are a few of them.  What we aim to do with this performance series is to offer our MadCAP families & friends the chance to some see an interactive musical theatre show in an informal and immersive space.  We invite folks to bring a picnic dinner, and we'll provide beverage and dessert in the ticket price.

This is our studio in its "rehearsal" ready mode.  Pretty empty, not too exciting.  I did stick one of our cafe tables in there, though, and that's what we use to set up for our Company M After Dark performances and other cabaret set ups.

It looks much different in performance light, though, doesn't it?

The audience set up will include tables and chairs for those folks who would like to dine with us.  We'll even help you get your dinner ordered and delivered here if you don't have time to create one for yourself.  All in all, it's a beautifully intimate setting, not weather dependent, and has excellent acoustics.  Previous productions with audience seating in this style include "Intervention", "Macbeth", and "Middle School Madness".

I think it's going to be great, and I look forward to the "dinner theatre" style performances this summer!  Keep an eye on the blog and our website for more ticket information.

Dramaturgical Research? Hmmm.

Lots of folks have questions about just what this means.  Last time I posted, I linked to a site that explains a little more about the importance of this research, but today I'm going to give some real-life examples of the kind of research we'll be doing together at MadCAP this summer.

Each of our shows is set in a specific time and/or place (real or imagined) and each of those times & places have specific cultural, social, and political structures.  We'll be travelling on foot around the downtown area to explore and learn more about these times and places.

For example, for the show "Go West!" we'll be exploring natural building techniques and visiting the frontier cabin at Madison Children's Museum.
  In addition to visiting the cabin and learning about the building methods at MCM, we'll take a trip to the Wisconsin Historical Museum to explore a little of what real people in our state were experiencing, thinking, and living like during the time our story is set.  

We'll gather the information, images, sketches, thoughts, and ideas of each person in sketch journals.  Armed with colored pencils, writing instruments, and a glue stick, we'll gather ideas and knowledge...

Journals and other research information will be on display at final performances for the audiences to check out, and every student will keep their own book creations, which we will learn to bind at the beginning of the session.

Go West! will also include sessions on these activities:

• Vocal techniques (singing, vocal production, diction, elocution)
• Movement (dance, physical characterization)
• Knitting & needlework around the home or wagon
• Foods of the time

A typical day at MadCAP during the Summer Sessions...

What might you find at MadCAP during a typical summer day?

• A fantastic INTERN STAFF
• Energized ARTISTS and PERFORMERS
• Exciting new things to learn and do every day
• A slight mess (because creative work can leave detritus!)

But that doesn't really clarify a typical day too much, does it?  Here is a typical schedule for someone in our "Page to Stage" performance series with a complete timeline:

8:20 AM  ::  Arrive at MadCAP, check in with the intern staffer at the front door, put your things away, and get ready to join the group for morning activities & group warm ups

8:30 AM  ::  Group warm ups lead by staff and/or INTERNS with full group of "Page to Stage" actors and full day "Through the Decades" actors

8:45 AM  ::  Begin rehearsal for "Page to Stage" production with Directors, Intern Staff, and the full "Page to Stage" acting group.  

10:30 AM  ::  Short break for a snack, quiet time, and writing any notes down from the first part of rehearsal.  Interns are on hand to help younger ones with note-taking.  Break is usually concluded with a picture book or story about the time period or culture in which the musical is set.

12 NOON ::  Both groups break for lunch, all students gather their things, use the restroom, and refill water bottles before lunch.  As a large group, we will head to Capitol Square on most days (weather permitting) for a picnic lunch on the lawn.  *Production-Only students sign out with Intern Staff and head home for the day*

1:00 PM ::  Group returns from lunch and "Page to Stage" folks begin their afternoon activites.  These will vary every day, but generally will include some acting/movement/vocal technique and some DRAMATURGICAL RESEARCH.  Dramaturgical research is the act and study involved in "consulting sources outside the script is to help expand our understanding of the play and to enrich our range of options for bringing that play to life in the theatre" (taken from http://pages.towson.edu/quick/dramaturgresearch.html)  

We will do this by visiting local experts such as Madison Children's Museum, the Wisconsin Historical Museum, resources at the Wisconsin Historical Society, and most importantly, the Madison Public Library.  All of these places are within walking distance, and groups will travel with MadCAP Staff and Intern Staff with a ratio never to exceed 8 students to 1 staff member.  Older students are paired with younger students within the group to mutually support these endeavors.  We will be creating projects determined by the group to illustrate our research and these will be displayed at performances.

4:15 PM  ::  Wrap up from the day's activities and sign out with Intern Staff to head home with parents

(MadCAP does offer supervision for an additional hour.  This is a fee-based service, and registration for After Care is available in June 2011)

The Acting Mice hit the Studios!

{Thanks to Erin Crawley for knitting Acting Mice for the ENTIRE CAST of "The Mice from Outer Space!}

{here's a sneak peek at our intern staff, hard at work keeping things running smoothly---and keeping the costumes looking smooth! :)  Things would not go well without them here to help.

"Hamlet" is action packed!  Don't miss it--tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/

Around the Studios today...

Tuesday of the first week, and all rehearsals are in full swing!

We'll be fitting costumes this week ("Mice from Outer Space" folks, check your backpacks/lunchboxes for a note about what you'll need), and performances are coming up at the end of the week.  Invite your friends!