Next Friday, June 9 is the last day for students who complete the fourth through nInth grades to register for Hamilton-Gibson’s Summer Theatre Arts Camp at the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville.

The HG camp is free and open to those that want to participate no matter where they live and no matter whether they are homeschooled or attend public or private school.

“We need to know how many youth are going to participate by Friday, June 9 so we can order enough camp T-shirts and prepare scripts and other materials to give to each camper on the first day of camp, Monday, June 26,” said Camp Coordinator Thomas Putnam.

The camp theme is “Nessie, Tartans & Brigadoon…Exploring the Wilds of Scotland.”

“Throughout the jam-packed week, campers will explore all things Scottish to hone their skills in acting, singing and dance with assistance from staff and guest presenters,” Putnam said.

“We’ll be singing and dancing to a handful of the many songs that people would never identify as Scottish.

“The folk tales of Scotland go back hundreds of years. The most famous is the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. We’ll dramatize that and several others.

“Though we won’t be wearing kilts, we will be exploring the world of tartans, and dividing into various clans, each with its own tartan. 

“We’ll have a bagpipe demonstration and attempt to create a similar sound with kazoos. 

“We will explore Scottish culture and play a few Scottish games.”

Camp staff includes summer interns Katie Bartlett and Valerie Miller, Natalie Holsey, choreographer Taylor Nickerson and Debbie Calkins.

The five-day camp at Whitneyville will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30.

The last day of camp on June 30 will be a regular day with the addition of two public performances at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Tioga County Youth Center building at the fairgrounds.

Bus transportation is provided free. “Routes and times will be determined after we have received the registrations,” Putnam said.

Campers will be picked up and taken to Whitneyville and then returned to their pickup sites each day after camp. The only exception will be on Friday, June 30. That day, the campers will be picked up but parents will be responsible for taking their campers home after the 6:30 p.m. performance.

To register for the camp, download the 2023 Summer Theatre Arts Camp flyer and application by visiting the Hamilton-Gibson website at www.hamiltongibson.org and clicking on “Enrichment”, then on “For Kids” then “Camps” and then scroll down to the button tagged “Click Here for Application.”

Complete and send the application to: Attention: Theatre Arts Camp, Hamilton-Gibson Productions, 29 Water Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901. For more information about the camp, transportation or for answers to any other questions, call 570-724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.