Brookhaven Little Theatre officials have begun preparing for the2009 Summer Drama Camp and may need the public’s help in the comingweeks to round up campers, supplies and extra manpower.

Save the Haven Committee Chairwoman JoAnna Sproles said the campis still taking applications for young campers. Registration formsmay be picked up at the Lincoln County Public Library, theBrookhaven Recreation Department, the Brookhaven-Lincoln CountyChamber of Commerce or printed online at www.haventheatre.org. Shesaid the cost per child is $150, and pays for daily refreshments, acamp T-shirt, souvenir cast photo and a DVD of the play’sperformance. Parents enrolling two children with receive a $25discount on the second child.

“It’s a well-supervised, well-organized, educationalenvironment, and it’s just a lot of fun,” Sproles said of the camp,which teaches basic theatre skills. “Exposing kids to this kind ofenvironment really starts to break down their apprehension aboutbeing in front of a crowd, and the kids get to meet other kids andmake new friends.”

Sproles said more than 50 children are expected to descend onthe Haven for the two-week camp, which begins July 13 and ends July24. The camp will be held Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon fortwo weeks and will conclude with performances of the play “Alice inWonderland” on the nights of July 23 and 24.

With all those children expected for camp, BLT directors areseeking high school students and young adults to serve ascounselors. A pair of counselors will be assigned to each smallgroup of drama campers and will supervise the youngsters throughoutthe camp’s duration.

Sproles said a pair of registration sessions for counselors isscheduled for Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the LincolnCounty Public Library, and registration forms may also be printedat the Web site. She said counselor applicants must be 18 years oldor have the signature of a parent, and applicants must be at leasthigh school age, she said.

“We’re staying with the high school kids because we rely ontheir leadership and mentoring skills,” Sproles said. “Counselorsare assigned to a group of younger campers and they’ll stay withthem for the duration of the camp.”

Counseling at the camp is volunteer work and will count towardclub- or school-mandated public service requirements, she said.

While potential counselors are being processed this week, otherBLT officials will be tracking down the materials and preparing theevents that will make the fifth annual drama camp a learningexperience and not just a two-week playtime.

Camp Producer Emily Henderson is seeking local guest speakers tocorrelate with the camp’s theme, which is derived from the play”Alice in Wonderland” and its British-born author LewisCarroll.

Henderson said she plans to Anglicize the camp with apresentation by an English literature instructor, and is alsoplanning on presentations by a professional photographer to payhomage to Carroll’s stint in photography. Since magic is a majortheme in the play, she’s also looking for a guest magician.

“We always try to make our camps educational about theatre, butwe also try to expand that into a broader sense of cultureeducation,” Henderson said. “It’s all related to the theme of theplay.”

BLT officials will also spend the next four weeks gatheringsupplies needed for the camp. Assistant Director Sarah Lloyd andSave the Haven Committee member Debbie Blalock are seeking arts andcrafts materials to produce campers’ nametags, special invitationsto the play, stage props and other items necessary to entertain andeducate the campers.

“It’s a very big job,” Lloyd said. “There’s planning, and thengoing to search for the materials – it becomes a huge scavengerhunt, trying to find things at a decent price in largenumbers.”

Lloyd and Blalock are shopping for supplies like glue, yarn,markers, paints and plenty of cardboard. Citizens and businessowners who wish to donate or offer a deal on supplies may callBlalock at 601-835-1976.

Finally, BLT officials are always searching for more children toattend the camp.

Camp Director Jana Russell said the camp not only teaches basictheatre skills, but helps mold children’s character and preparethem for life. She said getting on stage and speaking and singingbefore the crowd helps build confidence in children that will payoff when later applying for scholarships or jobs or seekingleadership positions.

Russell pointed out that drama camp is also an activity whereevery child gets to participate.

“Not every kid is an athlete or a musician, but every kid has avoice,” she said. “You get up there and you pretend – this is whatkids do naturally.”

Though more than 50 children are expected to attend this year,there’s always room for more. The Summer Drama Camp is not only oneof BLT’s biggest community outreach programs, it also serves as animportant fundraiser for Save the Haven campaign, which is raisingmoney to restore the historic theater.

Sproles said the camp typically generates about $5,000 for thecampaign. She said the organization has around $20,000 in itsaccount, but cannot go forward with the $1 million renovationproject until grant opportunities are made available. The stategrants the committee relies on were not funded by the Legislaturethis year and aren’t expected for fiscal year 2010.

For more information on the 2009 Summer Drama Camp, interestedpeople may call Sproles at 601-835-2591.