Acting Up At Summer Camp: Teen Finds a Passion After Attending LCT Program

By Melissa Evans

My older sister has always known what she wants to be when she grows up – a veterinarian and is now in college studying to be one.

I’m the opposite of her. I’ve NEVER known what I wanted to be.

I’ve always had lots of interests, but not one that I want to devote my whole life to. At least not yet.

Since I was about 4, my mom has signed me up for a couple or even four or five weeks of camp each summer.
That’s what I find cool about summer camps. I’ve tried gymnastics camps, outdoor camps, Girl Scout overnight camps, pottery camps, horseback riding camps and theatre camps.

They give you an opportunity to explore things that you find interesting and might actually love to do.

I’ve done camps at Lexington Children’s Theatre every summer since I was very small.

The very first play I did was “Hansel and Gretel.” All the girls in the class played Gretel and all the boys played Hansel.

Last summer I signed up for a spring break camp and three weeks of summer camp there.

I got to play Wendy in “Peter Pan,” Miranda in “The Tempest” and even a character in one of my favorite books, “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.”

It was then that I realized how much I really love acting.

This past fall I decided to take my acting one step further and I auditioned for a part in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” at LCT.

Amazingly, I got a part!

It was so different, performing in a real production at the Lexington Opera House.

I never would have done that if it wasn’t for all the camps I took.When the crowd cheers at the end, it’s incredible.

I also joined LCT’s troupe of high school actors called Company B, and this month I began a class on stage combat.

I’ll also be working on the crew of “100 Dresses” as Lead Dresser.

Before this, I never really thought about doing anything involving theatre as a career, but now I would love to become a producer, director, actress or really anything involving theatre.

And it all started with a week of camp!

Camp boosted my confidence and made me see a path for my life I hadn’t even considered before.

Melissa Evans, 14, is a freshman at Dunbar High School.