A grant from the City of Poughkeepsie will allow the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center to offer six full scholarships to young city residents for its weeklong Performing Arts Day Camp this summer, and Executive Director Jo Ann Feigenheimer is trying to get the word out.
“Kids in the program get to do just about everything,” she said. “They learn skills that take you elsewhere besides the stage.”
The day camp, a collaboration with 4th Wall Productions, is in its fourth year, Feigenheimer said, and takes students from brainstorming to production over a five-day program geared at introducing children ages 8-14 to all aspects of theater arts, from acting to lighting to set construction.
The camp operates three one-week sessions from July 18 to Aug. 5, Feigenheimer said, serving about 75 students from across the region.
This summer, a grant from the city through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) will allow the program to offer six full-tuition scholarships to city residents, provided they apply to Cunneen-Hackett by the end of the month and meet the need-based qualifications set out by federal CDBG guidelines.
Campers get to work in Cunneen-Hackett’s recently renovated Victorian-style theater on Vassar Street, she said, and learn skills ranging from design to public speaking, poise and self-esteem.
“You don’t need to know anything about theater,” she added. “That’s the whole purpose of the program.”
For more information about the program, or to obtain a registration form, call Cunneen-Hackett at 486-4571.