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Acting Academy for Kids & Teens
Parents & Kids Rave That AA4K is The Best in The OC!
by Victoria Kertz
Summer is right around the corner, and after two pandemic-plagued years, the team at Acting Academy for Kids and Teens is ready to burst into song! If your kids are looking for that quintessential summer camp experience, a place where they can make new friends and sharpen their performing arts skills, then look no further than the Acting Academy for Kids summer camp.
With two locations, and a dedicated and talented staff, AA4K encourages children ages 5 to 14 to sing, dance, and act their hearts out. At camp, students work together over five action-packed days to learn, practice, and perform a dazzling mini-musical for their friends and families by the end of the week.
If it sounds like a fast-paced, fun, and unforgettable experience; you’re right! Most of the camp counselors and activity directors are former campers who are home from college, doing what they love as a summer job. Stephen Zygo, founder and creative director of AA4K, says that seeing alumni return for summer jobs is immensely gratifying. The best part, he says, is seeing the shyest kids sing their first notes, break out of their shells, and shine on stage.
One camper, who was just five years old last year, loved it so much that he stayed with the theatre program all year long. The boy’s father told Stephen that AA4K camp was a life-changing experience. “He’s finally found his happy place,” says Stephen.
Now in its 15th year, AA4K’s summer camp runs for ten weeks in two locations: Irvine and Mission Viejo, at the corner of Alicia and Muirlands in the Vista Paint Plaza. Mission Viejo’s Z Playhouse is AA4K’s flagship venue, with a 115-seat theatre and state-of-the-art facilities like an LED video wall for Broadway-like projections, plus additional rooms for dance and concessions. In Irvine, the Lyceum Village community building provides a convenient location for parents who work or live in the area. Both venues are air-conditioned and family-safe.
Wondering what kind of music is performed? Students of the academic year full-scale musical vote on each theme, so the content is always familiar and kid-approved. This summer’s lineup includes popular movie and Broadway hits, plus two new shows inspired by blockbuster family movies that your kids will definitely know and love.
All levels of performers are welcome! “Summer camp is a great way to ‘test-drive’ theatre,” Stephen says. Kids are trained in singing, acting, dancing, and fusion, which ties all three disciplines together. If your child has performed in the past, this camp is a great way to reinforce their skills, help them grow as an artist, and, of course, make new friends.
Students who are unable to attend summer camp, but still want to immerse themselves in the performing arts, can participate in one of Acting Academy’s several academic year programs. Academic year students attend rehearsals and perform full-length musicals throughout the school year. The AA4K staff also offers private lessons for voice, piano, audition prep and TV/Film.
There are lots of new offerings, too! As more teens are learning about AA4K, they have found a home and a welcoming venue with their new teen-focused production for teens ages 13 to 17. These thespians will learn and perform a show inspired by a major Broadway hit. This summer it’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! And for the jokesters in your family, the Mission Viejo location now hosts stand-up comedy classes for both kids and adults. Comedy has proved so popular that professional comedians have also started performing at the Playhouse.
Whether your child shows interest in the performing arts or is already honing their musical skills, Acting Academy for Kids is a safe and inclusive place to learn, make new friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. Summer camp registration is now open for 2022 at ActingAcademyForKids.com.
Acting Academy for Kids & Teens
949.427.0072
ActingAcademyForKids.com
In 2021, a year that didn’t exactly go as planned, Triton Air beat revenue projections, increased the number of employees, and acquired Ocean Air from the Kopp family in Laguna Niguel. But if you ask Mike Nicolai, founder of Triton Air, he’d say the highlight was his July trip to Malawi, Africa. In a remote part of the country, he and his wife Kim are working to fund a unique all-terrain, 4×4 ambulance used to transport expectant mothers and other women to the hospital. This area suffers from heavy rains, washed out dirt roads, and a high infant mortality rate due to the lack of dependable transportation. As a result, mothers often walk for miles or take an ox cart to the hospital in Livingstonia.
