Camps and Classes
Registration
Registration now open.
Limited scholarships are available. Please complete the scholarship application.
Questions?
Jimmy Chrismon
(309) 438-8949
jdchri1@IllinoisState.edu
2026 Youth Camps
Bard Buddies: Elementary
Attention adventurers! Join us on a trek through the magical worlds of William Shakespeare. Discover who William Shakespeare was and meet fairies, ghosts, witches, bears, and more. Students will create and explore the power of storytelling through crafts and activities.
Who: Students entering 3rd through 5th grades
When: July 6-10, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Location: In-Person
Cost: $125 per student
Maximum enrollment: 15 students
Shakespeare’s Apprentices: Middle School
Come and learn why Shakespeare’s plays do not have to be intimidating! Join us in this three-week emersion into all things “The Bard.” This camp allows students to gain more focused experience in a variety of theatre skills such as character work, stage combat, movement and voice while collaborating as a company to produce an one-act version of a Shakespeare play. Family and friends are invited to attend a public performance at the Center for the Performing Arts at Illinois State University during the last week of camp.
Who: Students entering 6th through 8th grades
When: July 13-31, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon
Location: In-Person
Cost: $275 per student
Maximum enrollment: 25 students
Shakespeare’s Players: High School
This theatre intensive allows high school students to work on theatre skills such as Shakespeare’s text, physical character work, stage combat, movement, and voice. Participants will collaborate as a company to produce a one-act versions of a Shakespeare play. Family and friends are invited to attend a public performance at the Center for the Performing Arts at Illinois State University during the last week of camp.
Who: Students entering 9th through 12th grades
When: July 13-31, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon
Location: In-Person
Cost: $275 per student
Maximum enrollment: 25 students
Broadway Basics: Musical Theatre Camp (Middle School)
This musical theatre camp is for middle school students who love musical theatre and want to sing and dance! Students will collaborate as a company to produce an original Broadway musical style revue performing songs from popular musicals. Group numbers, solos, and duets will challenge students to work on pieces to develop musical theatre performance skills. Teachers demonstrate healthy choral singing and fun choreography. Participants perform their cabaret for friends and family at the Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts Theatre on the last day of camp.
Who: Students entering 6th through 8th grades
When: July 13-31, Monday-Friday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Location: In-Person
Cost: $275 per student (or $175 if the student is also enrolled in one of the morning camps. Students will be supervised during the lunch break.)
Maximum enrollment: 25 students
Broadway Dreamers: Musical Theatre Camp (High School)
This musical theatre camp is for high school students who love musical theatre and want to sing and dance! Teachers and guest artists will explore character development, acting the song, musicianship, and choreography. Participants perform a cabaret of musical theatre numbers for friends and family at the Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts Theatre on the last day of camp.
Who: Students entering 9th through 12th grades
When: July 13-31, Monday-Friday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Location: In-Person
Cost: $275 per student (or $175 if the student is also enrolled in one of the morning camps. Students will be supervised during the lunch break.)
Maximum enrollment: 25 students
Instructors
Dr. Jimmy Chrismon
Dr. Jimmy Chrismon is excited to be returning to the summer camps at ISF. He is part of the theatre teacher education faculty at Illinois State University and is very much looking forward to working with you this summer. He has 17 years of experience teaching high school theatre and is an actor and director.
Mia Petillo
Mia Petillo (She/Her) is so excited to start camp this year. Shakespeare has been one of her favorite playwrights since her childhood. She is a senior theatre teacher education major with a stage combat minor at Illinois State University. She also studies technology design and production with a dual focus in stage management and hair and makeup design.
Molly Fritz
Molly Fritz (She/Her) is a senior theatre teacher education and musical theatre double major with a minor in English at Illinois State University. She has been doing community theatre since she was eight years old and cannot wait to have her own classroom and teach drama and English at the middle school level. She hopes to create a community that is inviting and the perfect place for creativity to be shared.
Sophia Joyce
Sophia Joyce (She/Her) is thrilled to be directing Shakespeare's Apprentices: A Midsummer Night's Dream! A senior theatre teacher education and acting double major at Illinois State University, she is active in main stage and student produced theatre. She believes that theatre is a practice of empathy, and the more people can engage with it, the kinder the world may become.
Maddi Fetterman
Maddi Fetterman (She/They) is a senior musical theatre and theatre teacher education double major with a minor in English. She was in her first musical at 7 years old and has been in love with theatre ever since. She hopes to keep performing, teaching, and making social media content post-graduation and bring her art and passion for actors' confidence and mental health with her throughout her career for years to come.