After the departure of Mrs. Jillian Bauersfeld from the Theatre Program, a new director was needed. Mrs. Kelly Kamp, a teacher from the social studies department who worked with Mrs. Bauersfeld last year on Les Misérables has taken over as director.
After the departure of Mrs. Jillian Bauersfeld from the Theatre Program, a new director was needed. Mrs. Kelly Kamp, a teacher from the social studies department who worked with Mrs. Bauersfeld last year on Les Misérables has taken over as director.
Are you excited to be running the program now?
I am very excited to begin this journey as director. One benefit of having been with [the program] already is that I had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Bauersfeld before she retired. I have seen the program in action and am excited to continue the legacy of theatrical excellence that The Hall has become known for. It is a huge undertaking, with many production staff members and students from CHC and schools all over Baltimore County involved, but I am ready to begin the fall production and can't wait to get started on our spring musical, Beauty and the Beast.?
What are your plans for the theatre program this year and in the following years?
The program this year is going to put on two major productions: An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe in the fall and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in the spring. Along with these two productions, we will also be continuing the tradition of the Senior Cabaret in the spring featuring both CHC men and ladies from other schools. I have many goals for the program in the next few years. This year, I am increasing opportunities for students to take ownership of the process of putting together a show and the finalized product. To do that, we have introduced multiple training programs for our technical team including lighting design and audio training, set construction training, and we have hired a Technical Director to help students grow more confident in their ability to build sets safely and efficiently. In addition to training opportunities, we have invested in new sound technology to help our students put together more advanced audio for the productions.
Who will you be working with to run the program?
In order to run a program as large as the one at Calvert Hall, we need an entire adult production staff and many student and parent participants. This year, we have Mr. Ryan Haase joining us as the Technical Director, Mr. Brooks Whiteford in lighting and audio training, and Mrs. Deana Fisher-Brill for costume design. For student leaders, we have Nathan Gardner '18 and Chet Brown '18 leading the tech team, and Alex Brune '20 taking care of our social media and marketing. We have many parents who volunteer their time to sell tickets, concessions, put together programs, and much more. It is only through this team effort that our program is as successful as it is and I am thankful for them.?
Which shows are you hoping to do in the years to come?
There are many awesome shows that I would love to bring to the CHC stage in the next few years. Disney's Newsies will be available for schools within the next two years and I believe this would be an excellent show for our community. I believe we could also do stunning renditions of Sweeney Todd, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Into The Woods. I would also like to delve into a little comedic Shakespeare if the right script were to come along.