Originally published on Seacoast Online. Excerpts of the full article are included below.
Upside Arts offers live summer camp
Upside Arts planned on holding summer camp this season, whether live, online or a mix of the two. Live won.
After a rigorous search, Upside secured The Players' Ring as its location. It plans three, two-week camps, the first one already in session.
"We didn't plan a large-sized camp ... because of the circumstance. But (still) it was a little bit difficult finding a place," co-founding Director Seraphina Caligiure says "So, the Players' Ring allowing us the space is just wonderful. We had to get board approval and city approval so we can use the outside Prescott Park area - which is great."
Each camp will allow up to 10 participants, currently most stand at eight, she says. There are two counselors, and two assistants, plus the occasional adult teaching a workshop "all social distancing." As expected, Upside is complying with all the state and CDC safety guidelines.
"I think for us keeping everything clean is the main goal," Caligiure says. "The most taxing thing is just making sure we are constantly sanitizing. If we didn't limit our number to a small camp size, it would be nearly impossible to make sure everything was cleaned all throughout the day. ... (And) it's a constant stream of reminders from us to stay distanced or wear their masks."
Upside is known for musical elements, overseen by Miles Burns, and is keeping that tradition alive - with special care. A plastic shield has been installed at the site for soloists to practice behind.
"We are doing a production, but we're going to be filming it more along the lines of a movie," Caligiure says. "This lets us keep kids separated so they're not singing and speaking into each others’ faces."
In other news, "our overnight camp is definitely happening!" she says. "It's Aug.18 through 29, in Poland, Maine. It's our second year back, and we're anticipating a great time, in a quarantine bubble, while up there."
Check the company's website for info, including the safety procedures at https://theupsideartscompany.org.