After a two-year hiatus due to covid concerns, Lynn Canal Community Players is bringing back its Summer Youth Theater Conservatory—a three-week summer program that aims to teach students the fundamentals of theater production, acting, dancing and more.

The theater training begins July 1 and goes through July 24, and will culminate in a full-length theater production on the Chilkat Center stage.

“We have a great staff lined up and a super fun show planned,” said Annette Smith, coordinator for the program. “This year, the kids will put on a show of Vaudeville and Melodrama. So get ready to laugh. These are the roots of American theater – a great learning experience for the students.”

The Players contracted Annette Hillman to direct the theater conservatory. From Tucson, Arizona, Hillman performed and directed in award-winning productions and graduated from Purdue University with an MFA in theater. She’s trained students to write and produce original scripts and also teaches classes on theater history.

Local director and president of the Alaska Arts Confluence Roger Gentry will also assist Hillman. Gentry is currently directing the Players’ production of Agatha Christie’s “A Murder is Announced,” which will be staged on April 22, 23 and 24 at the Chilkat Center.

Haines High School freshman Selby Long said she’s participated in the conservatory since she was five years old until it was canceled two summers ago.

“It was a great experience,” Long said. “I’m not someone who loves sports or hikes, but I love acting. It was something different that was nice to have available. I learned a lot. It was a great experience.”

The conservatory is open to students aged 8-18 with a “playmaking group” for students aged 5-7. Annie Prevost will lead the playmakers. Prevost, a recent transplant from Palmer, has experience teaching dance to young students. Conservatory students will attend Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and playmakers attend from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tuition costs $325 for conservatory students and $225 for playmakers. Pre-registration discounts are available. The deadline to enroll is June 10. Contact Annette Smith at 766-2708 for more information.