孩子假期选择:百老汇冬令营

中英百老汇冬令营如火如荼地在京开展了招募工作，本次冬令营针对非英语母语的学生进行, 将使用戏剧来教学英语，包括表演、舞蹈、唱歌，演出的戏剧为《金银岛》。2月19日剧目即将上映，这些参加冬令营的孩子们在为期十多天的培训中，不仅学到了一些表演技巧，增强了对英语的学习兴趣，更重要的是如何与他人相处。

Chinese and expat kids at Beijing Playhouse are getting a chance to be in a theater production of Treasure Island done in only seventy seven camp hours. Thirteen teachers will give twenty-five students valuable instruction in acting and musical presentation that will also help them in other areas of their lives.

Beijing Playhouse's main purpose is putting on Broadway plays for the public. However, acting has always been a passion for Beijing Playhouse founder and Executive Director Chris Verrill, who has worked his whole life in TV and Radio.

When he arrived from San Francisco, Beijing was missing a world of theater.

The show was not only extremely well-received, but it gave him an idea.

Verrill points out that most people fear public speaking. But, if kids can tackle that fear at a young age, it can help them be more self-assured. Even though these eight to fourteen year olds aren't like to pursue a life in theater, knowing how to confidently present themselves is good for those who are not so outgoing.

That was the case for French-born nine-year-old Mingwei who lives here in Beijing.

One interesting trend is that when they first started the camps, the majority of kids were expats who wanted to learn acting skills. Over the years, this started to change.

Being able to use English is crucial for the students who don't get to practice much in class. It's even helpful for kids who go to bilingual schools, like well-spoken eleven-year-old Ashley Cheng from Beijing.

But as a whole, the kids are learning a newer form of acting human communication. Andrew Delo from New York is a lecturer in dance and music at Peking University.

This holiday he is teaching music at the camp.

As a cast and team, learning to help each other onstage is also part of the process. As English is not most of these kids' first language, learning to cue each other using body motion as they deliver a line helps others to keep their place.

These kids get a chance to take part in a final performance of Treasure Island that reflects all the hard work they have put into an intense eleven days. But in the eyes of most kids, learning how to act like a pirate sure beats sitting in a classroom or hanging out on the couch all day.