Rising stars embrace creativity at Summer Arts Clinic

An aspiring actor at Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois, junior Alexander Powell is used to displaying confidence on the stage. But when it came time to attend the Summer Arts Clinic (SAC) at UW–Madison this summer, he had a few butterflies.

“I had a pretty high amount of general angst about being in an unfamiliar location so early in the morning with people I didn’t know and for all I knew had done these things their whole lives,” Alexander recalled. “As I walked into my first class at the camp, I was getting myself worked up and nervous about performing for and with people that could have been a lot better than me, especially without a script.”

However, upon meeting his SAC peers, all his “walls came down immediately,” as Alexander realized everyone was there for the same reason. When he met his instructor, he knew the summer would be a blast.

“Lisa popped out from behind her desk and introduced herself like a super happy game show host, and my worries just melted away,” Alexander said of his instructor. “She had such a lighthearted, bubbly, Bob Ross-type attitude to improv that made me feel so comfortable that I didn’t even mind waking up at 5:30 every day.”

Launched by Badger Precollege in summer 2024, Summer Arts Clinic offers dance, theater, visual art, fashion design and textiles courses for students in grades 9-12. The daily commuter program lasts one week in the summer; registration for the summer 2025 session will open on January 13.

Alexander loved his time at the Summer Arts Clinic and has many stories to share, just like the anecdote about his first class. For high schoolers who want to pursue their passion for the arts, this new program offers insights into a world of creative possibilities.

Setting the stage for theater study

In his SAC classes, Alexander learned rules and games centering on comedic improv, how set design affects the storyline of a theatrical work and how to play a character through monologues and scenes convincingly. He hopes to use these experiences to study and participate in theater during college, as well as to operate technical aspects of shows and direct his own works.

Alexander said that SAC has given him more perspective on the creativity and freedom involved in a production.

“From improvising the entire thing to discovering the smallest nuances that contribute to a character, every choice made in a show is made by somebody with total creative freedom. I really learned the extent to which the phrase is true that no two shows are the same, no matter who does them,” Alexander said.

“[SAC] was such a supportive environment, and everyone was so incredibly talented,” he said of the experience. “I still laugh throughout the day at some of those funny moments reading scenes or playing some silly game like ‘I am a badger’ in improv.”

Collaborating on costumes

Rosemary Walsh is a junior at Madison West High School in Madison, WI, and is interested in studying costume design, food science, linguistics and/or political organizing after high school.

“I have had a connection to theater performance and costume design since [my] early childhood,” said Rosemary, who participated in various SAC courses in acting and human ecology.

Like Alexander, Rosemary learned many new improv exercises and methods critical for a production. In Fundamentals of Theatrical Design, they learned important elements of technical theater, like lighting and costumes. In their human ecology classes, Rosemary learned about upcycling garments (and ultimately performed in the class fashion show) and material objects in museums and university collections.

Rosemary appreciated that peers collaborated on projects within SAC, specifically the Streetwear and Style course.

“We had different schedules, so I was in the class for longer than my partner was, so I was surprised at how well our ideas worked together and how the work we did. Even though they weren’t there for most of the work I was doing and didn’t have much time to do their own work, we built off of each other,” they said.

Rosemary was very grateful that their partner was accommodating and was inspired by their partner’s details, which were added to the project and “combined with the concept to make [the group’s] project look successful.”

Though SAC was sometimes challenging, Rosemary said, it was ultimately rewarding. “Creative processes can take a lot of time for me, so a fast-paced week was a challenge, but the result made me see that my ideas are worthy of committing to.”

Expanding creative horizons

Rosemary feels more immersed in the world of arts and fashion after taking SAC courses.

“I would recommend Summer Arts Clinic. It has made me see the world with more of an insider’s lens. I pay attention to the lighting when I’m at a show, and I can relate a little more to bizarre designer-fashion looks,” they note.

As a student, Rosemary gained a better understanding of the arts programs that UW–Madison offers, especially the design and improv opportunities, which they hope to see more of in high school. Because groups were smaller, instructors could give students more attention than in a traditional course and also supported students’ ideas outside the classroom.

Alexander also recommends SAC to others, saying the program gave him a “new outlook on theater as a whole” and got him out of his comfort zone.

“Any teen interested in performing onstage or behind the curtain or under a headset or in a sound booth or on a spotlight would love this opportunity for the sole reason that it broadens the horizons of what’s possible for them and opens their mind to a topic that they’re already seriously interested in,” he said.

“There’s just no possible way that you couldn’t learn something.”

Top photo: Students Alexander Powell (left) and Rosemary Walsh (center) review improv skills with their instructor, Lisa Barker, at Summer Arts Clinic in 2024.

All photos: Keegan Gering.

Learn more about Summer Arts Clinic at Badger Precollege, including program dates, registration information and more. If you have questions about Summer Arts Clinic, please contact Carrie Backman.