A new location and summer on the way have combined to take the Beaufort County Arts Council’s annual summer camp in an entirely different direction.

Instead of one week of Art Camp, five weeks of youth camps focusing on the performing arts will be offered and it’s all about parents and children having options, said BCAC Executive Director Joey Toler.

“For those who want traditional art experiences, like painting and drawing, we are lucky that those opportunities are available this summer in our community, and we will help parents seek them out,” Toler said. “However, BCAC is now able to offer new programs that are unique and focused, programs that we haven’t been able to offer in the past.”

“Let’s Make a Movie” camp, Children’s Theater Camp and Broadway Kids Camp will give local children an opportunity to shine on film and stage, Toler said.

Steve Myott, a longtime actor and theater professor, will lead the first two weeks of camps in June. June 9 to June 13, “Let’s Make A Movie” Camp will be broken into two age groups: camp for children ages 6 to 8 years old meet in the mornings, while 9- to 12-year-olds will meet in the afternoons.

Myott is no stranger to teaching children how to make and act in their own films. He said the most important part of the process is discovering the children’s interests.

“The first day is the along the lines of getting to know the kids and interacting with them and coming up with ideas and characters and a storyline,” Myott explained. “If someone wants to be Spiderman, then by God, we’ll figure out a way to fit Spiderman in the story.”

From there, a first scene will be filmed, then another, each building on the last. The final editing on the last day of camp will pull together the children’s work for the week.

“It’s my job to have it make some sense and make something that everybody will enjoy watching,” Myott laughed.

A “premiere” of the film will be held at the Turnage Theater at 7 p.m. June 13.  DVD copies of the film will be given to each participant, Toler said.

Myott said he also uses a similar format with the Children’s Theater Camp that will be held from June 16 to June 20 — this time with a staged original play to be performed for family and friends at 7 p.m. on June 20. Myott said there won’t be auditions per se because he’s more interested in kids performing within their comfort zone.

“What I try to do, is try to deal with everyone at their level — their comfort level and some children don’t want to quite so involved on stage. And that’s okay,” Myott said.

“I’ve done quite a few of these over the years, both with film and theater. I care that the kids have a positive experience. I think that’s the biggest key.”

Come July 14, BCAC’s first Broadway Kids Camp will take the stage. Directed by Inner Banks Music Academy owner Neva Cashion, rising fourth through ninth graders will get hands-on experience with mounting a musical theater production — from auditions and rehearsals to costuming and make up, Toler said. The three-week camp culminates in two ticketed performances of Disney’s “101 Dalmations Kids” on Aug. 2, which will be open to the public.

“We are very excited to be offering these programs, and ideally, this will be the beginning on a year-round children’s theater group that will call the Turnage home,” said Toler. “We want this stage to be used by the community as much as possible.”

To register for camp, visit the BCAC website at www.beaufortcountyartscouncil.org, or visit BCAC at the Turnage at 150 West Main Street in downtown Washington.  Additional questions may be answered by calling 252-946-2504.