Northwestern's Drama Ministries Ensemble to offer kids' theatre club

Elementary school kids are invited to participate in an after-school theatre club offered by Northwestern College four consecutive Wednesday afternoons starting on March 26.

Students in Northwestern’s Drama Ministries Ensemble (DME) will host the hourlong camp starting at 3:30 p.m. March 26 and April 2, 9 and 16 in the DeWitt Theatre Arts Center. Kids in first through fifth grades will play theatre games and act out Bible stories. After-school snacks will be provided.

The camp is free and limited to 40 children. Pre-registration is required using the online form available at nwciowa.edu/theatre-club.

According to Molly Wiebe Faber, an assistant professor of theatre at Northwestern, the DME students are leading the camp as a way to serve the community. “Several of our students are interested in children’s ministry,” she says of her 10-member ensemble, “and all of us are interested in seeing the next generation feel passionate about God’s word.”

In addition to staging Bible stories, campers will participate in theatre games—exercises that actors do to warm up their bodies, voices and imaginations before a performance.

“In theatre, you learn how to work together with people and how to be generous and collaborative,” Wiebe Faber says. “Theatre also teaches empathy. Those are skills and traits that are great to learn at any age.”