NextGEN Performing Arts Camp to showcase ‘Chicago’

What happens if a women murders somebody, but instead of being cancelled from society, she is being treated like a celebrity?

NextGEN Performing Arts Camp is exploring this very question in its performance of the musical “Chicago,” which will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Cameron University Theatre, 2702 SW A Ave.

“It’s about the sensationalism of crime,” James Thompson, the co-director, said. “There are several women who kill, but the media turns them into celebrities. And the women start enjoying it.”

NextGEN Performing Arts Camp is a one-week camp designed to teach students about the world of professional arts. On Sunday, the students received the scripts, and rehearsals started Monday morning.

“We’re doing very ambitious projects,” Thompson said. “It helps them to get good at working quickly and learning their lines quickly.”

What a student learned in a three to four-months semester in high school, “we do it in a week,” Jose Batty, strings director, said. He is responsible for the strings side of the camp, which will support the musical production.

“We want to show the kids what a professional musician’s life is like and that they can go into music and make a career,” Batty said, adding the kids would be held to “our standards” in order to get an idea of what it is like.

Most of the students are local, Thompson said, but some come from as far as Arkansas. Having only one week to prepare the musical would also keep tuition down to help keep the camp financially accessible to as many parents as possible.

Visitors can enjoy free admission for Saturday’s performance; however, donations are welcome. Thompson recommends the audience to come in early, with general seating starting 7:15 p.m.