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Camps in your neighbourhood and online too ! Founded in 1994. Our experienced, caring staff will introduce your kids to stage performance & guide them toward self-expression. Plays, monologues, mime, improvisation, theatre games, musical theatre, stagecraft. Weekly performances! Fun for all -- a great confidence-and-skill-building experience! One-week sessions, 30 locations
GBTC has over 30 years experience providing drama programs for kids. We focus on acting and drama as a way to develop, not only creativity, but also social and personal skills. We aim to create an environment that is supportive and non-competitive, in which every child has a rewarding and enriching experience. Creating theatre is a cooperative enterprise, to which everyone can contribute, and through which everyone can grow. Our end-of-week performances are different each week, and provide the opportunity to share the camp experience with family and friends !
Choose the right programs and sessions for your child; Great Big Theatre Company currently has 10 programs available; 1 TBD.
Filter activities :
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 6 - 8
Theatre Arts
$185 to $225
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 9 - 14
Theatre Arts
$280 to $340
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 6 - 8
Theatre Arts
$185 to $225
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 9 - 14
Theatre Arts
$280 to $340
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 6 - 8
Theatre Arts
$185 to $225
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 9 - 14
Theatre Arts
$280 to $340
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 9 - 14
Theatre Arts
$280 to $340
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Class/league/program
Coed Ages: 6 - 8
Theatre Arts
$185 to $225
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Day Camp
Coed Ages: 6 - 14
Theatre Arts
$315 to $395
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Day Camp
Coed Ages: 6 - 14
Theatre Arts
$236 to $360
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
Day Camp
Coed Ages: 6 - 14
Theatre Arts
$195 to $260
Choose location above to view sessions and fees. |
The best way to register is online on our Web site, at www.gbtc.com, where you can find detailed information on schedules and locations. Registraton is easy and secure through our online process; you can pay with Visa or Mastercard and will receive your receipt immediately. We are always available to answer any questions; the easiest and quickest way to reach us is via our toll-free number, at 1 866 864 4282 (or at 905 628 9747). Summer registraton opens in November of the preceding year; early registration discounts are available until the end of March, and our largest discounts are in effect until Dec 31. There are also multiple-week discounts of 50 % for third and additional weeks, for the same camper.
Payment Options:
Deposit required with acceptance | Yes |
Credit card payment | Yes |
Maximum installments available | 1 |
Discounts
Discount if paid early | $60 |
Scholarships & awards:
Total annual scholarship fund: $6,000 CAD
Low-Income
Amount: $125 | Deadline: August 19, 2023 annually |
The GBTC was founded by Lily Small and her husband Charles Small in Dundas in 1994. Then as now it was a non-profit organization based in a passion for the arts and in the knowledge of how, through both passive and active engagement, can transform the lives of young people. The program grew, to say the least, based in the quality of the programs and supported by a growing community of participants. There are now locations throughout the GTA, with a participation rate in the thousands. Each session is close-knit, bringing kids together around a clear set of challenges—improv, theatre games, stagecraft, and performance—and the joys of meeting them. While each session is a week in length, the experience can be significant, sparking fast friendships in a deceptively short period of time.
Three Things: Great Big Theatre Company
Hear the three things that Our Kids’ editors see when they look at Great Big Theatre Company
Transcript of our interview with Javier, Father
He was the one asking me to register him there. The reason I registered him is because I received a flier for the Great Big Theatre Company (GBTC), and then I read that by participating in these camps, kids will develop more skills like self-confidence, teamwork, leadership, and so many other things that I was interested in. I thought that would be great. So I registered him for the first time. And after the first time, he was so happy. He was really motivated and interested.
The unique thing for me was the customer service and the personal relationships that you develop with the people at GBTC. Charles and Lily made a difference. There are people that you can talk with face-to-face. And they are concerned; they are not just two people running a business.
And also because my son, David, was happy. He was the one asking me to register him there. I used to work for another camp and I could have registered him for free or for a low cost. But David said, “No, I want to go to the acting company.” And they helped him with his creativity. He's improved his public speaking as well. He then joined Toastmaster's and he was doing great.
Well, the difference is that the camp I worked at was not as personalized. The counsellors at the GPTC are more connected with the kids. And also because it has smaller groups, they are more connected and it has more structure and allows kids to work on their creativity.
The other camps were outdoors most of the time, so it was kind of tiring. Whereas GBTC always had places where the kids go outside, but they have an indoor area of the camp where kids find shade in more comfortable conditions.
The counsellors at GBTC are great. I think that Charles and Lily do a great job screening and hiring and interviewing good people. Because you need to have good people who believe that when you do something, you have to do it with passion. The people that work there are very passionate, which makes a big difference.
For me, the number one thing is not your knowledge, your degrees, or your titles—it's your self-confidence. And that was the main reason I registered David in this program. And everybody could notice his improved confidence, at school and elsewhere.
He joined the Toastmaster's program. This is a club where people develop public speaking skills. So he did really great, and everyone was impressed.
And that's because of David’s experience at GBTC. Because there, the kids have to speak and be creative. Not only that, David developed his teamwork skills and creativity with language— he had to write some stories at camp and he was able to write the Superhero Boy.
Parents need to be involved. It's not about just registering your kid in a camp because they don't want to have the kid at home. So being involved means being aware of what your kid is doing. Like every time he or she goes to GBTC, they’re participating in presentations that they have— usually at the end of every week they have a performance. So you have to be there.
Imagine your child working hard preparing for a play to perform by the end of the week on Friday and you’re not there. So it’s extremely important you come to watch.
Also, in the past and even now, they have to prepare some kind of costumes. So engaging, participating, being as excited as your child, who might say “Hey dad, today I'm going to perform this character and I need these things.” So you need to help them get the stuff.
You also want to listen to the excitement and motivation of your child. You want to be involved: knowing what your child is doing and supporting him in those things, helping them prepare and participate, and going to see them perform. Those are some of the important things you can do [to support your child].
In the last two summer camp seasons that he participated in, way before the summer arrived, he was telling me to make sure that you register me for the summer camp. Summer camps start in July, and I have registered David for the last two summer camps in December of the previous year, so you see how motivated he was. He would also say he loves GBTC. He was so excited!
Regardless of the conditions at home, GBTC is something that can reinforce skills needed for kids to develop stronger emotionally. Because in a human being, it's all about your body, your mind, and your emotion. So this will definitely help improve the social and creative part of the children, like interacting, creating your own ideas, and feeling free.
Also, if you want to do something for your child, and if you are experiencing a difficult situation, this can definitely help. And even if you don’t have difficulties, this will also help kids reinforce those skills that are going to be needed at the school.
It will help kids with their interpersonal skills. There was a recent study done by Harvard University, and it's one of the longest studies in the world, like years, decades, where they ask people, like, what will make you happy at the end of the day, at the end of your life? And it turned out to be all about interaction and relationships with people. And GBTC is a great way to start making the foundation for those future relationships in life.
It's our 27th year ! We look forward to welcoming back campers to our in-person camp programs all across Toronto, the GTA and southwest Ontario. Our goal is to build skills and confidence, create special camp memories, and ensure that each of our campers has an inspiring and enriching camp week. We will also be continuing our popular and well-received online virtual camps ... we promise an involving and engaging camp experience, and kids can join into it from anywhere !
See you in the summer !
We take great pride in our enthusiastic, professional and inspirational camp counsellors. Our staff is almost entirely college or university level, or recent graduates; we look for backgrounds in arts, drama and education and experience working with children, as well as qualities of leadership and organization. All are reference-checked and police-checked, and have also been trained to work with our agenda, materials and resources.
Is Great Big Theatre Company technology free? Yes. Campers are not permitted to use cell phones, Ipads, Iphones, Ipods and similar electronics at the camp. The use of these devices is a distraction, it inhibits interaction with staff and other campers, and it is damaging to the camp environment as a whole. We strongly suggest that electronics be left at home. There is always a camp cell phone that can be used in the event of an emergency. Parents can also be put in contact with any of the camp locations, where needed, by calling our toll-free number. If electronic devices are brought to the camp, staff will ask that they be left at the camp table at the entrance; they will be returned at the end of the day.
Offers children's birthday party packages: Yes
Acting and Drama Parties featuring theatre games, role-playing, storytelling, costumes and improvisation. Call us for information, at 1 866 864 4282
December 2, 2024
Here's where you can find answers to all your drama camp questions!
Great Big Theatre Company has a new Q & A page to provide answers to more than 50 of the questions most commonly asked by parents.... Read More
March 21, 2024
Great Big Theatre Company: discounts on summer camps until March 31
Great Big Theatre Company: discount on summer camps until March 31; GBTC offers camps all across Toronto, the GTA and southwest Ontario... Read More
February 1, 2024
Great Big Theatre Company Winter-Spring classses starting soon!
GBTC's Winter-Spring classes begin very soon; there's still time to register for all of our locations. Register online at www.gbtc.com... Read More
Thank you for using Camps.ca —An Our Kids platform.
Trusted by Families since 1998.
Thank you for your interest in Great Big Theatre Company. They will be in touch with you shortly.
Thank you for using Camps.ca —An Our Kids platform.
Trusted by Families since 1998.
Thank you for your interest in Great Big Theatre Company. They will send you information about this session:
Thank you for using Camps.ca —An Our Kids platform.
Trusted by Families since 1998.
Questions about Great Big Theatre Company?