CEPA

One year ago, Odenville student Maci Johnsey was heading into ninth grade at St. Clair County High School when she realized something – some day, she wanted to be on Broadway.

She had always been a singer, and she loved the stage. But after attending CEPA Summer Drama Camp two years in a row, she learned something else. She wasn’t just a singer.

“In the first two weeks, I learned in Drama Camp how to expand my ability,” Maci said. “I felt like through theater I could be so much better than I was with just a microphone.”

With that in mind heading into her ninth grade year, Maci made a choice. Many of her Drama Camp friends attended Pell City High School and participated in its drama program. If she wanted to keep going, she had to leave her Odenville friends behind.

“Although I didn’t know anyone at Pell City High School really, I was attached to the kids I spent the summer with,” Maci said. “I decided it was worth it, so I requested to change schools.”

So she did, and it seems to have paid off.

As only a freshman in 2015, Maci performed with the PCHS Drama Department at State Competition at Troy University. She was an assistant stage manager for The Addams Family, she ran special effects for Hiram: The Story of a Young Hank Williams and she played three parts in the Department’s spring production, Shrek the Musical.

“Through all of this, I still managed to make it back to my old middle school and help with two productions,” Maci said. “Being 14 I could not drive, but my friends and family made it possible for me to eat and get home when I had theatre until 8 at night.”

Maci said that’s what she really received from Drama Camp in those first two years – unbreakable bonds.

“We are a great big family, and I have surely made many life long friends,” Maci said. “You can be yourself – be as different as you want to be – and everyone is is so warm and accepting.”

In 2016, Maci’s role with CEPA’s Drama Camp will change from student to teacher, as she now has the opportunity to impart some of her wisdom on to students who are in the same position she was just a few years ago. In addition, she gets to work further with PCHS Drama Teacher Ginger McCurry, someone Maci said has an unparalleled level of compassion for both the program and the students who participate.

“Ginger McCurry is a great theatre teacher, and she makes it so easily possible for everyone that has a passion for theatre,” Maci said. “I could not be more proud to be her student. She is our teacher, our friend, our therapist and our mom when we need her to be. She cares about us as much as she cares about her own children.”

This year, the camp will be open to students age 6-18 and will last two weeks, from June 13-24. McCurry, who has performed with a professional theatre company and taught music and theatre in the school, returns in 2016 to lead campers through improvisational games and a hands-on experience with technical aspects of producing a play.

CEPA Summer Drama Camp provides students with an opportunity to take the stage, as they will rehearse their lines in anticipation of the camp’s final performance on June 24 of “How to Eat Like a Child.” McCurry said the production is a collection of hilarious, family-friendly skits that campers will love to perform and that’s sure to entertain the audience.

Download registration information today at

pellcitycenter.com. Cost to participate is $200 for an individual student or $385 for two students. The fee not only includes daily snacks and a camp T-shirt but also access to a wonderful summer experience.

The 2016 CEPA Summer Drama Camp:

Ages 6-10: Daily, June 13-24, from 9 a.m.-noon

Ages 11-18: Daily, June 13-24, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

“How to Eat Like a Child:” Performed Friday night, June 24 at 6 p.m.

Visit pellcitycenter.com for more or to download the 2016 CEPA Drama Camp Application.