Watch out, Jackie Chan and Britney Spears—a new batch of fresh talent may be heading to Hollywood, thanks to a local program that encourages youth to tap into their creativity and teaches children the art of being expressive, among other things.

The performing arts camp, offered to children ages 7­14 through the Los Gatos­Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation, completed its 14th year with a hit and many laughs from proud and impressed audience members, mostly parents and relatives. Spectators watched their starlets boogie, act and sing during the final performance held on Aug. 8 in the Los Gatos High School auditorium.

"The show went very smoothly," says Mary Dotter, coordinator of the program. "The kids were very energetic. They really put their heart and soul in the performance. A lot of the parents actually walked up to other performers to personally congratulate them on a job well done. That really means a lot to the kids."

Ask audience members what they thought, and many would agree that it was a show worth watching.

"It was funny and very creative," says Terri Dahlbeck, who watched her son, Casey, perform. "The sets were also unbelievable."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Erin Bechly works studiously behind the scenes as she paints one of the backdrops for the set.

This 15-minute act was a story within a story. Los Gatos resident Kate Epstein, who is entering the sixth grade at Raymond J. Fisher Middle School, played a grandmother who grew angrier by the minute while reading a bedtime story about an unrelenting fox and his adventuresome hunt for food to her precocious granddaughter. The story came to life before the audience.

The second performance rocked the auditorium with a medley of music from the 1960s and '80s. Led by instructors Joanne Amato and Tim Nielson, a group of 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds turned 70-year-olds duked it out with trendy girls dressed in tights, oversized shirts and ponytails during a dance competition and a battle between the generations at a diner.

From generational melees to gender skirmishes, the final act—coordinated by Dotter—involved a group of girls and boys fighting over a magic treasure chest while at a performing arts camp, much like the actual one.

Unlike most typical school plays and musical performances that follow a script, students in the performing arts camp were allowed to brainstorm their own storyline and to create idiosyncrasies and personalities in their characters with the help of their instructors and through several improvisational exercises. According to Dotter, that is the purpose of the camp.

"Everyone is an artist," says Dotter. "It's important that the students are involved in the creative process. It allows them to experiment and discover talents that they may not have realized before."

Boston added that it is crucial for children to be able to see a project go from inception to fruition.

"The students not only gain a greater appreciation for the arts, but also an understanding of what it takes to put on a production," Boston says. "In doing so, they learn a lot about teamwork and responsibilities."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Lauren Lovetro and Jessica Hauck act like grown-ups for the show as they put makeup on their faces.

"Learning how to concentrate is one of the basic skills a performer needs," says Boston. "These games not only teach students how to focus, but also allow them to develop pantomiming and improvisational skills."

For instance, in a game called Mr. Donut, students are supposed to keep a straight face while being distracted by others making funny faces or jokes. Whoever even smirks is out of the game. In What Are You Doing, students act out verbs like taking a shower—similar to charades but with talking allowed. The rule of this game is to think of a new action quickly, off the top of their heads.

Ten-year-old Saratoga trouper Sarah Carter, a soon-to-be sixth grader at Redwood Middle School, played a camper nicknamed Princess in the third act. She says her favorite game was Mr. Donut because it taught her how to control her laughter on stage.

"It was extremely difficult for me to play the game, because I love to laugh," she says. "But I developed a strategy where I would stare at a object on the wall or repeat words in my head so I wouldn't get distracted. This really helped me during the actual performance. Usually I get really nervous, but I felt calm and comfortable onstage."

This is an important skill for the aspiring actress, whose three main hobbies are singing, acting and dancing. Carter says she would someday like to star in a comedy show.

"I've learned a lot from the camp," says Carter. "Every day is a new learning experience. Overall, the camp has taught me how to focus on whatever it is I am doing onstage. I also learned how to relax onstage and not be so concerned about what other people think."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Performers (from left) Allison Thielmann, Audrey Barber, Rachel Beshoff and Lauren Lovetro do a final run-through before the show.

Dahlbeck, whose idols include Bruce Lee, Jim Carrey and Jackie Chan, says he would like to be the next karate kid.

During the show, Dahlbeck awed the audience with his spins and gymnastic moves in his role as a cocky bully who steals a teddy bear from an innocent girl and refuses to give it back.

"I liked my role, although it is opposite of who I am," he says. "It's fun to play different people. It's also good to play different roles as a kid because it helps me to become a better actor in the future."

Audiences wouldn't have noticed, but Dahlbeck says he was a bit nervous before the show, as he always is when he has to perform in front of large groups. But he says he uses this to his advantage.

"Being nervous is good because it makes me work harder," he says. "It gives me an adrenaline rush."

Like Dahlbeck, fellow star Conner Hauck says he also enjoyed playing different characters, because it would help him in his career as a director. He's performed in other plays in the past, such as Guys and Dolls and Into the Woods. This time, he played Mr. Imaginery in the third act.

"Knowing what it is like to be onstage as an actor will help me in my directing skills," says the soon-to-be fifth grader at Alta Vista Elementary School in Los Gatos. "Playing different roles would help me in creating good characters."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Performing arts camp teacher Joanne Amato gives full hugs to students Allison Komar, Rosemary Philpott, Lauren Lovetro and Audrey Barber before their act and wishes them good luck.

"This camp gives students the opportunity to exercise some of life's important skills," says Dotter. "It teaches kids how to speak up and be heard. But, most of all, it teaches them not to quit during stressful times—it got pretty stressful at times in the production process, but the kids learned how to work things out."

Parent Karen Rajczi, who watched her daughter, Marissa, perform as a girl in a box, says she's glad her daughter participated in the camp.

"The camp helps children build self-confidence," says Rajczi. "This is important when they have to present themselves in the public's eye."

Marissa, who will be entering the second grade at Lexington School, says she was a bit hesitant about playing a box because she wasn't sure what type of voice to use.

"I wanted a part with a lot of lines," she says. "But playing the box was actually pretty cool. I had a lot of fun playing my character."

Paula Tabinski, who will be entering secondary school in London, says the camp has prepared her for her involvement in future plays. Tabinski, who has familial ties in Los Gatos, is the third and last of her siblings to participate in the program. She played a teen counselor in the third act.

"The camp has helped me overcome my fears of messing up onstage," she says. "I feel more confident. It's all about knowing how to have fun onstage."