High school students from around the state invested a week at NIU to learn new acting skills.

Theater students and alumni from NIU shared their knowledge with a younger generation at the Summer in the Arts program.

The 95 high school performers rehearsed from Sunday to Thursday night and acted in a performance Friday. Students learned various acting techniques from NIU students and alumni.

“We get a whole semester of acting curriculum in one week,” said camper Genevieve Grebo, of Chicago. “It was truly amazing.”

Campers got to work the moment they arrived on campus. They auditioned for roles their first night and were cast the next morning in one of the six mini-productions.

The performers spent two hours each day in rehearsal, said camp director Melanie Parks, who has served as director for 15 years.

“The rest of the day they spend in classes and workshops,” Parks said.

The classes included stage combat, improvisation and various team-building activities. Each night, the performers could perform in a talent show or improvisation battles.

Parks said that the best part about the camp is the performers and “seeing how the students grow.”

“They’re so passionate about theater,” Parks said.

Their passion was spent in fairy tales, the theme for this year’s camp. The shows included excerpts from “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “The Princess and the Pea” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Joel Moses, who has his master’s in acting, said the performers are the most rewarding part of helping with the camp.

“I enjoy watching the community they form together,” Moses said. “They’re so supportive of each other.”