Dressed like space aliens and exploding with cheesy smiles, children lined the front of a room outside the cafeteria for a space shuttle trip Thursday evening, the culmination of a three-week youth theatre camp at Salish Kootenai College.

Parents were welcomed into the room outside the college cafeteria, decorated with each child’s planet, creative writing examples and displays that showcased lessons learned during the Flathead Youth Summer Theatre Intensive Program.

The evening’s shuttle voyage was the program’s end-of-camp Peace Day Celebration and included a pizza dinner and the campers’ big theatre show.

Near the front, a sign read “InterStellar Space Shuttle leaves 15 minutes after the hour,” and camp director Jessie Sherman and two helpers explained the program to parents who waiting eagerly in their seats. After they finished filling out “shuttle tickets”, it was time to fly into the great unknown.

Funded by Montana Arts Council, the free, three-week theatre camp is geared toward building children’s confidence and communication skills.

“This program will pilot a summer theatre camp for children and youth on the Flathead Reservation. We call the camp ‘intensive’ because the participants will learn about and try a lot of different kinds of theatre in a short, three-week time period,” read a program description. “They will develop their artistic and social skills, and will have a space for imaginary exploration and self-expression.”

Children who attend the camp get to work on improvisation, scripted scenes, mime, puppetry, playwriting, and set and costume design.