Hidden Valley Alive

HVC's dynamic Summer Arts Colony

HV Alive pushed me to break out of my shell and evolve as an artist and a person.
- HV Alive Camper

Hidden Valley Alive is our camp’s advanced teen arts summer program for Creative and Performing Arts. The program cultivates emerging artists’ creative potential and provides opportunities to explore a variety of visual and performing arts at any level with our staff of professional artists. Read on to have your questions answered...

music performance

Who is the program for?

Budding 14-16 year old singers, writers, musicians, dancers, painters, crafts people and performers of all stripes who have identified themselves as artists and want to develop their artistic interests and skills.

painting dancers smurfs

Who directs the program?

Hidden Valley Directors Peter and Meg Kassen work with the leading artists on the camp staff to create a program that offers variety, spontaneity, and exposure to many forms of artistic expression.

campers

What are the projects and daily schedule?

Students work on two main projects, a gallery for their visual artwork and an original music, dance and theater production. The schedule includes many days filled with a variety of arts activities and other days with intensive performance or visual arts workshops. Trips to significant Maine art venues round out the experience.

alive dancing

Where do the students live?

Students live in their own 1800s restored, eight-room cottage together with the group’s professional counseling staff. The cottage is situated on the camp’s 300 acres of woods, fields and a private lake. The group makes use of Hidden Valley’s 5 art, music and dance studios and large performance spaces.

alive dancing

What is a typical day like?

In the morning, students engage advanced arts activities. Afternoons find campers focussed on the group's concluding performance. This includes set design, writing, rehearsal, music practice, etc. Evenings may include a live performance outside of camp, a classic film presentation and discussion, talent shows, craft projects, or a final performance rehearsal.

alive performance

Program Choices

  • Theater: acting, improv, play-writing, musical theater, experimental theater, comedy.
    Art: drawing and painting, sculpture, stained glass, environmental art, pottery, hot glass beads, etc.
  • Dance: jazz, modern, ballet, cultural dance, choreography, and contact improv.
  • Music: singing, song-writing, guitar, rock band.
  • Communication Arts: writing, poetry, photography, video, computer art.

alive dancer

Possible Trips

  • Portland Shakespeare Company
  • Wyeth Gallery
  • Bates Dance Festival
  • Monmouth Theater Company
  • Maine Arts Festival
  • Rockport Chamber Music Concerts
  • Portland Museum of Art
  • Colby College Art Museum
  • Rock or Folk Concerts
  • Monhegan Island Artist Colony

Activities from Past Summers

  • Talent Show
  • Tinfoil structures
  • Art 21 video and discussion
  • "ism" projects (Dada, Surrealism, Futurism, Cubism)
  • T-shirt design, screen printing
  • Small gouache painting- grid
  • Portrait painting
  • Creative Writing "challenge"
  • Andy Goldsworthy-inspired nature art
  • Night photography- long exposure
  • Camp banner
  • Mosaic installation for camp
  • Cobb sculpture
  • Musical jam sessions
  • Grid project for Fair Day
  • Musical instrument making
  • Blue man group
  • Collages
  • Junk sculpture adventures!
  • Photograms
  • Book of original poems
  • The Alive Show

alive singerteen drawing

What People Say

We found Hidden Valley Alive to be a very supportive program which offered many opportunities for exploration of the arts. My daughter enjoyed the field trips to see various concerts and dance performances, as well as the arts activities at the camp. There was something for everyone's tastes!
- HV Alive Parent

It's a really great experience in a creative environment. I got to meet people and do things and accomplish more than I ever thought I could in a teen program.
- HV Alive Camper

Alive was so great for me, because it gave me a chance to find out what I could really do when given the opportunity. I got to be in the place where I love to be, and express myself through the arts every day.
- HV Alive Camper

Alive Produced Videos