Over the course of its 26-year run, the Children’s Summer Theatre Workshop has become something of a family.
Creative director John Higginbotham and his sister took part in the program as children. Now, his children Easton and Eliana are learning all about acting and improv; youngest Emersyn won’t be old enough until next year. His niece also takes part. 
The same for the Olson boys, Jim and Mat, whose mother, Paige Olson, and aunt, Madison Luken, took part as children before helping teach classes in high school.
“It’s kind of fun to start to see that happen,” Higginbotham said. “But now I feel old.”
CSTW offers a chance for children from third grade through high school to learn all about the theater. They play games that teach them how to think and react quickly, using their voices and bodies in new and creative ways. They learn not only how to control themselves on stage but also how to be a respectful and supportive audience members for others.
But the most important thing CSTW teaches, Higginbotham said, is confidence.
“I hope they take the confidence they learn here into school, into their daily lives,” he said. “I see them come in as third-graders and grow into leaders. And I hope they find someone they can look up to and make new friends.”
This year’s CSTW session began last week at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center with students learning the basics. They came up with a number of suggestions which staff used to write a short play over the weekend. On Monday, students auditioned for roles in the play and will spend the rest of the week learning their lines and practicing.
At 9 o’clock Saturday morning, the students will show off the skills they learned and present the play on stage in front of family and friends. There is no charge to attend the show.
Regina Christiensen and Higginbotham are co-directors.
This year also features a special improv session for high school students. Hailie Luken with the Iola Community Theatre will teach the class.
During Monday’s session for students in third through fifth grade, Higginbotham directed them to play the game “What are you doing?” Students take turns pretending to do an activity, and others guess.
“This is where you learn to read people,” Higginbotham told them.
That game was followed by “What’s in the box?” Students pretended to pick something out of a box and others had to guess what it was.
Those two games are returning favorites. Higginbotham said he always tries to introduce new games and activities, but students always ask for the classics. 
During “What’s in the box?” Finley Nelson pretended to hammer something together, which students easily guessed. But they were stumped when she mimed serving drinks and food.
