A rich program of summer arts workshops is available for kids this summer at the North Fork Arts Center in Greenport: writing, introduction to improv, puppet camp, acting auditions, musical theater, filmmaking, and comic book illustrations.
The workshops run in July and August for one or two-week sessions for kids in different age groups, from ages 7-12 for the puppet camp, ages 12-16 for improv, and ages 16 and up for the acting audition workshop. Scholarships are available to local students.
NFAC, formed as a nonprofit in 2023, is well on the way to becoming a cultural arts hub, where the group hopes “the North Fork community can come together to be entertained, educated, and inspired by world cinema, live performances, fine art exhibitions, lecture series, and hands-on arts training.”
According to Liz Gillooly, NFAC’s Director of Operations, the nonprofit tested the waters with a few summer workshops in 2024. “We had a great response to our summer program last year, which allowed us to have even more robust summer programs this year. We’re really fortunate to have been able to offer these classes to the community and grateful to everyone who has supported NFAC to make it possible.”
Katy Berry, a Mattituck native who is a comedian, screenwriter and singer, teaches the improv workshop. “For me, I’m having a full-circle moment,” she says. “I was a total theater-artsy kid. I did shows every year [at Mattituck High School] and at North Fork Community Theater…I loved it. Now I do comedy and perform all over the world.”
Berry, who lives in Queens, performs with Baby Wants Candy, her musical improv troupe; the group appears regularly in New York City and has performed at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
“Improv is really exciting — you never know who is finding their voice,” she says. “Improv is really good for listening, for teamwork, for using your imagination, and being free to make choices and mistakes. It’s about building confidence and getting kids to speak up and take risks,” she continues. “It changed how I could speak in public and carry myself [with] confidence.”
The workshops are not the only way that NFAC is supporting North Fork kids. An effort to build a MacBook lending library is underway to make sure that every student has access to a computer and can participate fully in creative programs. A Youth Advisory Board, composed of local high school students, is forming with an eye toward a free film club membership for students in all North Fork high schools — the board will provide input on films, workshops, field trips, and live events at the theater.
And NFAC’s 22-seat cafe, which serves coffees, cakes and desserts, is a welcoming space for the students — or any North Fork resident — to hang out.
NFAC intends to remain open throughout the year. Upcoming events include film screenings (including a 50th anniversary screening of Jaws in partnership with the East End Seaport Museum & Maritime Foundation, with a Q & A with Pat Mundus, daughter of shark hunter Frank Mundus, on August 30), a live blues show, and a Rites of Spring Music Festival performance.
For more information, visit the NFAC’s website here.
