Kids of the King brings camp to Oakland

Kids of the King Productions is bringing its first musical theater camp to Family Christian School in Oakland this summer. 

KOTK will produce “Heroes of the Faith,” a Christian-based musical written and directed by Jonathan Hickey.

Hickey is working closely with KOTK founder Amy Klahr Terechenok to bring high-quality performances that celebrate stories from the Bible. 

The weeklong camp will be jam-packed with activities and instruction that build performance skills, self-confidence and teamwork. Children will have the opportunity to learn from professional singers, actors, dancers, music educators and an award-winning director to develop vocal and musical theater techniques through small- and large-group activities. 

In six days, campers will learn and perform an entire Gospel-centered musical that includes lights, costumes, sets and props. The camp will culminate with a live stage performance of the musical for family and friends. 

“I just wanted to see a Christian organization producing Christian shows that are high quality and are fun and funny,” Terechenok said. “You just rarely see that other than at Christmas time. … I just felt like the community needed some sort of outlet for that … for the children to be able to be on the stage and live out their faith in what they’re saying … to really feel that from God.”

‘HEROES OF THE FAITH’

The show KOTK has chosen to produce this summer is “Heroes of the Faith.”

“Heroes of the Faith” is a superhero musical comedy that puts a new twist on the Bible’s most famous stories. Join Faith-Man, The Commandment Keeper and The Scarlet Thread as they band together to help a young comic book fan face fears and discover faith in God. 

The show was co-written by Hickey and his friends Angie Elkins and George Livings.

“The story is told through the eyes of a young boy, Marshall, who imagines the Bible’s most famous characters as superheroes,” Hickey said. “It’s designed to be fun, relatable and inspiring for anyone trying to live a life of faith.”

Terechenok said even though the show is all children, the audience of adults will love the production because they will be able to pick up on the tongue-in-cheek humor.

She said her favorite part to watch is the joy on the children’s and audience’s faces when the child lands a joke and delivers the lines perfectly. 

“I hope the kids love being in it and that the audience loves watching it,” Hickey said. “And I hope the experience inspires some kids to go into the arts in the future.”

MOMENT OF FAITH

KOTK is a faith-based organization that aligns with Evangelical Christian beliefs. 

The group is led by Terechenok who has spent 35 years as a professional actress. 

Her favorite credits include “Hello, Dolly!” (Minnie Fay-National Tour), “Always, Patsy Cline” (Louise) and “Guys and Dolls” (Adelaide). For 32 years, she has been performing at Disney in Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Hunchback, Finding Nemo the Musical, Frozen Sing-A-Long and Monsters Laugh Floor. 

Terechenok helped to run a similar summer camp at a local church from 2010 to 2016, but when the program ended, she knew she had to find a way to create the unique experience somewhere else.

“My close friends had written the six shows, all based on the Bible, the church did and I felt the shows were too good to leave on a shelf somewhere or to do just once,” she said. “I wanted to expand the ideas outside the church so even more people could be exposed to them.”

Terechenok said over the years before starting KOTK, she spent a lot of time conducting research. She found although there were a lot of musical theater camps all over the country, it was hard to find the few that were Christian-based. She said even if the programs were Christian-based, they didn’t necessarily perform Christian shows. 

Terechenok’s children — Sam, 25 and Max, 20 — attended Family Christian School, run by Terri and Scott Schneberger, where she had previously directed five Christmas musicals.

Although her sons had graduated, the school asked Terechenok if she knew of anyone who would help to produce a Christmas musical.

After suggesting Hickey, the pair realized the school would be the perfect place to host the summer camp.

This is the first year Terechenok’s dream is becoming a reality.

“That’s God and that’s my faith that God allowed this all to happen,” she said. “We’ve gotten so many generous donations of funds and equipment and it just couldn’t be anything that we’ve done, it’s all God if you ask me.”

The program hopes to expand and to offer the camp at multiple locations. Terechenok said she would love for KOTK to be a package available for purchase where the group would be hired out to help put on a show at local churches.  

The summer music day camp will run from July 17 to July 22 on the campus of Family Christian School, 608 W. Oakland Ave., Oakland.

The camp is $275 per participant and is open to children who are entering second grade through seventh grade in the 2023-24 school year. The show will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 22.