‘Mean Girls’ Directors Launch Acting Camp for Underserved Youth (Exclusive)

The directors of the new Mean Girls musical movie are using the powers of a bus for good.

Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne are launching the Yes Bus Acting Camp for underserved youth in Los Angeles, with the goal of equipping them with some training to strengthen their confidence to enter the entertainment industry.

“Like Janis says in the opening of our movie, ‘It’s not easy making a movie,’ but we also know that it’s not easy getting the confidence to just go for it as an actor, either,” Jayne said in a statement. Added Perez in a statement, “Not everyone in L.A. has the same opportunities, so we just want to help level the playing field a little bit.”

The free two-week program will take place on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this summer in downtown L.A. Acting and writing seminars will be held during the first week in preparation for performances on the second week.

The Yes Bus is the umbrella for all of Jayne and Perez’s creative endeavors, named for their creative philosophy of affirmative collaboration. Mean Girls is the feature directorial debut for the duo, who are married and are previously known for the shortform series Quarter Life Poetry (which grew from Tumblr to Instagram to a book to FX), starring Jayne.

Applications are open from now through midnight on June 5 for young people aged 14 to 17 who live in underserved areas. Camp hopefuls must submit a one- to three-minute monologue and a short statement declaring why they want to participate in the program. Jayne and Perez, who will lead the camp, will provide meals and cover activity costs, but camp participants will be responsible for their own transportation.

Jan. 29, 3:17 p.m. Removed reference to exact camp dates as they have shifted.