Busy Season Ahead for Mainstage's Summer Stage

Prepare for adventure with Mainstage Center for the Arts’ (MCA) 24^th year of Summer Stage. Excitement and fun abound all summer long in a season that includes Winnie the Pooh, Honk Jr., Mulan Jr. and Disney Heroes.

The Children’s Theatre season kicks off July 11-13 with a journey through the Hundred Acre Wood, where Winnie the Pooh, everyone’s favorite bear, is joined by Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, and Christopher Robin. The production is sponsored by Techniques Salon and Day Spa.

Then it’s on to a quest with Ugly, an odd-looking duckling who becomes lost and must find his way home in Honk Jr., July 18-21. In this contemporary adaption of Hans Christian Anderson’s Ugly Duckling, Ugly encounters an array of characters who teach him important life lessons through delightful songs.

Next, audiences will travel back to the legendary, storytelling days of ancient China in Mulan Jr., sponsored by Beneficial Bank, July 25-27. The Huns have invaded, and it is up to the misfit Mulan and her mischievous sidekick Mushu to save the day.

The season wraps up August 1-3 as Disney Heroes take the stage in an enchanting, fast-paced musical revue, which includes medleys from Snow White, Tarzan, Little Mermaid, Lion King and Newsies. Disney Heroes is sponsored by Bowman & Company LLP.

"This is a season with something for everyone. The animal friends in Winnie the Pooh and Honk, Jr. are always popular with young children. It’s so much fun seeing their eyes light up as the characters take the stage," said Anne Marie Weaver, MCA director of special projects. "And Disney fans of all ages love the brave heroine in Mulan Jr. and the many well-known songs featured in the Disney Heroes revue."

In addition to the Children’s Theatre Season, MCA will present its annual summer Mainstage production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the internationally acclaimed musical extravaganza written by award-winning writers Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It’s based on the biblical story of Joseph, a favored child who interprets dreams, owns an amazing coat, and is envied by his brothers. The production, accompanied by a live orchestra, runs July 20, 21, 27, and 28.

Mainstage’s ticket prices for Children’s Theatre performances remain the same low price as last year, with morning performances offered at $9 for children and senior citizens and $11 for adults. The Wednesday evening performances are $11 for children and seniors and $12 for adults.

Joseph and the Amazing Color Dreamcoat is $15 for seniors and students under 12 and $18 or $21 for adults.

Along with its shows, Mainstage offers activities to enhance its audiences’ theater experience. These programs, outlined below, include a coloring contest, Sign-Interpreted Thursdays, and Family Fun Fridays.

• Children’s Theater Honk Jr.-themed Coloring Contest - Children ages 4 through 10 are invited to complete the Honk Jr. coloring page and application, available in the Mainstage office at Room 22, Lincoln Hall, Camden County College, and at the Gloucester Township-Blackwood Rotary Public Library. Please return entries to Mainstage by July 6 for a chance to win two tickets to any of its Children's Theatre performances. The winner will be selected on July 9. Look for more information on the MCA website or call 856-227-3091.
• Sign-Interpreted Thursdays. When calling our box office or purchasing tickets at the door, please request to be seated in section 3 if anyone in your family wishes to take advantage on sign interpretation offered at all Thursday morning Children’s Theatre performances. MCA presents all shows in a fully accessible theater with plenty of free parking. Assistive listening devises, and large print programs are available upon request. Please contact our office at 856-227-3091 or e-mail us at info@mainstage.org in advance if you are in need of any of these services
• Family Fun Fridays - Join Summer Stage at the tents outside the Dennis Flyer Theatre, where, for a nominal fee, children can make craft projects related to each performance from 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. The craft will become a special remembrance of the day. Then meet members of the cast in the side courtyard following the 10:30 a.m. performance.
• Dress like a prince or princess discount - Children who dress as a prince or princess for Disney Heroes on Thursday, August 2, 10:30 a.m. will receive $1 discounts on both their ticket and their accompanying adult's ticket.

Summer Stage productions are not over when Children’s Theatre and the Mainstage shows end. The young participants in Summer Stage’s Kids Stuff and Apprentice programs, entering second through fifth grades, also have the opportunity to perform. These campers will present musical revues on Monday, July 30, (Kids Stuff) and Tuesday, July 31 (Apprentice), at 7:30 p.m. Then, the Video Film Production students will present their own original short films in a Film Premier, Thursday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m.

The final production of the summer takes place on Aug. 3, when, after spending six weeks studying the styles of famous choreographers and re-creating Broadway classics, Dance Explosion participants will choreograph and present a spectacular concert. This event takes place at 7:30 p.m.

The tickets for all these performances are $9 for children and senior citizens and $11 for adults.

All performances will be presented in the fully accessible Dennis Flyer Theatre, in Camden County College's Lincoln Hall.

Stacy Napolitano is Mainstage Center for the Arts' public relations professional.