Discover the Fun and Friendship of Summer Stage

For children interested in music, dancing and the magic of putting on a show or creating a film, Summer Stage offers wonderful opportunities. At Summer Stage visual and performing arts camp, hundreds of children from throughout South Jersey embark on magical adventures – sharing smiles while they sing, gaining confidence as they learn their lines, and making friends while they perfect a dance, or even build scenery together. Entering its 27th year, Summer Stage provides a safe, nurturing environment. Since its first year, Summer Stage has grown from 65 campers to nearly 500. With programs for children entering kindergarten through 12th grade, the fun lasts for many years.

Learn more at Summer Stage’s Open House, Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., Lincoln Hall, Camden County College, Blackwood. In addition, here is more detail about the programs Mainstage offers through Summer Stage:

The youngest campers (entering k-1st grade), receive a perfect introduction to performing arts through Broadway Babies, a morning program offered at the Mainstage School of Dance, Cherry Tree Center, 475 Hurfville Cross Keys Road, Sewell, NJ. The next group, Kids Stuff (entering 2nd and 3rd grades), meets at the Mainstage School of Dance and at Mainstage’s Adademy Hall, 27 N. Black Horse Pike, Blackwood. Kids Stuff participants have the option of extending their day into the afternoon through Collaboration Station, an afternoon camp where they keep their creative energies flowing by trying new things like puppetry and pantomime, and Stage Key. Designed to fit parents’ busy work schedules, Stage Key provides before and after camp care.

“We have been attending the Summer Stage shows for the past five years, and I was thrilled last year that Mainstage began offering a program for kids going into kindergarten and first grade. The program was extremely affordable, and we signed up for both sessions during the summer. My children, Zachary and Corinne, were excited that they were going to get to participate on the big stage, just like the kids they had seen before,” said Alexis Stones of Laurel Springs. “The staff was professional and nurturing, which is so important for kids this young. Mainstage gave them confidence in themselves, a chance to make some new friends, sing, dance, and be silly during the summer.”

After Broadway Babies and Kids Stuff, children advance to the Apprentice program, for 4th and 5th graders. This program is designed to broaden children’s interest in the world of theatre. It takes place at Mainstage’s Adademy Hall and also includes the option of full day options through Collaboration Station and Stage Key.

Also for younger children, Mainstage School of Dance offers a series of week-long dance camps with themes including Frozen/Disney Princess and Annie/Shake It Up.

When students move up to middle school, there is Children’s Theatre for students entering 6th through 12th grades; and the behind-the-scenes Technical Theatre and Video Film Production, for those entering 8th through 12th grades, offered on the Blackwood Campus of Camden County

Most Summer Stage programs provide performance opportunities. In Children’s Theatre,each participant will have the chance to perform in one of the three shows, plus the final musical revue. This year, the season includes: Wizard of Oz, My Son Pinocchio, Shrek, Jr., and Once Upon A Time, a musical review.

“I really love Summer Stage,” said Devyn Hosier of Lumberton. “You make really great friends who are there for you in a loving and fun environment.”

“It’s like a home for me,” added Michael Schaffner of Mantua. “You go there every day and time just flies. There’s nothing better than Summer Stage.”

Program fees range from $175 for a two-week Broadway Babies session to $560 for the seven-week Children’s Theatre session. Stage Key, an affordable before and after-camp is available for programs at Academy Hall and Camden County College. Visit www.mainstage.org for schedules and fees, call 855-936-2467 ext 6, or wisit the Summer Stage Open House & Performance Preview, Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., Dennis Flyer Theatre, Lincoln Hall, Camden County College, Blackwood, NJ.

The one-week dance sessions are $95. Those interested in dance camps should look on the School of Dance page of Mainstage’s website or call (856) 582-4422.