Summer Studio 2019 Awaits!

By Grace Clark, Education Enrollment and Marketing Coordinator

Heroic and sleeping princesses, a swash-buckling adventurer and a beast will take center stage in this year’s Summer Studio at Hartford Stage. Since 2013, nearly 300 students from across the Greater Hartford region have participated in our exciting Summer Studio each year. It is a welcoming environment for young artists with varying skill levels, from first-time performers to those with stage experience. This summer, young actors, ages 3 to 17, will participate in one, two, three and four-week theatre programs from July 8 through August 17.

Our four-week Teen Musical production, for ages 14 to 19, will be Once Upon a Mattress, a musical-comedy adaptation of The Princess and the Pea. Students will get to showcase their skills in acting, singing and dancing in a performance on our theatre’s mainstage. This program will run July 8 through August 9.

Summer Studio Youth Ensemble students, ages 9 to 15, will be cast in the musical Beauty and the Beast, Jr. or the non-musical production, Robin Hood.  In addition to rehearsing for the production during the four-week program, students will choose theatre elective classes and go on field trips. Youth Ensemble runs July 8 through August 2.

“My daughter Sydnei loves Hartford Stage Summer Studio,” said Crystal White, whose young performer participated in Youth Ensemble. “Sydnei has grown in confidence and stage technique. The staff is fantastic, and Sydnei has created long-lasting friendships.”

Placement auditions for both Teen Musical and Youth Ensemble are held prior to the start of the programs.

For students, ages 8 to 11, Junior Troupe will awaken skills in acting and movement as they work on their production, Sleeping Beauty Kids. No pre-audition is required. Students in this program will also go on a field trip once a week.

In August, students ages 9 to 15 may also hone their skills in the basics of acting and improvisation in One-Act Play, which runs August 6 through 17. Participants will perform in a production of Mother Goose TV.

Our youngest artists will also bring characters to life this summer. Day Dreamers ages 3 to 5 (who have not yet entered kindergarten) will participate in half-day sessions full of creative movement, puppetry, music and story theatre activities. Sessions will be held July 8 through 12; July 15 through 19; and July 22 through 26. Children’s Cast, for ages 5 to 8 (who have completed kindergarten), will allow students to create and perform based on their favorite stories, as they explore theatre, music, puppetry, movement, arts and crafts.  At the end of the summer, students ages 5 to 8 may also enroll in Bookends, where students perform stories from summer reading lists as they learn skills in acting, musical theatre, creative movement, arts and crafts. This one-week program runs from August 5 through 9 and August 12 through 16.

The mission of Education @ Hartford Stage is to open the world of theatre arts to all children and youth. Summer Studio early registration discounts, scholarships and payment plans are available. All Summer Studio programs are held at Classical Magnet School in Hartford. For more information about Summer Studio, or to register, call (860) 520-7244 or visit our Youth Studio page.