Stage Craft performing arts camps come to the Milford Theater

What will your kids be doing this summer? Aimlessly hanging out, riding their bikes, going swimming every day, or just plain being bored? Well, there’s unique antidote to that. The Stage Craft Camps, run by Daniel Lynn Evans and his partner Travis Patton, two veteran performers in every aspect of theater, have created a specialty summer day camp geared to local kids who are star-struck, stage-struck, and those who want to expand their inner dancers, singers, and performers. The Stage Craft camps open that world for them. They create a magical journey for each camper with the goal of encouraging their creativity, expanding their sense of community, and lifting up their courage. Every week there will be a different show and the master performers of Stage Craft will be helping the campers choose a new theme and discover and unleash their creativity.

“Campers will get to choose every aspect of the show, from song selection to choreography to building the set, and on Friday of each camp week, there will be a cast pizza party before the grand finale show,” said Daniel Evans. The camps are inclusive and everyone is a winner, no matter how small the part.

Beth O’Neil, artistic director of the Milford Theater, remarked, “I have wanted to start a summer camp for the arts since I reopened the theater nearly three years ago. Having a program for kids to explore acting, musical theater, and stage sets, will be tremendous for the community and really is an important part of the cycle of growing the arts in any community. For parents to get Broadway talent teaching their kids over the summer and not having to go to NYC or further is a real win.”

The concept of the varying camps is fairly unique. Evans experienced it as a kid himself at a summer camp called Stage Right in 1996. It was part of the Knoxville Performing Arts Institute in Knoxville, Tenn., where he grew up. This was the inspiration for the current Stage Craft camps.

There are six weeks of Stage Craft camps, and they are open to anyone eight years old and older. They are each one-week camps, each concentrating on a different aspect of theatrical performance. Camps go from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day and are packed with hand-on activities. Campers can sign up for one or more weeks and right now the early bird special prices are $349 per week until March 15. There are additional discounts if a camper signs up for more than one week.

Below is a brief description of each camp:

Broadway Bound — June 17-21

Belt out the biggest Broadway hits of yesterday and today.

Hollywood Star — June 22-26

Dance to the tunes of your favorite movies and TV shows.

Pop Video — July 8-12

Star in your own music video, dancing and singing along to your favorite pop anthems.

History Repeating — July 29-Aug 2

Host a variety show sharing tales of iconic figures and moments that shaped the world.

Heroes and Villains — Aug. 5-9

Dance to the rhythm of the soundtrack of your cherished animated favorites.

Retro Rewind — Aug. 12-16

Experience the magic of timeless tunes. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready for speakeasies, sock hops, and disco infernos.

In addition to these six camps, the pinnacle of the entire program is: “Christmas in the Valley: A Musical Revue,” whish is slated for July 8 to 20. This is a two-week, more intensive experience basically for high school-age campers and older. It is different from the other camps in that it will run more like a professional rehearsal environment and is geared toward students who are considering a career in professional entertainment. Milford Theater’s own stage manager, Chiara Marone, will be participating in this. The early bird price for this is $649. This session will culminate in a performance that will be open to the public and ticketed separately.

There has already been a lot of excitement built up about the camps. Beth O’Neil says, “We are already discussing classes, and some master classes during the school year to keep up their growth and interest.”

For more detailed information and to enroll in the camps, go to stagecraftpa.com.