Summer Scholars students are thrilled to be back after a year away from the stage due to the pandemic.
The 39 teenagers from this year’s annual theater production camp at Mississippi State will present their festival called “Dreamscapes” this weekend on the MSU campus, following a two-week production camp and only three days to write their one-act musicals.
The performances will be at 6 p.m. Friday and at noon on Saturday in the theater of McComas Hall on the Mississippi State University campus, according to an MSU press release. Attendance is limited to 75-percent capacity, and priority for admission will be given to family and relatives of the campers.
These campers formed three different production companies — The Space Cowboys, Swagville Productions and The Ridiculams — and their plays feature stories on circus performers, island towns and high school cliques, all inspired by this year’s theme of dreams, the press release said.
The students hail from Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas under the supervision of a creative staff of playwrights, musicians, teachers and authors who worked with the students to create original scripts for each musical comedy.
Initially created after a one-week theater camp in 1982, Summer Scholars On Stage boasts a wide, devout alumni network, with area instructors from universities and high schools working with students.
Over recent years, On Stage Production Camp has enjoyed the support of the Mississippi Arts Commission, SOAR, and the Lorena Smith Endowment for the Performing Arts at Mississippi State University. The MSU Foundation houses the Summer Scholars Fund, where patrons and sponsors make donations to support the tuition of the program.
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