The Bucks County Playhouse and the Solebury School Announce the Launch of a New Summer Program
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Rick Miramontez / Molly Barnett / Elizabeth Wagner
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Local Contact:
Mandee Kuenzle
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
THE BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE AND
THE SOLEBURY SCHOOL ANNOUNCE THE
LAUNCH OF A NEW SUMMER PROGRAM
INAUGURAL SEASON
“STARCATCHERS” SUMMER CAMP WELCOMES
ASPIRING THEATER STUDENTS
TO PRODUCE A MUSICAL AT
THE LEGENDARY
BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE
New Hope, PA (12/12/12) – Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) (Jed Bernstein, Producing Director) and the Solebury School (Tom Wilschutz, Head of School) announced today the launch of the StarCatchers Summer Theater Camp 2013. Campers taking part in two three-week sessions will produce two musicals that will be showcased on the Bucks County Playhouse stage. All rehearsals will be held at the Solebury School, a private co-ed day and boarding school with 235 students, grades 7-12, located on Phillips Mill Road in New Hope.
“Bringing education to the Bucks County Playhouse is central to our mission of stimulating and supporting the performing arts in New Hope and Bucks County. This will help inspire a new generation of theatre artists to pursue their dreams,” said Producing Director Jed Bernstein.
Solebury School head Tom Wilschutz said, “Our collaboration with the historic Bucks County Playhouse is a great opportunity for us, the Playhouse, and the New Hope community to prepare our students for their academic and professional careers.”
The StarCatchers Summer Theater Camp 2013 will consist of two three-week sessions: June 24 – July 12 ( Seussical, The Musical Jr.) for grades 4 – 7, and July 15 – August 2 ( High School Musical, Jr.) for grades 7 – 9. Each session will produce a musical that is showcased on the Bucks County Playhouse stage after being rehearsed at the Solebury School. Campers will be directed by Shawn Wright and Rebecca Wilschutz and will include training in singing, dancing and acting. The hours will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with lunch included. The cost of the entire program is $895.00. Additional programming, including special guest artists will be provided by the Playhouse. Enrollment is strictly limited. For more information and to register visit www.solebury.org/summer_programs/starcatchers-summer-theater-camp/index.aspx.
Bios_________________________________________________________________
REBECCA WILSCHUTZ, the first session director, recently of Cleveland, Ohio, has been involved in youth theatre for the past 20 years, having been the Artistic Director for the Streetsboro Regional Theatre. Former students now appear on TV, Broadway tours and study in top conservatory programs across the country. She teaches dance, musical theatre and middle school drama at Solebury School, Musical Theatre Dance for the Bucks County Playhouse, and also is choreographing a TV show in development for Nickelodeon. She is a former professional dancer and Ovations award-winning choreographer. Rebecca holds a degree in Theatre Education from Hiram College in Ohio. Joining Rebecca this summer will be professional costumer Wendy Erholm of Cleveland, Ohio. She has been costuming shows for the past ten years and has worked with Rebecca to costume the Ohio premier of Thoroughly Modern Millie along with youth theatre productions of Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and Fairy Tale Courtroom. She is currently the head costumer for Stagecrafters in Beachwood, Ohio.
SHAWN ROWLEY WRIGHT has been a musical theater director and teacher for over twenty years. Currently she is Theater Director for The Solebury School in New Hope Pennsylvania. Prior to this Shawn was the Theater Director for Central Bucks West High School as well as directing musical theater productions in several other middle and elementary schools. Shawn has worked with children each summer as well, running the Theater Department of Southampton Summer Day Camp for thirteen years. She created student summer programs for the Central Bucks School District as well as Town and Country Players. She is also the founder of The Pure Imagination Theater company, a children's troupe that performs Holiday and Summer Programs all around the Bucks County area. Recently Shawn joined the staff of the Bucks County Playhouse Education program as their Musical Theater Voice instructor. Shawn is devoted to helping students find the “play” in the play; learning all about the theatrical process while having the most fun possible! Shawn studied Fine Arts, Drama and Musical Theater at Rider University
Located 90 minutes from New York City, the Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939 on the site of a grist mill dating from the late eighteenth century. Ironically, the structure was at that time in danger of demolition; however playwright Moss Hart and the local community rallied to save the building and re-opened it as a theatrical venue, which quickly became one of the country’s most famous regional theaters, with a veritable who’s who of American theatrical royalty including Kim Hunter, Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, Colleen Dewhurst, Shirley Booth, Lillian Gish, June Lockhart, Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Bert Lahr, Leslie Nielsen and Walter Matthau and remained in continuous operation until December 2010. Thanks to the Bridge Street Foundation, the non-profit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty with Tanya Cooper as President, this beloved theatrical landmark was re-opened and celebrated on July 2, 2012, exactly 73 years and day from when it originally opened in 1939.
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