Summerstage Quartet
Maybe you’ve seen our “Keep Calm and Shipoopi” sign downtown. It was hung as encouragement for all who have participated in a The Music Man production- from acting to attending- but especially for our cast and crew of last summer.
In May of 2019 the youth in our program showed up for a production they knew very little about. A younger than usual cast, they were called to step into roles that were more challenging than they expected. They embraced the challenge and gave their all through the hottest days of June and July. They performed at the Red, White and Blue Breakfast, marched in the 4th of July Parade and sang at a Tuesday, Concert in the Park. At the end of July they performed 4 shows in which the Shipoopi scene was a joyful culmination of sharing The Music Man with their community.
They made it very easy for us to fulfill our mission statement: To create an educational and memorable summer experience for the young people of our community by enabling them to participate in a professional-caliber theater production. Through the medium of live theater, we will enhance each individual's life skills by building self-confidence and poise, emphasizing a strong work ethic, and fostering cooperation and creativity, whether in front of the curtain or behind the scenes.
We had hoped to do all of those things again this summer when we met in February to reveal Peter Pan as this summer’s show. But the world has changed so much and last week we made the very difficult decision to save the rights for Peter Pan until next summer.
This is where we need your help. We do want to continue providing a memorable experience, in a safe way of course, for our youth this summer (plan to be determined). So if you are able, we are asking for donations to defer the cost of running the 2020 program and to help with scholarships to participants. Our mailing address is Manchester Summerstage P.O. Box 524 Manchester, MA 01944. You can also donate through paypal.me/summerstage
As always, thank you for your support.
