The Swampscott Summer Theater program will kick off on July 1, and students entering grades three through nine have the chance to put on a performance of Dare to Dream Jr. within a month.
“We like to make sure the kids who are with us over the summer are proud of what they’re doing but also have a really good time,” said Kayla LeClerc, the assistant director of the Swampscott High School and Elementary School after school programs.
Disney’s Dare to Dream Jr. is a 60-minute musical that follows a group of trainees on their first day at a fictional Walt Disney Imagineering Studio. Together, they work to explore the power of dreams and how they can create amazing things. The show features hit songs from Disney movies like The Princess and the Frog, Coco, Encanto, and Frozen II.
Students will gather for games and rehearsals Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. throughout July.
Within the first week of the camp, everyone will already be cast and have read through the play.
“It kind of just works,” said James Pearse, the theater and choral director at the Swampscott High School. “These projects are built for younger kids.”
Because Dare to Dream Jr. is a “review style” musical, groups of about seven children will work on songs for an hour while others play games, rotating throughout the day, according to LeClerc.
“Everybody gets a chance to do everything,” LeClerc said. “It feels like we’re doing the show every second, but there’s some awesome counselors who help really iterate the fun laid back camp stuff for the kids too.”
LeClerc, who has a nine-year-old of her own, said that this type of play – especially the Dare to Dream Jr. theme this year – is perfect for families in Swampscott this summer.
Pearse also added that since it is a review play, there’s “actually more opportunity for kids to have lines or to sing a song themselves if they like.”
The program has been going on for over 20 years. Pearse recalled creating the program as a way to fill a gap within the community.
“There just seemed to be kids who were interested in doing some performing, and at the time there really wasn’t much around for kids that age,” Pearse said.
Pearse said there was a full-day camp for children throughout the summer at the time.
“”It had performing arts in it, but it had other things,” Pearse said. “We wanted it to be something where kids could have their summer too.”
Pearse also said this program helps students build a foundation for when they eventually join the Swampscott High School drama club.
“Right now, there’s no real one path or unifying connection,” LeClerc said. “There’s no connection between the elementary school, what’s done at the middle school and what’s done at the high school. This is the bridge that exists to connect them. It’s the only bridge as of now that exists, and it’s a great thing to have.”
The theater program will culminate on July 31 at 11:30 a..m. with a special performance of Dare to Dream Jr. Tickets to the performance cost $15 for adults and $10 for children and seniors.
