It’s a Summer Stock for Kids as Young Thespians Take the Stage at Richey Suncoast
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By Michele Miller
What’s What New Port Richey
The next-to-last day of the first week of summer theatre camp at Richey Suncoast Theatre brought the kids to the stage for a semi-dress rehearsal, starting with the opening number, “Oh The Things You Can Think” from Seussical the Musical.
“Stay behind the curtains,” said creative director Jess Glass, who was sitting about five rows back giving animated cues to the antsy youngsters donned in colorful headbands who were waiting in the wings.
“Can you see the seats? If you can see the seats, then the audience can see you. We don’t want that because we don’t want to give away the magic,” she told her young charges in a sing-song voice that belied her own experiences on the stage.
Photo | Michele
After cueing the music on her cell phone, the magic was off and running.
The slimmed-down version of Seussical the Musical was to be a culminating performance for some 17 youngsters and a handful of teenage volunteers taking on the roles of some familiar Dr. Seuss characters – The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Thing One & Thing Two, and The Whos.
As might be expected, it was a timid start for some, and that is all part of the rehearsal process, especially for the newbies.
“A lot of them are very shy, but by the end of the week, most of them come out of their shell,” Glass said.
They had lessons to call on after all – tools in their chest.
Voice projection, stage direction, tips on how to tackle stage fright, were all part of the camp curriculum, Glass said, along with lessons on how to think like an acor – to consider “what your character wants,” how to make that character believable using “the actor’s instrument – the mind, the voice, the body,”
Come Friday, the stage was transformed into a colorful Dr. Seuss World courtesy of a backdrop projected on a large screen on the stage and the young actors sporting t-shirts they painted themselves during a hands-on lesson on costume design. Loved ones were in the seats, celebratory bouquets in their laps, cell phones at the ready to record.
Photo | Michele Miller
Photo | Michele Miller
A summer stock, of sorts, for the younger set, so to speak.
This is the second year since opening back up after COVID that Richey Suncoast has hosted youth summer theatre camps during the lull between the opening of the 2025-2026 community theatre season on September 5.
It’s a welcome restart with some welcome buy-in. In a time when funding for the arts is being slashed across the board, the theatre was fortunate to broaden its reach into the community courtesy of a grant from Duke Energy that is providing income-based scholarships so more children can attend.
Summer camp kicked off with Seussical the Musical (ages 6-9) followed by The Little Mermaid (ages 10 – 12) in June. A technical theatre camp, “Pirates For All” (ages 9-15), is scheduled to start on July 7 and is geared toward those who would like to work on the theatre but not necessarily on stage.
“The technical field is where most of the jobs are,” Glass said, noting that kids would learn about stage direction, lighting, and sound, and do a little bit of acting
For the first time, the theatre is also hosting a musical theatre camp for middle and high school students in a welcome expansion, Glass said, noting that some of these campers will likely end up on stage in future productions.
Sunlake High student, Gracie Phipps, who spent time volunteering at the theatre in exchange for tuition, said she was looking forward to taking part in the Beauty and the Beast camp and being part of the all-youth production of Shrek the Musical, Jr., which runs August 1 – 3. (Tickets $15 and up)
Gracie, who discovered Richey Suncoast after seeing an audition notice for Little Shop of Horrors and landing a role, has found a home for her talents and a worthwhile place to spend her summer break.
“I really love it here. Everyone’s nice. Like a family,” Gracie said. “The camp definitely shows kids the different parts of theatre. There’s structure, but it also gives them the creative freedom to learn about theatre in a way they enjoy.”
And isn’t that what community theatre is all about?
Note – For information on the remaining summer camps, scholarship opportunities, and general information about the theatre, visit www.richeysuncoasttheatre.com.
