Contact: Jessica Farris
Young stars from throughout the Southeast will begin shining at Mississippi State Sunday [July 7] as the monthlong Summer Scholars residential program begins its 20th year on campus.
Sponsored by the university's Division of Continuing Education and the department of counselor education and educational psychology, "On Stage" is an A-Z theatrical experience held each summer for gifted and talented students in grades seven-12. The program consists of two concurrent sessions: a three-week writer's camp and a two-week production camp.
Both activities culminate with two free public presentations of their collective creativity. This year's multi-act performances in the McComas Hall theater will begin at 7 p.m. July 26 and at 1:30 p.m. the following day.
Summer Scholars/"On Stage" founder and director Joe Ray Underwood said the "entire production is designed and executed by students." Where the first "On Stage" in 1983 involved 18 participants, the current artistic confederation is expected to attract more than 40, the counselor education professor added.
Underwood said "On Stage" consistently has attracted students who wish to express and share their love of acting, singing and dancing. Typically, he added, "they are kids who can do it all."
To attend, students must submit writing samples or audition tapes and the recommendation of an instructor. The daily work schedule includes vocal, dance and drama classes during the day; production rehearsal and social activities during the evening.
Past performance themes "have included everything from pirates to flying saucers," Underwood said. And, he emphasized, with only three weeks to prepare, "What they accomplish in such a short time is nothing short of a miracle."
For students qualifying for early college admission, participation also can result in four hours of academic credit through the MSU Summer Theatre Workshop. Workshop students are also responsible for set design, publicity, lighting, and properties.
In addition to Underwood, the "On Stage" leaders include Wayne Durst, set design and lighting supervisor; Paula Mabry, production director; Joe Evans, drama instructor and assistant production director; Deborah Funderburk, dance coordinator; Nancy Underwood, script coordinator; and Shirley Taylor, choral director. The leadership group includes university faculty members, high school teachers and others who work with gifted and talented students.
Underwood said the MSU Summer Scholars program has become widely recognized among theatrically inclined and other creative students throughout the Southeast "as a place where they are free to completely be themselves" and, also along the way, establish friendships that last a lifetime.
"This is not just a camp, it is one big family," he said.
For more information, contact Underwood at (662) 325-3426 or Teresa Stewart of continuing education at (662) 325-8877.