Photo by Laura Ekstrand

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, is now enrolling for its Vivid Dreamers summer theatre program for students entering grades 5 through 12 from July 8 through July 26, 2024.

Vivid’s program is a three-week theatre experience which combines training, in which students build skills and study with theatre professionals in a variety of subjects, with the opportunity for students to create and perform their own play. The program will be held Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm (with a special afternoon performance July 26) at Vivid’s home at the Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue in Summit.

At Vivid Dreamers, they believe in having fun while developing real skills under the guidance of professionals. Vivid Dreamers is an enjoyable way for students in grades 5 through 12 to explore their interest in the performing arts during their summer vacation. Students receive individual attention, constructive feedback, and the support needed to achieve their personal goals.

In the first week, the ensemble begins to come together through classes and workshops in acting, improv, playwriting, singing and movement. These and other skills will be explored as the group builds the foundation for their creative process.

The second week focuses on the development and writing of an original play, which will also include music and movement. Students have the opportunity to shape their own characters and performances, which might include new subjects explored in the first week such as stage combat and physical comedy.

In the third week, the cast and their director, musical director and choreographer hone and refine their original work in preparation for its presentation on the final evening of the program.

For those who enroll before April 15, the cost of the Vivid Dreamers Summer Theatre Program is $850 for three weeks. After April 15, tuition is $900, with limited need-based scholarships available through a grant from the Investors Foundation. Registration and more information can be found at Vivid Dreamers. The theatre at Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible. Classes will be held at Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901.

Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all our patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs. The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.

Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Summit Foundation and many other corporations, foundations and individuals.  Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.