Summer Scholars create and star in a new musical production

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- For the past two and a half weeks, the McComas theater at Mississippi State University has been busy with students working day and night on an original stage production.

“So, the kids have been practicing on the stage, getting familiar transitioning their numbers that they’ve been working on in the past week, and their vocal numbers that they’ve also been working on, getting them ready and getting used to the space,” said Dance Assistant Sarah Jo Norris.

The Summer Scholars program is a three-week theater program sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission.

During that time, students work to come up with an original idea and put it all together into a three-act musical by the end of the program.

“The first week is what we call writers camp. It’s a smaller group. About half the campers come for writers camp. They wrote the show, and they wrote half of the music in the show. They wrote six original songs in five days,” said Production Coordinator Joe Evans.

This week, campers are gearing up for the show’s premiere.

“The rest of the campers show up and we start what we call production camp, which is where we start rehearsing the show and learning the lines and getting all that done over the next following two weeks,” said Evans.

Show coordinators said the program is different from a typical summer camp.

“I think it teaches a lot of different aspects. Kids can learn teamwork, learning self-discipline, managing your time,” saidNorris.

“Different kids are drawn to different things. I think, you know, we talk a lot about how playing football, for instance, can build character and build teamwork and can build strong young people– theater can do the exact same thing. Usually for a different crowd of kids,” said Evans.

In the end, they said it’s all about providing kids with a safe and creative atmosphere.

“We hope that we can be a place where these kids can sort of figure out who they are and find themselves,” said Evans.

The show is called The Pitch, and admission is free.

Show dates will be Friday, July 19 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 20 at 1 p.m.