Come spend one hour on Aug. 1 through Aug. 4 to see this production.
By: Amy Filippone, Dept. of Parks & Recreation
The 2018 Junior Theater summer campers have been hard at work rehearsing “Annie Jr.” for their first performance on Aug. 1. One hundred and four campers (ages 7 to 13) will be onstage, singing and dancing their hearts out. Maddie Mullen, the director, and Keven Kulp together with a very talented and dedicated staff truly inspires these young performers.
The logistics of teaching and managing a cast this size and at these young ages is challenging (for four hours a day). Yet, they are quiet, respectful and patient. It’s a testament to the staff, all of who have been junior theater campers themselves. Mullen is in her 17th production of Moorestown’s Parks and Recreation’s Summer Theater Camp, seven as a student and ten as a staff member. Keven Kulp brings plenty of personal experience and has gone on to do national musical tours.
Maddie Mullen and Keven met and became friends through Summer Theatre Camp.
The vocal director for the show is Caroline Voyack, a Moorestown High School graduate and current student at Westminster Choir College, where she is studying music education.
The staff absolutely lead by example. They sing, dance and act with passion.
“We mix up activities so they can express themselves in different ways — like dance parties or vocal warm ups,” Mullen said. “Today, we did breaking down a riff. All of us have been doing this show since we were kids, so it’s really special.”
They also find ways to engage and feature each child in the show.
“So if you’re an orphan — you’re not just any orphan — you’re Sally who’s been in the orphanage for 15 years and is really good at gymnastics,” Mullen said. “They create their own characters that they can embody on stage. They all have backstories and the kids love that.”
Nicole Tsarouhas, currently studying musical theater at New York University’s School of the Arts, has been on staff for the past five years.
“Maddie was my counselor when I was this age, so much of my life in high school and even going into theater has been shaped by the counselors that I had here,” Tsarouhas said. “I started doing this when I was seven, and I really looked up to my counselors. They were so cool and funny and talented and amazing.”
After three plus hours, to cap off the day, the staff puts on a Monkies tune, “I’m a Believer,” and the free form dancing and singing begins. It is joyful, exuberant and completely contagious.
“We just have a really great time here and we love it,” Mullen said. “We say there’s summer theater withdrawal. When it’s over, you just miss it.”
Come spend one hour on Aug. 1 through Aug. 4 to see this wonderful production. MoorArts provides concessions during intermission with proceeds going right back into the arts community with their sponsorship of student scholarships and teacher grants.
Tickets are available one hour before each show at the Moorestown High School.Performance dates are Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. and Aug. 3 and Aug. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
