Camp Imagination to do original play

Camp Imagination, the Webb Center’s summer arts camp, is quickly approaching. The camp, which will run from June 2 to 13, treats 120 students to two weeks of classes and culminates with a full musical production on the final evening.

Some previous shows have included “Aladdin Jr.,” “Honk Jr.” and “The Best Little Theater in Town.” This year, the Webb Center is commissioning a brand new show “Happily Ever After - A Cinderella Story” (an adaptation of the classic tale) from noted children’s playwright Ruth Fost. Registration for this year’s Camp Imagination will begin on Monday, April 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Webb Center lobby.

Fost is executive/artistic director and co-founder of New Jersey’s premier children’s theatre company The Pushcart Players. For more than 35 years, she has written 28 shows for the company and led them to nearly every state and two countries abroad.

Originally an actress, Fost fell into the role of writing because, as she recently said in an interview, “necessity is the mother of invention. When my children were quite young, I wanted to share my love of theatre with them but there was very little, if any, theatre of substance or merit designed for young audiences.

“Together with two friends, also theatre artists with young children, we decided to create a production company that would serve young audiences with something beautiful, fanciful and memorable - something that would introduce theatre as a wonderful event that they would love and want to encounter again and again as they grew older.”

The Webb Center found Fost and the Pushcart Players a few years ago through their booking agent Larry Kosson of SMG Artists. Executive Director of the Webb Center Cathy Weiss hired the company last school year to perform their adaptation of “Peter and the Wolf” for local elementary school children.

The show was a hit with students and teachers, who enjoyed the blend of comedy and poignant themes through an original script (written by Fost) and music (written by her collaborator Larry Hochman, who will also write the music for Happily Ever After).

The relationship between the Webb Center and Pushcart Players continued to bloom last summer when Pushcart’s Director of Education Harry Christian was invited to spend a few weeks in Wickenburg directing Camp Imagination 2007. Christian developed strong friendships with many councilors and campers, bringing fresh ideas to last year’s “Honk Jr.” production. Christian will return this year once again to direct Happily Ever After.

The Webb Center, thanks to a generous grant from the Wellik Foundation, received funding to commission a new play for this year’s summer camp. Weiss immediately contacted Fost who gladly accepted the task. After agreeing to write the show, Fost’s next step was to determine the needs that the play had to fulfill.

“This involved many conversations, emails and eventually a full day of meeting and discussing details with Cathy Weiss,” continued Fost. “Larry Kosson (our agent and advisor) and Harry Christian were also involved in some of these conversations. I also viewed DVDs and video tapes of previous productions done by Camp Imagination kids to see the age range, groupings and style of past productions.”

She settled on the story of Cinderella due to its rich history, thematic elements and ability to deftly incorporate various groups of students throughout. The play is currently going through revisions as members of the Webb Center and Pushcart Player staffs read and make notes to the script. The final draft will be completed soon and be ready for this summer’s debut at Camp Imagination.

To register for Camp Imagination, parents or guardians must complete forms available through the Webb Center’s Box Office beginning on Monday, April 21. The Box Office can be reached at 684-6624 or online at www.delewebbcenter.org. Forms must be submitted directly to the Webb Center Box Office for acceptance. Space is limited to the first 120 applicants and usually fills quickly.

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