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Taken from the press release:

COSTA MESA, CA – Every Summer, Segerstrom Center for the Arts hosts two incredible education-based camps designed to teach young artists the musical theater skills needed to make a dazzling production come to life. In June, Five Days of Broadway, a non-audition-based camp, teaches the fundamentals of musical theater music, dance, scene, and backstage production to middle school and high school students. In August, Summer at the Center, a partnership with Orange County Department of Education’s Community and Correctional Education Schools and Services (ACCESS) Division, provides musical theater training to a selected group of high-risk high school students. Both summer camps teach the fundamentals of musical theater while simultaneously fostering confidence and artistic growth in these young individuals, encouraging them to paint the world with their creative expression.

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Five Days of Broadway

Five Days of Broadway is celebrating its fifteenth year of providing an opportunity for students of all experience levels and ages 11 –19 to learn the fundamentals of musical theater in five days. Since its founding in 2010, over 650 students have participated in
the program.

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These students are coached in musical theater performance and technique by some of
the industry’s leading professional artists and educators. Five Days of Broadway’s
programs focus on building a strong foundation of technique in Broadway music, scene work, and dance as well as an introduction to design and backstage technical aspects of professional theater.

This program is incredibly beneficial to those looking to gain real experience in the
performing arts field. Previous Five Days of Broadway attendees have even gone on to
land Broadway roles. Natalie Powers participated in the program from 2011 to 2013,
transitioning to an assistant role from 2014 to 2015, and later as an assistant dance
teacher from 2016 to 2017. Her journey at Segerstrom Center culminated in her starring in the Broadway tour “Fiddler on the Roof,” and performing on the Segerstrom Hall stage. Similarly, Kyla Stone, who attended Five Days of Broadway from 2011 to 2013 ended up making her Broadway mark in touring productions: “Sweeney Todd”, “Anastasia”, and others.

This year’s Five Days of Broadway camps will take place June 17 – 21 for the Middle School program and June 24 – June 28 for the High School program. Both camps are currently at enrollment capacity, but interested applicants are encouraged to join the
wait list. Scholarships are available for this program as well.

To learn more about Five Days of Broadway, go to scfta.org/five-days-of-broadway.

Summer at the Center

Summer at the Center has been presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts’s Education Department as an ongoing collaboration between the Orange County Department of Education and its Alternative, Community, and Correctional Education Schools and Services (ACCESS) division for the past 33 years. As part of this five-unit high school fine arts course, students receive instruction and coaching in voice, dance, improvisation, audition techniques, and stagecraft, with a special emphasis on how these presentation skills translate into success in life outside of the theater.

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This year, the program will be led by Summer at the Center veterans Jarod Sheahan (Artistic Director) and Megan Sheahan (Choreographer) who stepped into these leadership roles for the first-time last year after having served on the artistic team for
over a decade. This program is a testament to the power that the performing arts can give to youth and the ways that the arts can offer avenues for personal growth, creativity, and self-expression.

Past Summer at the Center participant, Jaden shared “During Summer at the Center I learned to always shine bright no matter the situation and to get out of my comfort zone.” (2023) Elizabeth, another Summer at the Center participant shared “It was an
amazing experience that changed me for the better.” (2023) Summer at the Center participants are selected through the Orange County Department of Education and their final performances are free and open to the public.

Summer at the Center 2024 performances will take place on Saturday, August 3 at 3:30 and 7:30pm.

To learn more about Summer at the Center, go to scfta.org/summer-at-the-center.