STAGES to present Disney’s Dare to Dream JR. for summer camp production

Emily Stewart, Echo Correspondent

A summer day camp is giving young performers a chance to sing Disney’s hits on stage.

Theatre Woodstock’s STAGES summer camp will present their production of Disney’s Dare to Dream JR. between Aug. 21 and Aug 23. The show features enthusiastic trainees on their first day of the fictional Walt Disney Imagineering Studio. Imagineers come up with ideas for Disney.

"It goes to the story of these kids and one kid is really, really scared and doesn't know how to dream and opens up by the end of the show, while another kid is 'I know exactly what I want right now' and eventually, learns that it's okay to take his time with his dreams and stuff like that,” said director Ben Shalley. “But the show was picked because of the vast musical numbers in it.”

Dare to Dream JR. will feature beloved Disney songs such as “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin, “How Far I’ll go” from Moana, “Surface Pressure” from Encanto, “Go the Distance” from Hercules, and “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King.

The young performers taking part in the STAGES summer camp are between the ages of seven to 13-years-old. After rehearsing and playing games over a few weeks at a day camp, the campers put on their production at the Market Square Theatre.

Usually, the summer camp production is about 30-minutes long but Dare to Dream JR. is an hour long. Shalley said that even though this year’s production is twice as long, the counsellors and artistic team are running out of activities for the campers.

"Honestly, there is not enough for these kids to do. They're learning so quickly and they're beyond fantastic,” he said.

Shalley spoke highly of the young performers part of Dare to Dream JR. and said that even on the first day, they learned one of the musical numbers while playing games.

"This is one of the best groups I've ever seen working on a show,” he said.

Evening performances begin at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee show on Aug. 22. Tickets are $15 each and can be either bought in person at the box office on 22 Reeve St., by calling 519-537-2582, or online by visiting https://theatrewoodstock.com.