Fritzius said the students are given as much creative freedom as possible. Students break out into three act rooms, where they write each act individually with the help of an act leader - staff members who are former campers. Writers’ camp starts with a six- to seven-hour brainstorming session. And I come back every year because some of my favorite things to have seen on a stage anywhere - and I’ve (seen) Broadway shows - have come out of this camp and out of the minds of the kids that are writing the plays.” “… This is my 10th year to lead the writers’ camp. “I started in 1989 and was a camper for two years,” Fritzius said. They audition virtually, sending in videos and recordings of monologues, dance routines, concerts and more.Īll of these campers arrived at the MSU campus on June 18, where they will stay for three weeks to create their show.Įric Fritzius, writing director and former camper, said the first week of the camp is writers’ camp, where students work together to create the script. This years’ campers come from Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. Underwood said the program now involves students between seventh and 12th grade from all over the country. Then we decided to call it something different … and it kept going from there.” “… We started doing a standalone camp for musical theater, and ‘Fame’ came out that year on Broadway. “When I came back to Mississippi, no colleges had any kind of summer program,” Underwood said. He said “Unconventional” is the Summer Scholars program’s 39th production. Joe Underwood, camp director, helped to start the program back in 1983. July 8 in the Bettersworth Auditorium at Lee Hall on MSU’s campus. “Unconventional” focuses on a single convention hall over three different eras, with the first act “When Posh Comes to Shove” focusing on wealthy socialites, the second act “Rednecks: Friendly Fangs and Southern Twangs” focusing on vampires and the third act “Constitutional Chaos” focusing on a trio of revolutionary ghosts.įree public performances at this year’s Summer Scholars play are 7 p.m.
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