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Top Hat summer camp gives kids taste of theatrics
By Sarah Lehr
STRUTHERS
Monica Moore, 7, of Poland is hard-pressed to decide whether her favorite part of musical theater camp is the snacks or the singing.
Then, she thinks about the question for a few moments and decides she prefers the singing.
Monica is one of about 35 children participating in a weekly summer camp sponsored by Top Hat Productions, 4220 Youngstown-Poland Road. This year, camp participants are workshopping excerpts from Disney’s “Aladdin.” Their endeavors will culminate Aug. 28 with a performance featuring the songs “Friend Like Me” and “A Whole New World.”
When the camp ends, some of the participants will audition for the company’s full production of “Aladdin.” If selected, they will perform alongside adults in the fall.
Brian Palumbo, also the owner of Selah’s Restaurant at 130 S. Bridge St., founded Top Hat Productions to promote community theater. The organization, a nonprofit, funds itself through donations and ticket sales. The summer camp, which is staffed by volunteers, is free for all participants, who are between 5 and 12.
Palumbo believes live theater breeds an energy that cannot be replicated by canned entertainment like television or movies.
“No matter how scripted it is, every show is going to be slightly different,” Palumbo said. “There’s this kind of feedback that goes on between the audience and the performers. It’s like a tennis match.”
Michaela Samuel, 16, of Boardman is one of several former summer camp participants who now volunteers as a program leader.
“I love seeing the outcome of all the practice,” Michaela said. “Especially when the kids know they’ve worked for it.”
Volunteer Nancy Palumbo, who is a board member for Top Hat Productions and the mother of its founder, tears up when she describes how much pride the youngest kids take in performing.
She recalled one instance when a boy’s mother came to pick him up after camp. The boy showed her his script and said, “Look, Mom, I have words!”
Mason Martin, 12, of Boardman has been participating in the camp for several years. He admits he still becomes nervous before performances, though, and says he deals with the problem by “breathing in and out.”
Mason developed his love of musical theater after singing as a soprano in his school choir.
“I like the drama,” he said. “It’s my thing.”