ProjectSTAGE 2026 Shows are July 10-11, July 24-25, and August 7-8. Please join us!
The Aurora Players Summer Program, ProjectSTAGE, is a two-week program for students entering grades 4-12 in the fall of the school year following the program. It is divided into three separate “Acts” to split up the age groups. Each program runs weekdays from 9 am-1 pm with a performance on the final Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 pm. Although the program is only two weeks, the kids put on a full production at the end. We rig full lights and sound with the help of our lighting/sound designer, sell tickets, and produce programs with bios of each child. Each participant is even given a show T-shirt!
ProjectSTAGE is a truly unique program. Our goal, as Aurora Players volunteers, is to pass on a true love for theatre to our students and help boost their creativity and self-confidence in all they do. Not only do they learn about acting, they learn about props, costumes, set design, lighting design, and every other aspect of theatre we can teach them.
Act 2 is for students entering grades 7-9. This is where we really start to get into character development and stage presence! The selected play(s) are usually a bit more serious and involved. This session challenges the students to think of theatre as an art form. Costumes and sets can be a little more involved, but are still made with items easily found or built. The students have more involvement in prop selection, set painting, and the overall feel of the show.
Act 3 is more of a guided, student-run program for students entering grades 10-12. In this group, students get to help pick the play(s), cast roles, direct, block scenes, choose costumes and props, and basically run the show. We guide them through all the steps involved in presenting a full production.
The program is funded through the sale of tickets (usually $5) to each show. In this way, Aurora Players is able to keep the cost of admission to the program to just $75 per child, making it accessible to as many families as possible.
One of the best parts of this program is the volunteers behind it. Our volunteer producer, Erin Francis, has over ten years of experience and handles all the organizational aspects, including student registration, supply ordering, program development, and day-to-day business. We are also fortunate to have a team of high school students (ProjectSTAGE “graduates”) who help each day with organizing and keeping the students engaged. They lead them in games, take them in groups to practice lines, and help out with lighting and sound for the production. All directors are well supported in this program by adult volunteers who have experience with ProjectSTAGE as well as teaching and/or directing.
We have seen the difference this program makes in children’s lives. We love seeing them go on to act in school productions and more. Please consider joining us in spreading the love of theatre to these amazing children by participating!
Aurora Players ProjectSTAGE schedule for the summer of 2026:
Act 1 – Grades 4-6
Directed by Kim McAtee
June 29-July 3
July 6-10
Shows July 10 & 11 at 7 pm
Act 2 – Grades 7-9
Directed by Kara Sandoval
July 13-17
July 20-24
Shows July 24 & 25 at 7 pm
Act 3 – Grades 10-12
Directed by Pat Hoefler
July 27-31
Aug 3-7
Shows August 7 & 8 at 7 pm
Tickets: $5 ticket at the door (cash). Children 7 and under attend for free.
Grandma, who prefers adventurous stories about pirates and astronauts, adds amusing twists to bedtime stories when her grandkids request them.
She retells familiar classics with unique twists. Cindy-Rella is an overzealous neat freak who refuses to leave her chores for the prince’s barbecue, even with a bouncy castle. The Big Bad Wolf is replaced by the Big Bad Bear, who takes porridge from the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Pants. Goldilocks appears in both stories.
Despite protests, the children eagerly demand more. Grandma narrates Snow White and the Four Dwarves, and Grumplegrapeskin, the magical goblin who yearns for the game show host to remember his name.
This charming one-act play features five fractured fairy tales that are sure to make you laugh.
Tickets: $5 ticket at the door (cash). Children 7 and under attend for free.
