Each year, the Port Summer Show staff searches for a big production with many roles for students, and this year they will be exploring the songs and dances of the 1960s.
Seventh through 12th graders will be performing “Sweet Charity,” a comedic musical, which the summer show president, Jeanne Brennan, said will accommodate the many students who were chosen for roles.
The show will run at Paul D. Schreiber High School from Aug. 4 to 7.
“It’s a great performance, and because it’s so big, there are many opportunities for a lot of students to audition and get a role,” said Brennan, whose two daughters were part of the show for years.
The Port Summer Show has been putting on a performance every summer since 1972, when students performed “Anything Goes.” Since then, Brennan said, it has attracted students who want to participate in theater over the summer. This year, there are 40 students in the cast, 24 in the orchestra pit and 15 crew members.
“This group — like all of our groups — is terrific this year,” said Jason Summers, the show’s director. “It’s really a talented group of students and it’s been fun working on a real throwback, ’60s show.”
Summers, who has been with the Port Summer Show for 13 years, added that the students really make the shows great with their hard work and commitment to learning their roles and the music.
“We go into each summer with a plan for rehearsals and the students are always on top of their game,” Summers said. “They work hard in rehearsals and dedicate time outside of them, too.”
Brennan said the most difficult part of the rehearsal process is that the students and staff only have five weeks to bring the show together. She added that when the students first come in after they are selected for the show, they are usually reserved, but when rehearsals get more intense, their confidence rises.
“It’s great watching their comfort level grow,” she said. “There’s such a big difference from the first day they come and right before the performance. They take parts and challenge themselves and learn to perfect it.”
“It’s not only great to see students growing and developing on stage, but it’s nice to see them growing as people as well,” Summers said.
Although Brennan said that the short time to rehearse is the production’s biggest problem, she added that this year most of the rehearsals at Schreiber High School have been conducted without air conditioning.
“It’s been horrible,” she said. “Every day we’d come in and rehearse and it’d be so hot. These kids were putting up with horrible conditions, but they fought through it.’’
There are many difficulties in putting on a show, especially without air conditioning and a limited rehearsal schedule, Brennan said, but everyone has helped each other and been there for one another.
“It’s tricky because you’re pairing seventh graders with high school students, but it works out great,” she said. “All of the older students help the younger ones and that’s always the way it’s been.”
Summers described the show as a professional-quality production that isn’t fun just for the students and stuff, but also for people who attend.
“It’s so much fun for everyone and that’s why I always encourage people to come out, even if they don’t have a kid in the production,’’ he said. “It’s a wonderful night.”
The Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday show is slated to start at 2 p.m. The doors open 15 minutes before the show. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students 12 and under and free for senior citizens on Thursday.
