New Stage campers win scholarships

Ella Young of Ridgeland (left) and Khloe Lenoir of Madison (right) were chosen for the 2023 Broadway Junior Summer Camp Intensive scholarship along with 13 other students across the state. The program began on June 19 and runs through July 16, ending off with a final performance of "Mean Girls, Jr."

Posted Wednesday, June 21, 2023 12:00 am

By JOHN LEE

Two girls from Madison County were recently selected to participate in New Stage Theatre’s 2023 Broadway Junior Summer Camp Intensive to learn a wide variety of theatre skills, including stage combat, storytelling, and more.

Khloe Lenoir of Madison and Ella Young of Ridgeland were selected along with 13 other students across the state for the scholarship, and are both looking forward to what the camp, which began on June 19, has in store for them.

From June 19 to July 16, campers will receive daily theatrical instruction from experienced acting, dance, and voice teachers, as well as taking master classes in stage combat, voice/diction, directing, sound design, storytelling, and mask making.

Additionally, students will integrate what they learn in the classroom into a final production of “Mean Girls, Jr.” The performances are July 13-16 at New Stage Theatre, and all participants in the camp are cast in the play.

Lenoir said she is looking forward to getting to know all of her cast mates and making new friends at the camp.

“I love acting like something I’m not,” Lenoir said. “The show is about mean girls, and I’m not a mean girl, but I like that I get to play one.”

Young said this is her third camp at New Stage and she is most excited about rehearsing the show.

“I love learning the choreography for the show and diving into the characters of ‘Mean Girls, Jr.,’” Young said. “I love that I get to see my friends from other schools at camp.”

Fifteen full-tuition scholarships were awarded for the Broadway Junior Summer Camp Intensive, helping Mississippi students attend the camp who would otherwise not have a chance. The scholarships were provided by The Walker Foundation and The Field Co-Operative, Inc.

Scholarships were based on an audition, letters of recommendation, and an essay written by the potential recipient.

Other students who received the scholarship along with Lenoir and Young include Johnecia Reniece Campbell (Jackson), Kya Danielle Jackson (Clinton), Charlie Perna (Clinton), Lauryn Smith (Jackson), Katelyn Williams (Brandon), Paige Barker (Jackson), Brooklyn Bailey (Jackson), Kennedy Carruth (Flowood), Naomi Willis (Flowood), Harlie Hamilton Hunt

(Flowood), Brooklynn Jefferson (Jackson), Jacob Jefferson (Jackson), and Seneca Kelly (Byram).

The New Stage Theatre Arts-in-Education department strives to bring professional, progressive acting instruction to youth throughout Mississippi with its summer camps, yearlong acting classes, and touring workshops. The Broadway Junior Summer Camp Intensive provides a comprehensive theatrical learning experience for ages 11-18.

New Stage Artistic Director Francine Thomas Reynolds said education is an integral part of New Stage’s mission.

“The Broadway Junior camp is one of the most exciting times around the theatre,” Reynolds said. “Not only are the students experiencing the best theatre education and training available in the state of Mississippi, but they are also learning important life-long skills such as problem-solving, self-confidence, and teamwork.”

For more information on the New Stage Theatre Education Programs, call (601) 948-3533 ext. 232, or email education@newstagetheatre.com.