(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage is proud to highlight Harry Patrick Christian, Director, and Vanessa Parvin, Musical Director, for its Vivid Dreamers summer theatre program. This theatre camp is open to students entering grades 5 through 12 from July 8 through July 26, 2024. Christian has directed the camp for the past two years, and Parvin has been vocal coach and musical director for over ten years.
Harry Patrick Christian is a long-time member of both the award-winning acting company here at Vivid Stage and the renowned Pushcart Players. He has performed in several original off-Broadway productions in NYC, national and international touring shows, TV, radio, and at many of NJ’s best professional theaters. Harry is a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA, directs at the Del E. Webb Center in Arizona, and is a teaching artist with the Passaic Police Department Youth Services Division.
Vanessa Parvin has performed with Broadway’s Ben Vereen, Carol Lawrence, Sally Struthers, Nancy Anderson, Burke Moses, and Eden Espinosa, among others. She is the soprano for MAC Award-winning vocal quintet Marquee Five, recently described as “Manhattan Transfer for the new millennium.” Vanessa holds a BA in Music from UCLA and a MFA in Theater from Brooklyn College.
Vivid’s program is a three-week theatre experience which combines training, in which students build skills and study with theatre professionals in a variety of subjects, with the opportunity for students to create and perform their own play. Recent original shows have been entitled Awesomeland, Snowed Inn, The Do-Over and Label Maker/Label Breaker. The program will be held Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm (with a special afternoon performance July 26) at Vivid’s home at the Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue in Summit.
At Vivid Dreamers, they believe in having fun while developing real skills under the guidance of professionals. Vivid Dreamers is an enjoyable way for students in grades 5 through 12 to explore their interest in the performing arts during their summer vacation. Students receive individual attention, constructive feedback, and the support needed to achieve their personal goals.
The cost of the Vivid Dreamers Summer Theatre Program is $900 for three weeks, with limited need-based scholarships available through a grant from the Investors Foundation. Registration and more information can be found at Vivid Dreamers. The theatre at Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible. Classes will be held at Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, New Jersey.
Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs. The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.
Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Summit Foundation and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
