Stagedoor Manor is a

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

training center located in Loch Sheldrake, New York. Since its opening, it has trained thousands of young actors, many of whom have gone on to success in film, television, and theater. Stagedoor Manor is located in a former

Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...

Borscht Belt The Borscht Belt, or Yiddish Alps, is a region which was noted for its summer resorts that catered to Jewish vacationers, especially residents of New York City. The resorts, now mostly defunct, were located in the southern foothills of the Catski ...

resort ( Karmel Hotel) in Loch Sheldrake, New York, that was redesigned in the 1970s. The camp consists of a variety of theatre spaces, including the Carousel, the Cabaret, the Forum, the Merman, and the outdoor Garden Theatre. The four largest theaters are the 350-seat Carl and Elsie Samuelson Theatre, the 250-seat Jack Romano Playhouse, the Oasis Theatre (a theatre-in-the-round), and the new Forum Theatre.

Format

Each summer, Stagedoor Manor holds three three-week-long sessions that start in late June and end in late August. Approximately 280 campers, ranging in age from 10 to 18, attend each session. Over each summer the 170+ staff collaborate with the producers to mount 42 fully realized productions in their 8 onsite venues (3 proscenium theaters, a theater in the round, 2 black boxes, a cabaret style space and a natural outdoor amphitheater). During each three-week session, the camp produces 9

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, 5

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

s, Dramafest (a one-act playwrighting competition), and two unique cabaret performances (the Our Time Cabaret and Player's Ensemble). The program's impact on the careers and networking of child actors was described by film director

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...

in the June 15, 2007, edition of ''

The New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'': "If someone plays that Stagedoor card, it's like whispering the location of a party with a secret location...I could sing you that song from the camp's yearly cabaret, and that's the equivalent of the secret handshake."

Productions

Stagedoor Manor has a series of productions done in partnership with Music Theatre International (MTI), the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

, and other Broadway producers and composers. In 2004, Stagedoor produced

Richard Maltby Jr. Richard Eldridge Maltby Jr. (born October 6, 1937) is an American theatre director and theatrical producer, producer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He conceived and directed the only two musical Revue, revues to win the Tony Award for Best Musical ...

and

David Shire David Lee Shire (born July 3, 1937) is an American songwriter and composer of stage musicals, film and television scores. Among his best known works are the motion picture soundtracks to '' The Big Bus'', '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three' ...

's '' Starting Here, Starting Now''. Maltby and Shire conducted a special workshop with the cast during the rehearsal period and also attended the opening night performance. This revue was performed again in 2013 along with two other Maltby musicals, '' Big: the musical'' and ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a sung-through musical theatre, stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...

'' under Maltby's supervision. The production of Miss Saigon was covered by Broadway.com. In 2006, Stagedoor produced the world-premiere of Disney's ''

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American Musical film, musical television film produced by and aired on Disney Channel as part of the network's List of Disney Channel original films, slate of original television films. The first installmen ...

''. In 2007, Stagedoor produced special workshop productions of '' Avenue Q'' and '' RENT'' in partnership with MTI. In 2008, in partnership with the composer, Stagedoor produced

Andrew Lippa Andrew Lippa (born December 22, 1964) is an American composer, lyricist, libretto, book writer, performer, and theatrical producer, producer. He is a resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City. Early life Lippa was born in Leeds, E ...

's '' The Wild Party''. Later that summer, Stagedoor became the first non-Equity stage to produce Mel Brooks' '' The Producers''. Stagedoor Manor regularly partners with MTI and has done workshop productions (for School Editions) of Aida, Miss Saigon, Avenue Q, Rent, Sweeney Todd, and The Wild Party. In 2012, Stagedoor presented Macy's new musical, "Yes, Virginia." In 1999, Stagedoor Manor staged their own version of the original version of '' Carrie - The Musical'', despite the fact that amateur performing rights were not released for the show at the time. Composer

Michael Gore Michael Gore (born March 5, 1951) is an American composer. He is the younger brother of singer Lesley Gore. Biography A 1969 graduate of the Dwight-Englewood School, Gore received the school's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004. Gore, along wi ...

and book-writer

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American filmmaker. He originally emerged as the writer of blaxploitation films such as ''Black Caesar (film), Black Caesar'' and ''Hell Up in Harlem'' (both 1973), before becomin ...

attended one of the performances.

Media

Stagedoor Manor served as the inspiration for the 2003 independent film '' Camp,'' written and directed by Stagedoor alumnus Todd Graff. In 2006, Stagedoor was the subject of a documentary by Alexandra Shiva. In 2010, ''GQ'' author Mickey Rapkin wrote the book ''Theatre Geek: The Real Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor'', which described the camp's history as it followed the story of several campers through their summer experiences.

Notable alumni

* Adam F. Goldberg * Adam PascalBroadway's Beanie Feldstein, Adam Pascal, Adam Kantor and More Share Their Theatre Camp Memories
''Playbill.'' * Adrienne Shelly * Alexander ChaplinBeloved Stagedoor Manor Teacher Michael Larsen Passes Away
''Broadway World''. * Amanda Aday *

Amy Ryan Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski (born May 3, 1968), known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress. She began her professional stage career in 1987 and made her Broadway debut in 1993 as a replacement in the original production of Wendy W ...

Theatre Camp on SiriusXM
''Stagedoor Manor.'' *

Ansel Elgort Ansel Elgort (born March 14, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He began his acting career with a supporting role in the horror film '' Carrie'' (2013). He gained wider recognition for starring as a teenage cancer patient in the romantic d ...

* Beanie Feldstein *

Ben Platt Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt (producer), Marc Platt and philanthropist Julie Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and ...

* Bijou PhillipsRapkin, Mickey. ''Theatre Geek: The Real Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor, the Famous Performing Arts Camp.'' Simon and Schuster, 2010. *

Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard (born March 2, 1981) is an American actress and director. The eldest child of filmmaker Ron Howard, she studied acting at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. While portraying Characters in As You Like It#Rosali ...

* Brett Davern * David Quinn * EJ Dickson * Erich Bergen *

Fred Melamed Fred Melamed (born May 13, 1956) is an American actor. After spending most of his early career primarily as a renowned voice over artist, and occasionally playing small roles in films, notably in seven films directed by Woody Allen, he establish ...

* Gordon Greenberg * Helen SlaterREAL LIFE "CAMP" ALUM REUNITE
''Broadway World.'' * Jason Wise *

Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, (born November 10, 1961) is an American composer and Arrangement, musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical com ...

* Jeff Blumenkrantz * Jeff Ward * Jeffrey Sharp *

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...

Jon Cryer Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor. Born into a show business family, he made his film debut with a lead role in ''No Small Affair'' (1984); his breakout role was as Duckie in the John Hughes (filmmaker), John Hughe ...

* Jonathan Lovitz * Jonathan Marc Sherman *

Josh Charles Joshua Aaron Charles (born September 15, 1971) is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is best known for the roles of Dan Rydell on '' Sports Night, '' Will Gardner on '' The Good Wife'', which earned him two Primetime Emmy Awar ...

* Julia Murney *

Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati ( ; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables'' (1995–1996), ''Ragtime'' (1997–1999), ''Fid ...

* Lily Halpern *

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...

Mary Stuart Masterson Mary Stuart Masterson (born June 28, 1966) is an American actress and director. After making her acting debut as a Child actor, child in The Stepford Wives (1975 film), ''The Stepford Wives'' (1975), Masterson took a ten-year hiatus to focus on ...

* Mia Tyler *

Michael Ian Black Michael Ian Black ( né Schwartz; August 12, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including ''The State'', '' Viva Variety'', '' Stella'', '' Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp'', ...

* Michelle Federer * Molly Brown *

Natalie Portman Natalie Hershlag{{efn, Some Hebrew sources claim that her birth name was "Neta-Lee Hershleg" ({{langx, he, נטע-לי הרשלג) and later, her first name was Americanized to "Natalie". {{Cite news , last=Shamir , first=Oron , date=August ...

* Nicky Silver * Rachel Chavkin * Randy Harrison *

Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...

Sebastian Stan Sebastian Stan (born August 13, 1982) is a Romania-born American actor. Known for his work in both blockbuster and independent films, his accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Silver Bear, in addition to nominations for an Academy A ...

Shaina Taub Shaina Taub is an American actress, singer, musician, and Tony Award-winning composer. Early life Taub was born in Waitsfield, Vermont and attended the theater camp Stagedoor Manor. Taub's interest in social justice started at a young age. At 16 ...

* Skylar Astin * Todd Graff * Yancey Arias *

Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff (born April 6, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He portrayed J.D. (Scrubs), John Michael "J.D." Dorian on the NBC/American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Scrubs (TV series), Scrubs'' (2001–2010), for ...

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.stagedoormanor.com/ Summer camps in New York (state) Catskills Fallsburg, New York Buildings and structures in Sullivan County, New York pt:Stagedoor Manor