Rising 2nd - 9th graders. Children who are entering 2nd grade thru 9th grade at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Please note: there is a fair amount of reading involved in this camp, especially when scripts are first distributed and lines/solos are being assigned. Staff is happy to assist, but please be aware that your younger child may need assistance at home, depending on their reading level.

The Athenaeum, 2936 N. Southport Ave, Chicago

Summer Musical Theatre Camp '25 is 4 WEEKS this year. It's a full day camp that runs Monday, June 16th to Friday, July 11, M-F, 8:30am-4pm. (Flexible Drop-off 8:30am-9am, Flexible Pickup 3:45-4pm). Shows will be the weekend of July 11th. Friday 7/11 at 6:30pm. Saturday 7/12 at 2pm AND 6:30pm. Sunday 7/13 at 2pm. Call times for Young Performers will be 1 hour before show times. Performances are open to the public. Seats must be reserved as space is limited. Tickets are priced pay what you want as part of our mission to make theatre accessible for as many people as possible. Any donations received for seat reservations will be put back into GingerSnap Performing Arts to continue to create more quality theatre programming for kids. To reserve seats for the shows, head to our "See a Show" tab on our website.

EARLY BIRD PRICING goes until 2/15/2025: $1700 for ALL 4 weeks. After 2/15/2025, the price goes up to $1800. Sibling discount available and will be automatically added to your Registration Fee Invoice when you signup siblings on the same SignUp Form. 2nd child: $100 off 3rd child: $125 off 4th child: $150 off Once you fill out the SignUp Form, you will automatically be sent a Registration Fee Invoice that will reflect the total number of children signed up, plus any sibling discounts that apply. From your invoice, you can pay with a Secure ACH Bank Transfer (preferred), credit, debit, or send a check in the mail (email for receiving address). $400 minimum non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. You can opt to pay your entire invoice in full or pay in installments, over time, starting with the $400 deposit as your first payment. To pay in installments, click the edit button next to the total amount due on your invoice and enter the amount you wish to pay. You can revisit your invoice as many times as you'd like until your invoice is paid in full. You may be eligible for sliding scale pricing. If you believe you are, please email us for more info.

Fill out the SMTC '25 SignUp Form by clicking the SignUp button on this page. When you submit your SignUp Form, you will automatically be sent a Registration Fee Invoice. To hold your spot, a minimum $400 non-refundable deposit must be sent. For more info on how to pay, checkout the message at the bottom of your attached invoice or see the FAQ "How to Pay" section. If you are Signing Up a sibling from the same family, please sign them up on the same SignUp form.

When you fill out the SMTC '25 SignUp Form, you will automatically be sent a Registration Fee Invoice that will reflect the total number of children signed up, plus any sibling discounts that apply. From your invoice, you can pay with a Secure ACH Bank Transfer (preferred), credit, debit, or send a check in the mail (email for receiving address). $400 minimum non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. You can opt to pay your entire invoice in full or pay in installments, over time, starting with the $400 deposit as your first payment. To pay in installments, click the edit button next to the total amount due on your invoice and enter the amount you wish to pay. You can revisit your invoice as many times as you'd like until your invoice is paid in full. $400 Deposit is non-refundable as is required in order to hold your spot in camp. No refunds of any kind after 2/15/2025. $1700 for all 4 weeks. Early Bird Pricing ends 2/15/25. Invoice must be paid in full by 2/15/25 to keep Early Bird Price $1800 for all 4 weeks if you sign up AFTER 2/15/25 Sibling discounts: 2nd child: $100 off 3rd child: $125 4th child: $150

GingerSnap Performing Arts employs teaching artists who are also professional performers in their field to work with the kids on all of our shows. Our choreographer, Elisa Carlson, is a professional dancer and musician with an extensive background in education. Our director, Shanae Sterba, is a professional dancer and has almost a decade of experience directing large musicals with a big cast of children. Our Music Director and Production Manager, Sadie Rose Glaspey, has worked with kids in theatre for 15 years and is also a violinist, actor, and singer, with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Chicago College of the Performing Arts. More staff info to come!

A day at camp will consist of flexible drop off at The Athenaeum between 8:30am-9am. There is a U-shaped driveway at the Athenaeum which makes for quick and easy car drop off, without having to park. Once everyone has arrived, we will head up to our space on the 3rd floor to do a group warm-up to make sure our bodies, minds, and voices are ready to rehearse. From 9am-9:30am we will play a few theatre games as a big group or in a few small groups. From 9:30am-10:30am, we will rehearse show materials 10:30am we will have a quick snack break 10:45-11:45am, another show rehearsal. 11:45-12:45pm is lunch! If weather permits, we will walk to South Lakeview Park, 1300 Wolfram. If not, we will have lunch in our space at the Athenaeum 1pm-2pm, show rehearsal 2-2:30pm, we will spend some time playing a theatre game or taking a break, whichever is needed most by the group. 2:30-3:30pm, show rehearsal. 3:30pm-3:45pm is clean up, end of day meditation 3:45-4pm: Flexible PickUp. Just like drop off, meet us at the front driveway

SMTC '25 culminates in a full weekend of professionally produced shows. Seating is open to the public and will take place in Studio A, the 70 seat Black Box Theatre on the 3rd FL at the Athenaeum. Show#1: Friday, 7/11/25: 6:30pm. Audience seating begins at 6pm. Young Performers called at 5pm to get into costume and prepare Show#2: Saturday, 7/12/25: 2pm. Audience seating begins at 1:30pm. Young Performers called at 12:30pm to get into costume and prepare Show#3: Saturday, 7/12/25: 6:30pm. Audience seating begins at 6pm. Young Performers called at 5pm to get into costume and prepare Show#4: Sunday, 7/13/25: 2pm. Audience seating begins at 1:30pm. Young Performers called at 12:30pm to get into costume and prepare All Young Performers are in all 4 shows. We do not do rotating casts for this program. When signing up for SMTC '25, please make sure you are available for all 4 shows. Show run time will be 90 minutes at most, with no intermission.

When we do a musical, we do it all! Costumes, set, props, stage lighting, and professional show music created for us and licensed by Music Theatre International (MTI) in partnership with Disney. Most of the hard work happens before we get to talk about costumes, but when we add those, things really start to come to life! All costumes are designed and fitted to each specific child by our in-house professional costume designer, Amy Chmielewski. We'll have a set and props built just for our show, specifically meant to fit the specs of Studio A Black Box Theatre on the 3rd FL, designed and built by Sadie Rose and her husband Patrick. All shows are open to the public. Anyone is allowed to reserve a seat and come enjoy the show! This is a great first audience experience for younger siblings and younger children in general. It's so fun to have kids watch kids do such amazing things onstage!

All campers will bring the following: -Water Bottle -Bag lunch -Snacks if desired -Close toed shoes and socks (sneakers or tenis shoes are perfect. Jazz shoes if desired) -Movement friendly clothing (let us know if you have questions!). We'll all be moving a lot and dancing every day. -Their Script which each Young Performer will receive on the first day of camp -A Pencil -A backpack or bag to carry it all around in as we will be moving between different spaces throughout the day. -A sweatshirt or sweater as sometimes air conditioned spaces can be a bit chilly, depending on the weather.

-4 weeks of rehearsal filled fun! -Instruction from very talented teaching artists and professional performers -1 weekend of public performances in a 70 seat Black Box Theatre -Each camper will receive their own script and may keep it after the show is over if they so choose. -Costumes designed by our resident costumer will be fitted to each child based on casting. Some items such as shoes and underclothes may need to be brought from home. If assistance is needed for those few items, we're always happy to help. -An amazing opportunity to learn new skills, practice old skills, be apart of the Chicago theatre community, and create lifelong friendships through the love of theatre.

Your child's health and safety while involved in any GingerSnap Performing Arts programming is our top priority. -First Aid kits will be available at all times during camp in case of small scrapes and bruises. All injuries will be diligently reported to guardians -We will create a welcoming environment where our campers feel safe and supported in all of our activities to not only support their physical health, but also their mental health and wellness. -We will take down all allergy and injury information at the time of programming and make sure to create a safe environment for all young performers in that regard. -All bodies welcome! Theatre is very versatile. If your child wants to be in our show, we want them there! Don't hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns in this regard. -All CDC and City of Chicago Health and Safety Guidelines concerning COVID-19 or any other major health concern at the time of programming will be followed

We reserve the right to cancel a session or class due to low enrollment. If GingerSnap PA cancels a service, full refunds will be issued to anyone who has paid their registration fees. You can also opt to forgo the refund and put that same amount of money already paid towards any future camp or class.

In order to reserve your spot for camp, a $400 non-refundable deposit must be sent through the Registration Fee Invoice you will receive via email after you submit your SMTC '25 SignUp Form. You can opt to pay in full as well. The $400 deposit will be included in your total. All remainder of your invoice must be paid in full by the due date unless otherwise discussed. No refunds of any kind after 2/15/2025. Especially for Summer Musical Theatre Camp, space is extremely limited and we are continuously buying supplies, costumes, set pieces, and making plans based on the cast of kids we have signing up and preparing things specifically for the group. Please plan accordingly. The only time GingerSnap Performing Arts will issue refunds past the 2/15 deadline is if the class or program is cancelled by GingerSnap Performing Arts due to no/extremely low enrollment or force majeure.