Summer theater camp draws 80 youth, packs house for final production
EPHRAIM—A cast of 80 youth actors capped a two-week theater camp with full houses at Manti High School on Friday and Monday, presenting the one-hour musical “Honk! Jr.,” a retelling of “The Ugly Duckling.”
The camp, run by Ephraim Recreation Events Coordinator and lifelong theatre kid Amanda Hansen, and hosted in partnership with Manto High School, staged shows June 14 and 16. Ticket and concession revenue went straight to the choir’s operating fund.
Hansen called the arrangement a “win-win,” noting that the school supplies lights, sound and a 750-seat auditorium, while the choir earns ticket sale money. Registration fees cover the camp’s other costs, but the equipment onstage is largely owned and donated by Hansen’s family.
Hansen has produced theater camps since 2017. The past two seasons operated under a grant that encourages youth programs designed to steer children away from drugs and tobacco.
“They asked what I’d do if money wasn’t an issue, and I said theater camp — it’s the best thing for kids,” she said.
Demand outpaced supply this year. Registration filled in less than 24 hours, and 30 children landed on a wait list by the second day. To make room, Hansen double-cast the principal roles and created separate A and B ensembles, her first time using that system.
“We wanted to accommodate as many kids as we could,” she said.
Choosing “Honk! Jr.” fit both the large cast and Hansen’s curricular goal. She selected the script for its message that “everybody’s different in some way … and we need to be respectful and kind, especially to someone who’s different,” she said. Camp T-shirts carried a second theme, “Someone’s going to love you ‘warts and all,’” highlighting the show’s lesson on accepting imperfections.
The schedule was intentionally intense. Staff and volunteers meet the cast each weekday from morning to mid-afternoon, mounting the production in 11 working days.
“We put this show together in 11 days from start to finish,” Hansen said, adding that months of advance design work on sets and costumes make the rapid pace possible.
Parent volunteers anchor the operation, Hansen says.
A core group of mothers logged eight to 10 volunteer hours a day, building scenery, supervising backstage traffic and altering costumes. Hansen’s daughter designed wardrobes “for a fraction of what anyone else would charge,” while another daughter ran spotlights from the booth.
Managing so many performers—especially those younger than 10—proved the season’s biggest hurdle.
“The sheer number of kids was hard,” Hansen said. She is considering raising the minimum age to 10 next summer so that elementary-age actors attend full rehearsals and arrive prepared.
Financing the camp after the grant funding ends remains uncertain. The grant is in its third year, and renewal is not guaranteed. Hansen is applying for county RAP tax dollars, courting private sponsors and weighing a modest hike in registration fees.
“Theater is expensive,” she said, but she intends to continue even if outside funding dries up.
Looking ahead, she hopes to revive “Peter Pan Jr.,” her very first camp production title eight years ago—if a revised script becomes available. Long range, Hansen plans to cycle through five or six junior shows every four to five years, reusing sets and costumes to keep costs down.
Hansen also wants to rebuild a dormant community-theater program in Sanpete County, arguing that local offerings tilt heavily toward sports, leaving few options for kids who are more artistically inclined.
“My long-term hope is to start a community theater again,” she said.
For now, the focus returns to next June. Hansen has already reserved the first two weeks of the month at Manti High to match families’ summer calendars. After the final bows on Monday night, several young actors lingered in costume with tears in their eyes, reluctant to leave the stage that had become their summer classroom and space for artistic expression.