One thing my family and I look forward to each summer are the Summer Stage performances at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center.   If you are not familiar with Summer Stage, it is a wonderful program which entertains the community each summer with children's shows and Broadway musicals in addition to teaching young performers acting, dancing, singing, and stagecraft.   Participants in the Summer Stage program study theatre and perform for the community in one of the series of summer shows.  As evidenced by these performers, there is an incredible amount of talent in Delaware County and the shows are fantastic.

This year the Children's Series offers : Peter Pan, Elliot and the Magic Bed, Alice in Wonderland, Jr., Pinocchio, A Real Boy, School House Rock Live, Jr., and Willy Wonka, Jr.  The Mainstage Performance, geared to older audiences is My Favorite Year based on the 1982 movie starring Peter O'Toole.  Having already attended the performances of Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio I highly recommend you try to check out one of the remaining performances. 

These are not the children's stories you remember reading as a child, as they offer music, dancing, and are updated to appeal to the children of today.  For example, in the updated version of Pinocchio, the title character, whose nose grows every time he disobeys his father, skips school in favor of hanging out at the mall to play in the video arcade.  He must still learn right from wrong in order to become a real boy, only this time Pinocchio lives in a world of cell phones, high tech toys, and hip hop music and not a small Italian village.  The shows are funny and entertaining, and it is hard to believe the people on stage are local young performers and not professional actors.  I also attended a past year performance of Beauty and the Beast and heard many people commenting after the show that the quality of the performance was better than some Broadway shows. 

The Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is located at 601 North Lansdowne Avenue, in Drexel Hill PA.  The Box Office phone number is (610) 622-1189 or you can find more information online at www.udpac.org.   Did I mention tickets start at only $5?