Stagedoor Manor Hosts 'A Weekend in the Country with the Music of Stephen Sondheim'

Stagedoor Manor, the world-renowned summer training center for future stars, located in the Catskill Mountains, announced today that this summer it will honor award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. A celebration at Stagedoor, aptly titled "A Weekend in the Country with the Music of Stephen Sondheim," will showcase and pay tribute to Mr. Sondheim's amazing contributions to music and the theater.

During "A Weekend in the Country with the Music of Stephen Sondheim," Stagedoor students will mount six full-scale productions of Sondheim plays: Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods, Side by Side by Sondheim, and current hit revival on Broadway, West Side Story.

Stagedoor has a long history with Mr. Sondheim, who made a cameo appearance in the 2003 movie Camp, which was filmed at and based on Stagedoor. As Stagedoor Production Director Konnie Kittrell put it, "Stephen Sondheim's shows are the most requested by our students. We have a large number of graduating seniors this season, and this is our gift to them." According to Mr. Sondheim, he is "blushingly flattered" by Stagedoor's upcoming tribute.

Last summer Stagedoor successfully premiered Dramafest, a program to discover and encourage the next generation of playwrights that is modeled on Mr. Sondheim's Young Playwrights Inc. Selected winners direct and produce their scripts while at Stagedoor, then have their work published through Samuel French, Inc. Mr. Sondheim commented, "Dramafest sounds terrific--a welcome parallel to the Young Playwrights Festival. By all means, let's keep them writing!"

Stagedoor Manor, founded by the Samuelson family in 1975 and now under the direction of daughter Cindy Samuelson, offers a summer program where young people between the ages of 10 and 18 can discover their creative potential and hone their talents through professional-level training in the performing arts. Stagedoor students come from all over the world. Notable alumni include Robert Downey Jr., Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Mandy Moore, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jon Cryer, to name just a few. Alumni who have gone on to noteworthy careers behind the scenes include director Shawn Levy, composer Jeanine Tesori, and writer Jonathan Marc Sherman. For more information on Stagedoor, please visit www.stagedoormanor.com.

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