5 & Dime Teams with New Shortstack Theatre Company for Summer Camp

Local theatre, The 5 & Dime, is announcing a new summer camp program in partnership with Shortstack Theatre Company. Shortstack is the passion project of recent graduates from Jacksonville's Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. These students, who are currently pursuing fine arts degrees at colleges around the country, have returned home for the summer to share their love of theatre with the next generation of rising stars.

"Some of my greatest memories are of local Jacksonville theatre," said Emily Suarez, Shortstack artistic/managing director and rising sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University. "Theatre is a community and I am so grateful to come home and share my experiences."

"We want to give children an experience they will remember, one that will hopefully inspire them to pursue theatre in the future," added Mackenzy Clyne, Shortstack operations director and rising sophomore at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.

The summer camp will consist of three one-week programs in July: the Flapjacks Acting Camp for five to 10 year-olds and the Hotcakes Acting Camp and Silver Dollar Musical Theatre Camp for rising sixth through tenth graders.

"We are excited to host Shortstack Theatre Company for the program," said Lee Hamby, managing director of The 5 & Dime. "We have a mutual goal of keeping 'local talent local' and are excited to provide access to the most current training and techniques from some of the best schools in the country."

The camp will be managed by the Shortstack Theatre Company founders: Nathaniel Bangi (Emerson College), MacKenzy Clyne (Point Park University), Alec Cosentino (DePaul University), Avery Sedlacek (Shenandoah University) and Emily Suarez (Carnegie Mellon University). Logan Smith (Shenandoah University) will join them as music director.

For more information on The 5 & Dime Theatre Summer Camp Featuring Shortstack Theatre Company, visit www.the5anddime.org/education.

The 5 & Dime tells stories that engage, inspire, entertain, and challenge audiences, nurturing a rich artistic culture in Jacksonville's Urban Core.

A group of artists and friends came together with a common goal: to make a change in the Jacksonville cultural arts community. From this, The 5 & Dime, a Theatre Company, was born.

The 5 & Dime opens doors to and for all artists of all disciplines whose passion, skill, drive and enthusiasm need a place to call home. We hope to facilitate diverse opportunities and a supportive environment to feature flourishing talent and collaboration.