MSU Summer Scholars presents āPrimetime Pilotsā this week
Contact: James Carskadon
![Ā鶹“«Ć½ State University freshman Spencer Floyd of Mooreville works on the lighting in the McComas Hall theater ahead of the Summer Scholars Onstage Camp presentation of āPrimetime Pilotsā on Friday and Saturday [July 22-23]. Admission to the musical is free and open to the public. (Photo by Sarah Dutton)](/sites/www.msstate.edu/files/inline-images/Summer_Scholars_Onstage_Camp.jpg "Ā鶹“«Ć½ State University freshman Spencer Floyd works on the lighting in the McComas Hall theater ahead of the Summer Scholars Onstage Camp presentation of āPrimetime Pilotsā on Friday and Saturday [July 22-23]. Admission to the musical is free and op")
STARKVILLE, Miss.āĀ鶹“«Ć½ Stateās Summer Scholars Onstage Camp will engage audiences when it presents a musical comedy Friday and Saturday [July 22 and 23] on the McComas Hall main stage.
Titled āPrimetime Pilots,ā the 2016 three-act student collaboration will mark the popular university campās 35th consecutive production. Curtain time for Fridayās show is 7 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m.
Admission is free to all, as is a reception that follows Fridayās show in the McComas Hall lobby.
A three-week residential program sponsored by the College of Education, Summer Scholars brings together mostly gifted middle and high school students to handle all writing, scoring and production duties.
Despite the title, āPrimetime Pilotsā is about television, not aviation. As a plot twist, McComas audience members will be asked to help determine the fate of three proposed shows.
Parodying such small-screen staples as teen comedies and dramas, celebrity-based competitions and superhero-science fiction-fantasy genres, each act involves a distinct plotline in which actors give hints of future developments that, by the end, tells a complete tale.
The Ā鶹“«Ć½ Arts Commission is co-sponsor of the special summer program that director Joe Ray Underwood founded in the early 1980s. Campers are guided by experienced musicians, choreographers and costumers, as well a director and other staff, he said.
āWe surround them with good models,ā Underwood said of the creative process. āWe really do promote person well-being and try to give (the campers) confidence.ā
A Ā鶹“«Ć½ State professor emeritus of counseling and educational psychology, Underwood is an alumnus of the land-grant institution who served as its 1966-67 Student Association president.
Following a traditional format, Summer Scholars 2016 began with a weeklong session devoted solely to original script composition. This is followed by two weeks of highly organized production chaos that brings the music and dialogue together for a final package.
Musical director Kris Lee is an MSU communication/theatre graduate and Summer Scholars alumnus now teaching creative writing and drama at Ā鶹“«Ć½ University for Women in Columbus.
Recalling his own camper days in the early 1990s, Lee credits that participation with forming an āindelibleā part of his upbringing. It also made him eager to accept former director Paula Mabryās request to follow her as play director, he emphasized.
āFor me, itās now nostalgic,ā Lee said. āI love giving back to this community.ā
Lee expressed confidence that Summer Scholars will continue to find ways to appeal to young students that are developingāor already haveāa deep interest in the varied facets of stage production.
He noted that this yearās session included a three-student group focused solely on composing music for the different acts. In addition to all of the dialogue, 11 of the productionās 15 musical numbers are camper-created, he added.
āItās a very intense three weeks, but you leave with friendships and a strong sense of confidence,ā Lee said. āIt really does build character.ā
For more about Summer Scholars Onstage, visit .
Complete information on the MSU College of Education is found at .
MSU is Ā鶹“«Ć½ās leading university, available online at .