Spring & Summer 2025 Programs
Sing-Away Camp
Location: The Philipstown Depot Theatre
Age: Rising 1st-3rd graders
Instructors: Anna Malinoski Stephens and Annie Claffey
Dates: 8/11-8/15, 9am-2pm
Cost: $375
Class size: 8-15
The Depot’s Sing-Away Camp, for our youngest thespians, will center around creating a musical ensemble. Kids will work on musical numbers from a few different Broadway shows and will rehearse together to present those songs at the end of the week. A great way to dip your toes into what it might be like being in a full show! Join us for a fun-filled week of theatre games, singing, dancing, crafting, creative play, and more!
Annie Claffey:
Annie is so excited to be back with Anna at The Depot Theatre for another fun summer! Annie has worked for Rock and Roll Playhouse, Disney Cruise Line, Theatreworks USA, and toured the world with multiple children’s theatre productions. But nowadays she’s happy to be hanging at home with Metta and Van, who put on performances for her!
Anna Malinoski Stephens:
Anna is so excited to be back with Annie for another fun summer at The Depot! Anna has worked in the theatre as an actor, educator & facilitator for the past 25 years with places such as Primary Stages, Prospect Theater Company, Pittsburgh CLO and TheatreworksUSA. She lives in Cold Spring with her three kids who do NOT want to hear her sing, and her husband who SOMETIMES does. ;)
The Music Man Jr.
Location: The Philipstown Depot Theatre
Age: Rising 4-7th graders
Instructors: Helen Hutchison, Quinn Manning and Louise Denehy.
Musical Director: Daniel Kelly
Dates: Weekdays starting 6/30- 7/24, 9am-2pm (no rehearsal 7/4)
Performances: 5 shows, 7/24-7/26
Cost: $750
Class size: 15-25
Join the Depot Theatre for our summer youth production of Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man Jr! This classic American musical follows smooth-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into giving him money for a band he vows to organize. But Hill’s plans to skip town with the cash begin to unravel as he starts caring for Marian, the town librarian, and the good people of River City as well. This show features a robust, active ensemble and a variety of imaginative roles, so there’s sure to be something for everyone!
This unique theatrical opportunity offers a chance for budding thespians to work with, and learn from, seasoned Depot teens through our Professional Mentorship Program. Beginning in 2015 and reimagined in 2025, our PMP offers teens who are interested in the theater arts (directing, stage managing, choreography, and more) an opportunity to learn these skills from professionals, and then implement them by directing, designing, and managing the Depot Youth summer production.
We hope you’ll join us for a summer of theatrical exploration, learning, and performance!
Daniel Kelly:
An artist who has been called “stunningly original” with “a visionary imagination,” composer and pianist, Daniel Kelly explores the meeting place of music with literature, visual art and journalism, captivating audiences across the country. Kelly’s music has been declared “powerfully moving” by Time Out New York. He has performed with GRAMMY-award winning jazz artists Joe Lovano & Nicole Zuraitis, hip-hop star Lauryn Hill, the cutting-edge modern classical ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars and a long list of jazz musicians such as NEA Jazz Masters Dave Liebman & Sheila Jordan, Don Byron, Donny McCaslin & many others. Dedicated to creating art for young people, he has performed for countless students throughout the country over the past 25 years with storyteller and poet, David Gonzalez. His Shakespeare in Jazz project sets the Bard’s words to engaging jazz songs and has toured throughout the US. He has composed for chamber orchestra, string quartet, film and multimedia theater works & has released five CDs of original compositions.
www.danielkellymusic.com IG: @danielkellypiano. FB:DanielKellyMusic
Curtains
Location: The Philipstown Depot Theatre
Age: Rising 8th-12th graders
Director: Natalie Arneson, Musical Director: Daniel Kelly
Dates: Weekdays 6/30-7/31 (no rehearsal 7/4)
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm full cast (5:30pm-6:30pm select performers, as needed)
Performances: 6 shows, 7/31-8/3
Cost: $595
Class size: 13-25
Join the Depot Theatre for our summer teen production of Curtains! This show is packed with glorious tunes by Kander & Ebb, and a witty, charming book by Rupert Holmes. Curtains is a hilarious musical comedy whodunit set in the brassy, bright, and promising year of 1959 as Boston’s Colonial Theatre is playing host to the opening night performance of a new musical. When the leading lady mysteriously dies on stage…the entire cast and crew are suspects. Enter a local detective, who just happens to be a passionate musical theatre fan!
With so many fun, creative roles and an involved, active ensemble, this show has something for everyone. We hope you’ll join us for a summer of theatrical exploration, learning, and performance!
Natalie Arneson:
Natalie Arneson is a director, actor, singer, and anime voiceover artist. She won the 2016 Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets Award for Best Female Debut for her original show “Mama Drama.” In New York she has appeared onstage with Playhouse Creatures, MCC, and The New York Musical Festival, and headlined at The Metropolitan Room, The Duplex, and Don’t Tell Mama. She graduated from the Guildford School of Acting in England with a BA in Musical Theatre. She appears regularly at 54 Below in “Sondheim Unplugged” and is featured on the Sondheim Unplugged album that debuted at number one on Amazon Music. In addition to her work on the stage, Natalie has spent over 20 years cultivating the next generation of artists. Most recently, she has worked with young people at Sleepy Hollow High School, Croton Academy of Arts, The Philipstown Depot Theatre, James I. O’Neill High School, Haldane Elementary, and New Era Creative Space. Her students have been accepted to performing arts high schools and colleges, appeared in national television commercials, and performed both off and on Broadway. Her favorite thing in the world is helping young people find their voice, whether onstage or off, and is immensely grateful for the opportunity to work with your children.
About our youth programs:
Our youngest students, kids in first through third grades, are introduced to theater through a series of fun, interactive classes: Stories for the Stage; Making a Play; and Twisted Tales. Older participants, in fourth through seventh grades, perform scripted plays in the spring and fall. In our Teen Mentor program, teens meet with theatre professionals over the course of a year, study the many facets of staging a play, including directing, set design, costumes, choreography, stage-managing, marketing and development, and put what they learn into practice.
Each summer we stage a pair of ambitious musicals: one stars middle schoolers and is produced entirely by the members of our teen mentor program; the other stars teens under the guidance of experienced directors, choreographers and set designers.
The kids and teens who participate in the Depot’s youth programs get hands-on experience in a working theater. They feel the incandescent thrill of putting on a show. And they learn a lot, too. In addition to the singing and dancing, kids develop their speaking and listening skills. They learn the value of preparation and how to handle the unexpected. They learn how to stand in the spotlight and work together as part of a team toward a common goal. And they have plenty of fun.
To learn more, write depottheatremembership@gmail.com or call (845)424-3900.
