Can my child enroll in a program that is for an older (or younger) age range?
STAGES makes every effort to strictly adhere to our age brackets. We do however recognize that sometimes children fall right on the cusp of an age bracket. In that instance, we work with the parents to make the choice that is in the best interest for not only the child in question, but also for all of the students signed up for the program. Please call the Studio at (207) 699-3330 to discuss these situations with a STAGES representative.
  • What are the qualifications of your Summer Program staff?
STAGES staff members are hired based on three criteria - safety, enthusiasm, and a passion for working with kids. Our Summer staff includes a mix of long-standing theater professionals, experienced early childhood and elementary school educators, and extremely talented college students and young professionals with theater and/or education backgrounds/aspirations. The typical staff to student ratio is 1:5 for the Rising Stars Program, 1:7 for the Junior Repertory Theater Program, and 1:10 for the Student Repertory Theater Program. These ratios do not include the many professional designers, visiting artists, musicians, and other adults who are on hand to supervise and educate the students.
Are STAGES staff and instructors screened before employment?
Yes, all staff who have any interaction with our students are rigorously screened and background checked.
How does STAGES cast the summer shows?
Casting for the Rising Stars (5-6) and Junior Repertory Theater (7-9) programs takes place in the daycamp environment. STAGES instructors work with the students to cast themselves in their own productions. For the Student Repertory Theater Program (10+), STAGES strives to cast students in ways that are fair to all cast members, and to stretch and challenge individual cast members as actors/actresses. STAGES will hold ONE audition weekend in May or June 2011, during which all participants in the 10+ program are invited to come meet with the production staff in a very informal, very FUN environment. STAGES casts the students based on a variety of criteria - the most important factors being readiness, confidence, and comfort level/appropriateness for particular roles. To some extent, past STAGES casting decisions weigh into the casting process, so that the same kids are not cast in the same types of roles time and time again. STAGES does not place a heavy emphasis on prior experience. Because STAGES accepts cast members of all abilities and experience levels, it is far more important to the STAGES team that our cast members are comfortable, adventurous and willing to find the FUN in the theater-making experience. If you have any questions about Summer Rep casting, please email the company at hello@stagesacademy.com.
Can STAGES hold an unpaid spot in the Summer Program for my child?
Unfortunately, STAGES is not able to hold any unpaid spots in our Summer programs. Due to the high demand of interest and STAGES' desire to keep our enrollment process fair to all families, all registrations must be secured with a payment plan deposit.
How do I get tickets for a Summer Program presentation?
Final presentations for our Rising Stars (ages 5-6) and Junior Repertory Theater Program (ages 7-9) are by invitation-only. Each program participant will be able to invite a set number of family and friends to the small presentation in the STAGES Studio. Usually this number is between 5 and 8 invitations per participant. There is no ticket cost associated with these programs. Tickets for the public presentations of the Student Repertory Theater program (10+) productions are made available for families to purchase during a special "Advance Purchase" period held during the first week of each three week program. After the Advance purchase period ends, ticket sales open to the general public. All tickets for all STAGES productions are $13.00, and all seats are general admission. Tickets may be purchased over the phone at (207) 699-3330, or in-person during box office hours to be announced when the summer program begins.

Where are the STAGES productions performed?
The STAGES management works hard to make sure that all of our productions offer an amazing experience for our students. In the summer 2011, the STAGES Student Repertory Theater Company will become the Summer Theater in Residence at The St. Lawrence Arts Center, where we will rehearse and perform over a period of 10 weeks. We are thrilled to partner with our friends at the St. Lawrence, who have hosted some or all of our past summer programs for three years.
Does STAGES offer scholarships or tuition assistance for Summer Program families? STAGES does not at this time offer any merit- or need-based scholarships. Occasionally we do have situations where a current STAGES family privately and anonymously will sponsor a STAGES family on a need basis, but these ae not ongoing/predictable opportunities. There are volume discounts and sibling discounts for all Summer programs for all age levels. STAGES strives to make all of our experiences as affordable as possible for our families, and encourage our families to make full use of our flexible payment plan.
How does the STAGES payment plan work for productions?
The STAGES payment plan allows families to make regular balance payments on a regular basis. All Summer Program registrations must be secured with a 10% deposit at the time of registration. After that point, the remaining balance can be divided on a regular schedule that works for you - you can customize based on the following criteria: Frequency: Weekly (processed on Mondays), Monthly or Bi-Monthly Timing (for Monthly and Bi-Monthly): 1st of month, or 15th of Month Length: You set your monthly amount, and the number of months you will need to pay it off, bearing in mind that STAGES requests that all Summer 2011 programs are paid in full by December 31, 2011. There are no penalties or fees associated with making use of the STAGES payment plan. And the full balance can be paid off at any time. STAGES requires a credit or debit card to run the regular installment plan payments. If you prefer to write checks, it is YOUR responsibility to bring or mail a check so that is received AT LEAST two days prior to your chosen processing dates. If STAGES does not receive a check, your stored credit or debit card will be charged for the payment due.
How secure is the STAGES payment processing system?
Very. STAGES uses a secure, hosted, online schedule, registration and payment processing system specifically designed for Studio based programs like ours. We invite you to visit the website of the ompany - MindBody Universal Business Management to learn more about their stringent security standards and processes at www.mindbodyonline.com. In four years of use, STAGES has not experienced any breach of data or other sensitive information.
Does STAGES accept Summer Champs money for STAGES Summer Programs?
Despite many attempts, STAGES has been unable to become a part of the Summer Champs program. Our understanding is that the Summer Champs program is being phased out from Libra Foundation activities. Please feel free to call Summer Champs and inquire about this.
Can I barter or trade a service in exchange for a tuition waiver?
Typically STAGES does not offer barters or trades for tuition. If you have a specific situation in mind, please feel free to contact us and inquire about it at hello@stagesacademy.com
I've heard there is a Behavior Contract for the Summer Program. Is this true?
STAGES requires all of our Student Repertory Theater Program (10+) participants to sign two behavior contracts before the summer begins. The basic STAGES behavior contact includes a summary of basic behaviors that we feel make the experience at STAGES a positive one for all of our students. These behaviors allow us to maintain the highest level of quality and integrity and to keep our programs completely processed based. And in 2010 STAGES implemented a On-line and Social Media Behavior Contract for the same program to discourage cyber-bullying, or rampant discussion of rehearsal activities and audition results in public online forums.

more to come...