BEVERLY & S. HAMILTON, MA: North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) in Beverly, MA and Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA have joined forces to create even greater opportunities for theater arts education on the North Shore.

Beginning this summer, Pingree School will offer classroom, rehearsal and performance spaces for NSMT’s Summer Stages programs. Members of Pingree faculty will also be working closely with NSMT’s staff to produce one-hour versions of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland and Seussical.

According to Burgess Clark, NSMT’s Director of Education, the collaboration is a key step toward expanding education programs in the community. “We are thrilled to work with the staff and students of Pingree School on furthering our mission of providing top-quality education programs for children of all ages. An overwhelming need exists for theater arts and education programs for students, and through our partnership with Pingree we are able to provide expanded classes and opportunities for young adults who are interested in musical theater.”

In addition to the Summer Stages program, two Pingree School students will be completing their Senior Projects at North Shore Music Theatre. Peabody resident Melanie Garber, who will be attending Emerson College, will be assisting Mr. Clark with NSMT’s education programs, and Ipswich resident Kendra Cerratani will be assisting Richard Stafford, the director and choreographer of NSMT’s production of Fame. Zach Weltler, a junior from South Hamilton, will also be participating in a summer internship, assisting Pingree faculty member and Technical Director Neal Truesdale with the Summer Stages program. Three Pingree students, freshman Cara Lemire of Andover, junior Samantha Kalish of Georgetown, and sophomore Sean Cournoyer of South Hamilton will also be participating in NSMT’s Summer Youth Performance Academy.

“It is truly exciting to have the opportunity to partner with North Shore Music Theatre,” said Lynn Weltler, Pingree faculty member and director of Alice in Wonderland. “Having an affiliation with one of the nation’s outstanding regional theatres affords our students an experience of a lifetime. This type of partnership is seldom afforded to even college students. Pingree students will be a step ahead of their contemporaries when embarking on a career in the arts.”

Dedicated to academic excellence and the development of high personal standards, Pingree believes that a love of learning flourishes best in a diverse community that respects integrity, trust, curiosity, creativity, humor and independent thinking. Above all, Pingree hopes to instill in its students a sense of decency, compassion, self-esteem, and commitment to one another and the world at large.

North Shore Music Theatre’s award-winning theatre arts and education programs and youth performances annually reach over 100,000 students. The Theatre’s Youth Performance Academy attracts thousands of students from 4 – 18 years old who are interested in exploring the world of music, theatre and dance and honing their craft. In 2005, NSMT’s Youth Performance Academy received the Junior Theater Festival’s Outstanding Achievement in Musical Performance Award and the Outstanding Achievement in Choreography Award for its performance of Disney’s Cinderella Kids. With partnerships with Music Theatre International (MTI) and Disney Theatricals, NSMT has become the model for schools and organizations around the country and is one of the region’s leading providers of theatre arts and education programs.