Twenty years ago, Phyllis Kasdin saw a need for a children’s performing arts camp in Rochester.
“My goal was to give them a sense of self-esteem and a taste of the commitment it takes to be in any of the performing arts, and to expose them to theater and how it can help them later in life,” the Brighton resident said.
Kasdin started On Stage at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester. The 2010 camp had its final performance Thursday night. The curtain also closed on the camp — which Kasdin doesn’t think will continue next year.
The camp’s first musical, “All Singing! All Dancing! All Kids,” was also its last. Kasdin’s daughter Karin wrote the original script, which tells the story of a group of kids putting on a musical. Phyllis wrote all of the other shows over the years.
This year, the camp’s participants were between the ages of 7 and 17.
“I liked watching the kids learn,” said Jessica Kellner, 16, who helped teach younger campers.
“It’s really amazing how much they can memorize and how fast they can learn all the dance moves within such a short period of time.”
Phyllis has kept the camp running because she loves the kids who take part. “They keep me young,” she said.
“I see these kids grow,” she added. “Kids will start at 8 and barely open their mouths and by the time they’re 12, they’re belting out songs and acting, and that’s very satisfying.”
Brighton resident Josh Shapiro, 20, attended the camp for many years. He said the staff and other campers made it a special experience.
“Without Phyllis it wouldn’t have been On Stage,” he said. “She was the anchor that kept program running and kept it sincere and genuine.”
Shapiro is currently pursuing a singing career, studying musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
Phyllis also directed several intergenerational plays at the JCC over the years. Jeff Sanzel was in one in the 1970s when he was about 12. He and other children worked with performers much older than them.
“These were not people whom we saw as ‘grandmothers,’ but as fellow performers,” said Jeff, who is the executive artistic director for Theatre Three Productions in Port Jefferson. “This lesson has stayed with me as I have pursued a career in the theater. Theater is a wonderful place in that you work with people of all ages.”
On Sunday, Phyllis is holding a reunion for those who participated in one of her productions over the years. She has produced a DVD containing the finales of every show. She said the feeling is the same every year when the curtain comes down.
“The kids have never disappointed me,” she said. “I’m always elated, excited and proud of them.”
