Playmakers

Ages 8-10

Stages & Studios is where your child’s journey to explore the world begins.

Throughout the summer, campers embark on a thrilling adventure as they select from a variety of 1 and 2-week programs, each offering a diverse range of experiences.

Here’s what makes Stages & Studios the perfect choice for your child:

Unleash Creativity:

Dive into the world of theatrical techniques through engaging performances, music, and dance. It’s a place where your child can explore their interests, celebrate their talents, gain new skills, and collaborate with peers and experienced professionals.

A Journey of Variety:

Your child will have the freedom to craft their summer adventure by choosing from a selection of exciting programs, each tailored to their unique interests and passions.

Creative Collaboration:

Our integrated arts program offers a daily rotation through various creative components, fostering collaboration on a creative showcase that combines all of your child’s artistic experiences.

Balanced Fun:

Our schedule strikes the perfect balance between indoor and outdoor activities, ensuring a well-rounded and age-appropriate experience that captivates and engages your child.

Expert Guidance:

Your child’s journey is guided by a team of dedicated counselors, all with a deep background and passion for youth development. They’re here to inspire and mentor, providing your child with a safe and nurturing environment.

Professional Insights:

A unique aspect of our program is the chance for your child to work alongside a choreographer, art director, and music director. Their invaluable knowledge and years of experience add depth to the creative components of the camp.

Full-Day Adventure:

Our program operates from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily, ensuring your child enjoys ample time to immerse themselves in their artistic passions.

Convenient Transportation:

We offer bus transportation, making it easy and convenient for your child to be a part of this unforgettable summer experience.

Join us this summer and watch your child’s creativity come to life at Brooks!

Page to Stage: No role is too small as you write, act, and produce your own short work of theatre! Experience the journey of a play from idea to performance as you adapt a script, create characters, design sets, and more in this fast-paced class! Through collaboration and creativity, participants in this two-week program will give new life to a printed favorite. Each student will be featured in the performance as well as explore their skills and interests as directors and designers. This program culminates in a workshop performance that fellow Brooks campers, friends, and family can attend. See the daily schedule.

Willy Wonka Jr.: This program is a unique two-week opportunity for young participants to enhance their artistic skills, with a focus on honing their technique under the guidance of our experienced and diverse team. Held in the state-of-the-art theater at Brooks School, our instructors are industry professionals with a wealth of knowledge and years of hands-on experience in the field, ensuring an enriching and enduring summer experience for our students.

Every student will be personally challenged and leave with valuable skills in performing, public speaking, and social interaction. It’s important to note that our emphasis is on the theatrical process itself, rather than solely on the final product. The program concludes with an engaging workshop performance, open to fellow Brooks campers, friends, and family, offering a platform for the young talents to showcase their newfound skills.

Join the cast to bring the heartwarming hit to life on the Brooks Stage! Through this experience, campers will learn the art of storytelling, develop stage presence, and forge friendships that can last a lifetime. Being part of Willy Wonka Jr. is not just about putting on a show; it’s about discovering the joy of performance, self-expression, and the thrill of bringing beloved characters to life, all while building valuable life skills that will serve them well in the future. See the daily schedule.

Brooks TV Remix: Become a screenwriter, director, and movie star as you write and produce your own short film! From camera angles to cameos, from b-roll to bloopers, this program will get the ‘on set’ experience as you work as a team to take over the big screen. Outside of time on the set, participants will participate in outdoor day camp activities. Participants will share a bit of their process in a showcase for friends and family, and the final films will later be distributed via email. Have you taken BrooksTV before and want to join again? Awesome! This class is designed to be repeated. No two films are the same and it’s possible to participate in a new area of focus each summer. See the daily schedule.

About the Space

The Brooks Studios and Stages Program provides participants with a variety of activities and spaces that no other local camp can equal. There is plenty of room to run and play, from tennis courts and fields to an archery range and gymnastics center. This program also includes swimming fin our two outdoor pools. In addition to taking full advantage of our 270-acre campus on the shore of Lake Cochichewick, the Center for the Arts building houses the creative components.

The newly constructed Center for the Arts opened its doors to students, faculty, and staff for use on October 30, 2018. The $28 million facility has transformed the school, bonding the visual, musical, and performing arts together and placing them on display at the center of campus.

Performances, teaching, and community gatherings have a spacious, comfortable home in the theater, with 387 seats. Its stage connects to a scene shop and a 1,200-square-foot Black Box theater, which provides flexible teaching space and an additional performance venue. A costume shop, changing room, and green room are also included.

An adult assists a child in aiming a bow and arrow on a grassy field.

A young boy wearing blue swim goggles is smiling and splashing water with his arms raised while standing in a swimming pool.

A Typical Day

Campers rotate through a schedule that changes daily and will ensure your child looks forward to camp every day. In these time blocks, students collaborate with one another, professional instructors, and counselors. There are outdoor breaks built into the day to allow students to expand their minds and stretch their bodies. Outdoor activities complement and balance the creative components to provide a well-rounded, immersive, and fun experience.

8:30-9:00	Drop-Off
9:00-9:10	Morning Meeting
9:10-9:45	Creative Block 1
9:55-10:30	Creative Block 2
10:30-10:45	Snack
10:45-11:20	Free Swim
11:30-12:05	Creative Block 3
12:15-12:35	Lunch
12:45-1:20	Tennis
1:30-2:05	Gymnastics
2:05-2:20	Snack
2:20-2:55	Creative Block 4
3:05-3:40	Explorations
3:40-3:50	Afternoon Meeting
4:00-4:30	Pick-Up

Four children dressed in green and blue shirts, with gray pants, pose energetically while smiling in a studio setting.

Program Team

Meghan Hill

Producing Artistic Director

Meghan grew up training horses on a farm in southern Mississippi and graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College in Norton, MA, with a BA in Theatre Studies and Dance, receiving recognition for Excellence in Acting and a Fulbright Scholarship. She also earned a Certificate in Performance Studies and Movement from the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia. As a freelance director, actress, and coach, Meghan spent years teaching communication and performance skills to young artists across the U.S. and managed the performing arts program at the Robert College Summer Program in Istanbul, Turkey, for five summers. Before joining the Brooks faculty, she was the producing artistic director at Watertown Children’s Theatre and the Mosesian Center for the Arts, where she developed educational theater programs and productions. Meghan is currently completing her Master of Social Work at Boston University, focusing on education policy and inclusive teaching practices.

Sarah Spollett

Art Technical Director

Sarah grew up in Andover, enjoying hobby carpentry with her dad and community theater with her mom. She combined these passions while attending Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Fine and Performing Arts, Music, and Theatre. Sarah worked as a freelance carpenter for regional theaters, including the Weston Playhouse, Barnstormers Theatre, Tufts University, and Watertown Children’s Theatre. She was also a carpenter and later shop foreperson at the Tony Award-winning Huntington Theatre Company in Boston before transitioning to education. Sarah taught technical theater carpentry at Emerson College before joining Brooks in 2019 as the Arts Technical Director. She now lives on campus with her family.

Annemarie Noe

Stages & Studios Coordinator

Annemarie joined the Brooks School Summer Programs staff in 2023. She holds an Honors B.A. in Business and Marketing, which she uses to create content for the summer programs’ social media. Annemarie currently works as a program coordinator for Stages and Studios and has always been passionate about youth development. During college, she traveled the country as a Youth Trainer for the Truth Initiative, America’s largest nonprofit public health organization advocating for a tobacco-free future. Outside of camp, Annemarie enjoys spending time outdoors, surfing, and going to the beach.

Peter Moccia

Aquatics Supervisor

Peter Moccia, originally from Haverhill, studied chemistry at the University of Connecticut and has been a science teacher at Brooks School for seven years. He lives on campus with his family and oversees the aquatics programs during the summer. With extensive experience in swimming pools and lifeguarding, Peter has been involved in pool operations since he was 16. He is lifeguard certified and a Certified Pool Operator (CPO), working closely with the facilities team to ensure pool safety. Peter loves seeing the campus transform into a vibrant camp community and has been part of the camp staff for three summers.

Kenya Jones

Activities Supervisor

Kenya leads the sixteen activity teams at Brooks School Summer Programs, fostering a welcoming, positive camp environment that encourages independence, leadership, and healthy risk-taking. Kenya has been involved with the program for over twenty years, serving as an activity counselor and LIT Coordinator. He joined the Brooks School faculty in 2007 and has held roles including form dean, psychology teacher, coach, and now Associate Director of Admission and first team boys basketball coach. Kenya earned his B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, cooking, playing trivia, and cheering for New York sports teams.

Renae Cerri

Activities Coordinator

Renae Cerri joined the Brooks School Summer Programs team in 2017. She graduated from Salem State University with a double major in elementary education and geological sciences. A former gymnast and volleyball player, Renae has a passion for sports and active living. She loves spending time outdoors and going on trips with friends and family. After serving as the gymnastics head at Brooks, Renae now co-leads the activities team, where she oversees the daily planning, implementation, and operation of sixteen camp activity areas and co-manages camp-wide special events.

Nicole Belisle

Logistics Supervisor

Nicole is passionate about the food service industry and plays a key role in the Brooks School Summer Programs, where she supervises the logistics team to ensure compliance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and North Andover Board of Health regulations. With nearly twenty years of experience in school-based nutritional services, Nicole holds certifications in ServSafe, Allergy Awareness, CPR, and First Aid. During the school year, she works as a teaching assistant and leads a team of youth development professionals in North Andover’s after-school program. In her free time, Nicole enjoys softball, tennis, and gaming. She lives in North Andover with her husband, two dogs, and a cat.

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Melissa Donais

Health Care Consultant

Melissa Donais, RN, FNP-BC, joined Brooks in the fall of 2021 as the Director of Health and Wellness. She is also an assistant coach for the Brooks boys and girls cross country teams. She is a 2002 graduate of Phillips Academy Andover and 2006 graduate with distinction from Yale University, where she was awarded the Lily Rosen Prize in Women’s Health for her senior thesis on the Female Athlete Triad, now known as RED-S syndrome. In 2010, Donais obtained her master’s degree in nursing at Boston College. For eleven years, she worked as a primary care family nurse practitioner at North Reading Medical Associates, affiliated with Winchester Hospital. An accomplished runner, she competed in cross country and track in high school and college, and continues to enjoy competing in local and regional events. Donais lives in North Andover, Mass., with her husband Nate, two young children Brennan and Audrey, and her brittany spaniel Uta.

Juli Morse

Health Services Supervisor

Juli directs all aspects of the health center’s operation in accordance with state and local regulations and collaborates with our Health Care Consultant. She comes to Brooks with over ten years of experience in healthcare administration. After graduating from Providence College in 2011, she worked in the field before returning to school to pursue a degree in Nursing. She is now a medical-surgical RN at a local community hospital and Brooks School. At camp, Juli focuses on creating a welcoming environment that prioritizes wellness and safety. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband, two kids, and golden retriever, with a special love for swimming, playing tennis, and camping.

Core Programs