PRESCOTT PARK ARTS FESTIVAL IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
A NEW COLLABORATION FOR ITS BELOVED YOUTH PROGRAM
Camp ENCORE!  X  #areuin? KEY Collective

A partnership for all three camp sessions
Serving ages 7-17 and running June 19 - August 6, 2023

PDF OF PRESS RELEASE

Camp ENCORE! LOGO

#areuin? KEY Collaborative LOGO

PORTSMOUTH, NH (February 9, 2023): Prescott Park Arts Festival,
an independent non-pro?t arts organization, is partnering with KEY Collective’s #areuin? Program for its beloved educational program, Camp ENCORE! The youth theatre camp serves 80+ kids ages 7-17 each summer where they gain valuable teamwork skills while cultivating a love for theater arts. Each session culminates with a fully staged public performance on PPAF’s Wilcox Main Stage, helping to build confidence and community.

The KEY Collective’s #areuin? card program gives kids from low income families access to youth activities for free or at a reduced cost with no social stigma attached. Camp ENCORE! has offered scholarships for years but this new program will help reach a different community of possible campers while expanding the Arts Festival’s mission of accessibility.

“We are thrilled to have Prescott Park Arts Festival CAMP ENCORE! as our newest KEY Collective Partner,” shared Executive Director of KEY Collective, Kristyn LaFleur, “We have been focused on adding more arts-related programming to offer our #areuin? kids, and to have such a well-respected, high-quality program such as CAMP ENCORE! on board is incredibly exciting!”

In recent years the Arts Festival has reinvigorated the camp’s approach to reflect the organization’s overall shift in leadership, amplifying accessibility being at the heart of the Festival’s long-standing mission.

“We continue to expand the meaning of the word accessible in relation to the Arts Festival. We have a long history of being financially accessible to the community, and want the spirit of that inclusionary focus to reach all of our programs, including Camp ENCORE! While we are expanding our Deaf & hard of hearing program, we are also actively seeking out other ways in which we can intentionally create space for everyone in our community. This partnership with KEY Collective will help continue that expansion by reaching campers who may not otherwise have known our program was even available to them,” shared Prescott Park Arts Festival Executive Director, Courtney Perkins.

This season Camp ENCORE! is delighted to offer their three long-standing musical theatre sessions, while adding a second week to the well-attended teen intensive. The goal of Camp ENCORE! is to make every camper feel included and valued in the show and at camp. In addition to learning the musical, campers will explore the art of theatre through games, improvisational activities, and masterclasses from local artists about some of the backstage and onstage specialities of the performing arts.

Full and partial scholarships are available. All #areuin? card holders immediately qualify for these scholarships with no added financial information needed. For more information visit the Arts Festival or KEY Collective websites.

In addition to Camp ENCORE!, Prescott Park Arts Festival offers their Signature Musical Presented by Service Credit Union, the River House Restaurant Concert Series, and the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Monday Night Movie Series. Tables in the VIP Seating Area can be reserved for all of the Festival’s series, in addition to limited blanket reservations, in front of the Wilcox Main Stage. The Best Seat in the House, sponsored by Key Auto Group, is a special seating area at the front of the VIP section that is available for reservation as well.

Reservations for Camp ENCORE! performances will open in the Spring.

2023 Season Passes are on sale now. Season Passholders get early access to reservations for all of the Arts Festival’s series, including Camp ENCORE! performances. 

Established in 1974, the festival stays true to its mission of accessibility to the arts by offering all of its events with no fixed admission. All performances of Camp ENCORE! have an optional, suggested donation of $3-5.

Tables in the VIP Seating Area can be reserved for CAMP ENCORE! performances, in addition to limited blanket reservations, in front of the Wilcox Main Stage. Key Auto Group’s Best Seat in the House is also available for reservation at all camp shows. Special discount pricing is available for Festival season pass holders.

Reservations will open in the Spring.

All reservations can be made at: www.prescottpark.org.

About KEY Collective #areuin?

The KEY Collective was started in 2017 as a result of a grant awarded by Exeter Hospital to assist in establishing the #areuin? card program through their Suicide Prevention Grant Initiative. Although this program does not specifically offer suicide prevention training, research shows that giving at-risk, under-privileged children an opportunity to be involved with sports and other activities reduces the risk of suicide. The Collective’s first program, the #areuin? card, was launched in the 2017-2018 school year within the SAU 16 school district (Exeter, East Kingston, Brentwood, Kensington, Newfields and Stratham) as a pilot program. Today, the #areuin? card program serves K-12 youth in the Exeter, Hampton, Portsmouth and Seabrook School districts.