Sydney Cain-Frazier (to the right), director of this year’s Summer Sort of Thing production, demonstrates to the campers what they need to be doing in the scene. (Photo: Maleka Fruean)

Yes! And…Collaborative Arts is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Summer Sort of Thing production this month. Sixth- to 12th-grade campers put together a full musical theater production in four weeks, complete with original scripts, songs, choreography, and costumes. 

This season’s shows will be on Wed., July 22, 2026, Thurs. July 23, and Fri. July 24th, starting at 6:00 p.m. at Holman Field (6309 Cherokee St.). All the shows are free for the public; folks should bring their own chairs or blankets and bug spray.

Friday’s showing will have a Community Festival preceding at 5:00 p.m., with community partners, food, crafts, lawn games, and more. 

Executive Director Chris Herrman reflects on the last ten years at Yes! And, which she’s been with through them all. She is happy to see the success of two full productions each year: A Winter Sort of Thing on-stage, indoors, and A Summer Sort of Thing outdoors.

She credits kids yearning for musical theater as a key reason for the success.

“There are plenty of schools around here who do school shows, but they’re craving a place that allows them to jump in with zero experience and trust them with roles even if they have zero experience,” she said. 

Herrman said it gives kids the opportunity to just try, have fun, and also push them a little bit and build their skills to help them jump out of their comfort zone.

The program has been fully enrolled for the last few years with waiting lists. Many of the kids who participate go on to pursue acting or performing arts, and many come back to help as “travelers” (Yes! And’s version of camp counselors) or other parts of the production. 

When asked why she thinks this is, Herrman said, “We’ve created this place where people feel seen and valued, and they see their contributions really make a difference and make an impact, and how we view everyone as crucial to the process.”

She names impacts over the past decade, including the strong partnerships they have built with neighborhood partners like Pomona Cherokee Civic Council and turning the Holman Field production into a summer staple for live theater.

This year’s show, Sea You in Paradise! captures summer energy at its best. Yes! And’s Education Director and playwright, Sharese Salters, says she focuses on crafting a story that includes many participants, features scenes where people gather, and always weaves in a touch of magic.

“It’s deeply inspired by a lot of Disney Channel movies. And I was like, well, people can’t necessarily afford to go on a cruise right now. What if we brought a cruise here so that we could actually really enjoy some of the best parts of summer?” Salters said. 

Sydney Cain-Frazier, this year’s summer director, loves the story. They said, “Everyone needs to see it because it is literally the definition of summer.”

“It is just fun, adventure, growth, and this change of season that can sometimes be a lot for people. It might be overwhelming, but the end is worth it all. And it’s totally great!”

Cain-Frazier, alongside the team and the campers, gamified everything leading up to the full production, turning the choreography, the blocking, and memorizing lines into a game the kids really got into. 

Aria Aikins Hill, a 14-year-old camper who is homeschooled, is in her second year of being in the Summer Sort of Thing production, but has been part of the camp for years. She loves every part of the production — from the auditioning to the singing and dancing and blocking out the moves. And being part of the team. 

“I like how community-based it is. Like, everyone’s super kind and flexible, especially the staff, to listen to our needs or what we want to happen and in some way make that happen. Or listen to us and listen to our questions,” said Aikins Hill. 

13-year-old Gus Larson, a C.W. Henry School student, has been on stage crew for the summer production, but this is his first time on stage. Memorizing lines has been his hardest challenge, but he’s getting better at it. 

And doing the show has also helped him start meeting new people and talking to them. 

It helped 14-year-old Kamryn McLaurin too. It’s her first Summer Sort of Thing as well, after she did A Winter Sort of Thing this past year. 

“A challenge for me was trying to make new friends because I’m a very shy person. It was hard for me to go and say hi to everyone and speak up until I started talking,” McLaurin said. 

But being part of this production has made her more social, making it easier for her to make friends now. 

Cameron Bridgers, the Program Director for Sort of Thing productions, has grown alongside the campers. 

Bridgers has been part of Yes! And since the summer of 2021, doing everything from choreography right out of college (she went to Temple University for dance), directing,  costume design, and finally program direction. 

It’s her experience as program director that showed her how important it is to have a bird’s-eye view of the entire production, to hold space for every part of the program, curate a great team, and trust their process. 

“There’s so many ways to do the right thing, and they know how to get there. And my job is just to support them and make sure that at the end of the day, everyone’s safe and everyone’s having a good time,” said Bridgers. 

The entire Yes! And team would love folks from the neighborhood and beyond to come out and see the show, and to join them at the Community Festival on July 24th. They would love to see as many folks out to celebrate these last ten years as possible. 

Cain Frazier is so excited for people to see the show and said the kids are doing an excellent job. 

“I just want to thank the community of Germantown. Thank you for giving me this time to care for these kids. I really appreciate it. And to the families of the kids for trusting them with us. And we appreciate that. And let’s have a great show,” they said. 

Learn more about Yes! And, its programming, and this summer’s production at www.yesandcamp.org.

Maleka Fruean is Germantown Info Hub’s community organizer, a writer, and mother of four, all raised in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. She has a B.A. in journalism from Temple University and an M.F.A. in creative writing from St. Joseph’s University, and uses both to embrace the power of stories.