About
Our Mission
The Summer Theatre Program (STP) is a ministry co-sponsored by Saint Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield, Virginia and Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
Every summer, we offer high school students of all skills, abilities, and experience levels the opportunity to be part of a theatrical production. As they work together, the students become a community and develop a deep trust, confidence, and abiding joy that carries over into daily life.
Our History
STP started at Saint Bernadette Church in the summer of 1997 as an outreach to area youth. The program first started at Saint Mark Parish in Vienna, VA in 1995, and moved to Saint Bernadette for what was intended to be a one-summer stopover.
That first show (Godspell) was such a success that several key people in the parish and its youth ministry program decided to build a lasting program to provide an opportunity for fellowship as well as personal and spiritual growth for young thespians in the community. What began as a convenient stopping point for one summer quickly blossomed into one of the most anticipated summer experiences for local students and families.
From the beginning, STP’s approach has been to fuel a ministry first, and a production second. In other words, the volunteer staff is there for the youth first, to ensure they have fun while enjoying a fruitful and positive experience. Developing a successful production follows from that. Balancing the two has become the hallmark of the program’s success.
In our early days, STP existed solely at Saint Bernadette Parish and School. We held rehearsals in the cafeteria and transformed the gym into an auditorium (of sorts) to accommodate about 250 audience members for each performance. We existed on a meager budget with scenery and actors living in VERY close quarters backstage. Without a theatrical lighting system, orchestra pit, or sound system, the production team engineered creative ways to present various scenes. We also had to make the performance visible to the audience, who were seated in folding chairs down the length of the basketball court and stacked in bleachers looking in from the side. (And we did all of that without any air conditioning!)
From the program’s inception, Bishop Ireton High School has played a critical role in our success. In STP’s early years, Bishop Ireton provided technical expertise and equipment, and was key to our ability to convert the gymnasium to an auditorium. In 2004, the Bishop Ireton community increased their support and involvement when they invited STP to use its gorgeous Garwood Whaley Auditorium for performances. The move to this professional space allowed us to increase the number of young people involved each year and undertake more ambitious productions. We were also able to give the audience better seating and a matinee performance. In 2014, after 10 years in residence, Bishop Ireton High School officially joined Saint Bernadette as a co-sponsor of the program.
Since our modest, “temporary” beginning in 1997, the Summer Theatre Program has produced a wide range of shows, including award winners such as Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic The Sound of Music, Meredith Willson’s triumph, The Music Man, and international favorites Fiddler on the Roof and Les Misérables.