Each Summer, These Austin Kids Shine Onstage and Off

For two weeks every summer, a camp called Spilled Milk Social Club lets kids take part in all aspects of putting on a performance.

By Leah ScarpelliJune 27, 2016 7:54 am,

Ali Epperson is the co-owner of Spilled Milk Social Club, an after-school care and summer camp program for elementary kids in Austin. Each year the club offers a two-week performance camp called “Operation Presentation.”

“Last year we did a mystery dinner theater,” she says. “The older group of kids acted and the younger kids prepared a four-course meal for about 200 people.”

This year’s performance was “Adam and the Bull Shark,” an original musical written by co-owner Stella Maxwell. Epperson says the actors received their scripts before the camp, and many of them showed up with their lines already memorized.

“It’s really amazing to see some children who are not as confident find their voice on stage and find their talents and skills,” she says. “The community that’s created amongst the children during those two weeks in camp is really incredible.”