Photos by CAITLIN LEIKER
Annie Wasinger, director of Center Stage Theatre, lays out the plan for the camp’s last rehearsal on Friday morning (Aug. 5) before their performance that evening at Celebration Community Church. This year, 35 campers and 10 volunteers participated in the show. Wasinger founded Center Stage Theatre in 2018, when she was a sophomore in high school. She started the camp based on existing theatre curriculums and has since taken to writing original content for the campers to perform. 
Justyn Staab sings “Incense and Peppermints” as a member of Strawberry Alarm Clock, a psychedelic rock band from the 1960s. Camper solos were woven throughout the one-act play to portray the characters auditioning for a spot in the celebrity impersonation show. 
Ethan Kuhlman (left) and Dallas Rupp (right) dance to “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, a group number at the end of the “Three Little Pigs” skit. 
Wasinger (left) gets Mernie Schartz (back right) and Billie Powell (front right) set up to run lines at the judges’ table for the The Sunburst Talent Search. 
Trudi Mapes and Trey Blackmon practice their dance moves out in the hallway for the evening’s performance. They were two out of the three Elvis impersonators to audition for The Sunburst Talent Search. 
Josh Leiker studies his lines before the group runs through the play. Friday’s program was Leiker’s first time ever being onstage. He said he plans to return next year to perform with Center Stage Theatre again. 
Wasinger gives David Werth her “I Love You Because…” The moment is considered a special Center Stage tradition in which Wasinger goes around the room to each camper individually to tell them all the reasons why she loves them, and why they are all worth loving. 
Audience members gather in Celebration Community Church before the performance at 6:30 p.m. while the campers prepare in a back room. 
Becky Wasinger, Annie Wasinger’s mother, fixes Joel Wolcott’s wings for his costume in “The Three Little Pigs.” Before Annie was born, her parents became the limited license providers for Wolcott, who has cerebral palsy. The two developed a sibling-like bond as she grew up. Wolcott was one of Annie’s inspirations for forming Center Stage Theatre. She had performed in productions since she was 3 years old, and she wanted to create a space where they could perform together. 
Looking back on her time in camp, Brittany Molnar’s favorite parts were the musical numbers the group performed together. “I liked singing everything, like ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ and ‘Country Roads’ with David.” 
Becky Wasinger answers cast and crew questions in the final minutes before the show. 
Trey Blackmon (center) plays air guitar with Avery Werth (left) and Sarah Braun (right) during his audition as Elvis for The Sunburst Talent Search. 
Joe Newton was the third Elvis impersonator to perform a solo in the show. 
Derrick Morton, who portrayed Garth Brooks in the play, was asked why he was a celebrity impersonator after his audition. He told the judges that performing allowed him to show the world who he really was, on his own terms, through a character. That idea was another reason why Wasinger started Center Stage Theatre back in 2018– an idea that she wanted to include in this year’s script when she wrote it. 
The cast joined together to sing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver, which has become another camp tradition. Tisha Dole conveyed the lyrics through American Sign Language while she sang her part. “My favorite part of this camp was meeting up with my friends,” Dole said. 
Volunteers help pass out flowers to the campers as they move into the lobby to greet the audience. 
In the play, Ryan Hoag played someone who could impersonate iconic Disney characters like Minnie Mouse. His friends found him in the church lobby after the show and said they were amazed that he went so far as to paint his face for the performance. “You’ve got to go all out,” Hoag said. “It’s not just about playing the character and saying lines. It’s about trying to look like them as well to bring it to life.” Performing with Center Stage Theatre inspired Hoag to audition for a Hays Community Theatre show this winter.