Talent on stage and at Prizery’s summer camps

Even before Claire Wilson was out of college, she was passing her theater knowledge on to younger people.

“I used to be a quiet kid in theater camps just trying to find out who I was. Getting to be that source of artistic fun and helping out kids in their arts journey is quite a privilege,” she says. “Just as it changed my life for the better, it can change theirs.”

As a cast member of Summer Theatre’s Xanadu, she is also participating in The Prizery’s summer camps, including Fun with Improvisation, starting July 11, Welcome to the Jungle, starting July 18, and Footloose: Youth Edition, starting Aug. 1. Wilson is a veteran of Footloose performances herself.

Lots of other summer camps are offered to kids of all ages. See www.prizery.com for details or email boxoffice@prizery.com. Scholarships are available.

Wilson got her start in teaching, ironically, from Melanie Cornelison-Jannotta, the director of Xanadu in South Boston. Wilson appeared in 20 community theater shows with her.

“I started volunteering with theater summer camps at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky under Melanie’s direction when I was 15 and worked my way up to a paid instructor position there,” she says.

Five years ago Wilson was the assistant director of Annie Jr., then worked with children in the Addams Family, Honk Jr., Freaky Friday and the Wizard of Oz in in Ashland. Most recently she was the winter tour director of Peter Pan, for kids aged 5-11 in Minnesota.

“Near the end of my college experience at Western Kentucky University, I realized that teaching theater was something I could marry with my ultimate goal of performing professionally,” she says.

Despite a long list of performances, Wilson is appearing professionally in her first show, playing both Calliope and Aphrodite, two muses. Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California, on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first roller disco.

Wilson, who is staying with Cornelison-Jannotta, says she is enjoying South Boston.

“I’ve always loved historic buildings, so South Boston (and The Prizery, of course) has been very pleasing to me so far. I’m seriously digging the small town charm,” she said.

As for the cast, “between the ten of us onstage, there are decades of unique singing, dancing and acting experiences that have shaped us as performers.”

Xanadu will have Thursday through Saturday performances July 7, 8, 9 and 14, 15, 16 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees will be July 10 and 17 at 3 p.m.

Get tickets at www.prizery.com or by calling 434-572-8339. People can also sign up for kids’ summer camps at The Prizery website.