Stagedoor

Alexandra Shiva's charming documentary focuses on the titular Catskill summer “theater camp” for aspiring teens hoping to break into Broadway musical theatre. Attendees mount performances of well-known classics (we see bits and pieces of Mame and Annie, as well as exercises and rehearsals), and the more advanced registrants also participate in a song-and-dance troupe called Cabaret, which puts on shows at nearby resorts. Stagedoor specifically follows five of the kids—including a 15-year-old from Newark who hopes the theatre will be his ticket out of the ghetto, an ADD-afflicted lad who only seems able to concentrate when he's onstage, and a girl whose mother worries about sending her to the camp because she's not convinced her daughter has “huge talent.” But the broader message here is that Stagedoor is also a place where youngsters who generally don't “fit in” with peers (a counselor estimates that a large percentage of the boys are gay) will find opportunities for expression and acceptance. Combining interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, the film effectively captures the exuberance of the experience for the students (as well as their occasional rowdiness), while also revealing some manipulative techniques used by the teachers that viewers might find a bit cruel (including one exercise in which each student is asked to name one classmate who should be excluded). But overall, this feel-good piece (the camp was first fictionalized in Todd Graff's 2003 Camp [VL-3/04], and boasts alums including Natalie Portman and Zach Braff) offers an infectious look at the energy and enthusiasm of eager young hopefuls and the efforts of camp personnel to nurture their talent. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)