Upper Darby Summer Stage Closes Out its 47th Season with the Premiere of Disney’s Descendants
Upper Darby Summer Stage invites audiences to the premiere of Disney’s Descendants as the closing show of its 47th season! With performances on August 9th at 10:30am, and August 10th & 11th at both 10:30am and 7:00pm, this magical story tells the tale of classic Disney heroes and villains’ children as they try to heal the divide between their worlds.
Disney’s Descendants is part of this year’s series of family-friendly, hour-long shows presented by Upper Darby Summer Stage’s Children’s Theatre program. Tickets range from $10 - $14 and may be purchased online any time at www.udsummerstage.org or by calling the Box Office at 610.814.7270 during office hours on Monday–Thursday from 9am-4pm or 9:30am-4pm on show days. The Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is located at 601 N. Lansdowne Avenue in Drexel Hill, just minutes from the Main Line and Center City. Parking is free. Masks are strongly encouraged.
In this enchanting Summer Stage premiere, worlds collide as the Kingdom of Auradon welcomes the teenage children of Maleficent, Jafar, Cruella De Vil, and the Evil Queen in an attempt to reunite after years of separation. Far away from the Isle of the Lost, Mal (Bethany Jesse of Havertown), Jay (Master Jones of Wynnefield), Carlos (Phoenyx Hawkins of Upper Darby), and Evie (Jess Smith of Havertown) must decide whether to follow in their parents’ footsteps or to put the past behind them and learn to live in harmony.
“These characters are treated by the world as villains and that’s who they’ve been shaped into. As the show goes on there’s this line drawn in the sand between good and evil, and our main characters question their place in it all,” says Chris Monaco, director of Disney’s Descendants. He continues, “Descendants is such a great show for Summer Stage because it encourages us to think outside of the box and not to think of ourselves only as one thing. I think many kids tend to box themselves in and I believe Descendants will help them to recognize and realize their full potential, which is what Summer Stage is all about.”
Cast member Maximus Nast, who plays Ben, speaks about the sense of unity that Disney’s Descendants encourages, “The show really emphasizes togetherness rather than separation. It highlights the importance of bringing everyone together as equal even if they don’t have the same upbringing.” He also says, “Descendants is a relatively new show that has never been at Upper Darby Summer Stage before, so I really enjoy that we get to be the first ones to bring the magic of this show to the kids of Delaware County.”
Upper Darby Summer Stage is incredibly grateful to partner with Maureen Ingelsby of Keller Williams Realty to sponsor Disney’s Descendants. Upper Darby Summer Stage would also like to thank its season sponsor, Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School, for their support. Summer Stage 2022 is also supported through sponsor and host, Upper Darby School District, as well as founding sponsor, Upper Darby Township. Upper Darby Summer Stage is now officially a program of the not-for-profit Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation.