Another Day at Summer Stage for Nast Siblings: Olivia, Max, and Ava
When a family settles in for the day and gathers around the table for dinner, one of the first questions asked is “How was your day?” For the Nast family, three of the five family members' days include time at Upper Darby Summer Stage. Olivia, the oldest is Summer Stage’s social media manager, Max the middle sibling is an Assistant Stage Manager for Summer Stage Junior, and Ava, the youngest of the three is currently a featured dancer in Diary of A Wimpy Kid: The Musical. The three have all been deeply impacted by Summer Stage and were more than willing to share more about their time on the stage and behind the scenes.
Olivia was the first to get involved in the Summer Stage. “When I was a little kid, my mom would take Max and I, and eventually Ava, to see Children’s Theater shows at Summer Stage. It was our fun summer activity that we did with our family friends,” she said. Olivia added, “I always loved the whole experience of seeing the shows and getting the characters’ autographs afterward. I would even try to recreate the Summer Stage experience at family holidays by forcing my brother, cousins, and even sometimes parents, to perform a skit between dinner and dessert. I would make programs with paper and crayons, and every program would include a hand-drawn replica of the McDonald’s coupons that used to be in all the Summer Stage programs.”
Eventually, she participated in Star for A Day, hosted by the Upper Darby Summer Stage Shooting Stars when she was in third and fourth grade, and then went on to do Apprentices (now known as Magic Makers), Rising Stars, and Children’s Theatre. She loved it so much that I joined Shooting Stars and loved the feeling of being involved in Summer Stage year-round.
For Max, he started as a Rising Star and then proceeded to work his way up through Children's Theatre. He was in Seussical Jr., Rollercoaster Ride to Happiness, Wizard of Oz Jr., Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Moana Jr., and concluded his time on stage with Descendants. “I had a blast in Children's Theatre and I met some awesome people while participating in the shows,” he said.
Ava has gotten the full experience when it comes to Summer Stage’s current model. She started participating in Theater Bugs, Magic Makers, and then Rising Stars. Last year was her first year performing in the Children’s Theatre. She played Hortensia in Matilda Jr. This year, she was in The Little Mermaid Jr. as an ensemble member and is currently in rehearsal for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical portraying a featured dancer as well as another small role. “I am so excited to continue my Children's Theatre journey next summer!” Ava exclaimed.
A normal day at Summer Stage is different for each of the siblings. For Olivia, she mentioned, “Every day at Summer Stage for me is a little bit different, which I love!” She added, “I work mostly in the marketing office but also get to wander around to different rehearsals, shows, and other Summer Stage happenings to take photos and videos for social media! Some days after my work day, I'll head to cabaret to rehearse or to dance troupe rehearsal to teach my dance!”
Max’s day is a little more routine as he arrives at Summer Stage Junior campus at 8:30 a.m. and gets ready to greet the participants. From there, he is in charge of attendance as well as a lot of administrative tasks, such as ensuring that forms get submitted on time and supervising the students during their free time. As the ASM, he also works backstage with the students directly to ensure their success onstage while performing.
Lastly, Ava’s day consists entirely of rehearsal. Her role in Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a dancer, which allows her to be featured a lot and she thoroughly enjoys that. “Being a dancer in this show is honestly so fun,” Ava said. “The dancers get to be in so many numbers, and each number is very different. In some numbers, we have to be creepy, or sassy, and I love getting to express all of the different emotions.”
Outside of Summer Stage, each has a very different but busy life. Ava is heading to The Agnes Irwin School this fall as a freshman after graduating from Holy Child Academy. At HCA, she participated in all of the musicals, as well as playing volleyball, basketball, and running track. She was also the lead vocalist in the rock band and performed in many events for her school.
Max is a student at Loyola University Maryland, studying Communications with a specialization in Digital Media and Advertising and Public Relations. Outside of the classroom, he is in an all-male acapella group, as well as working for the college radio station. Max has also interned for Philadelphia's Preston and Steve Show at 93.3 WMMR and he also teaches private swim lessons during the summer.
Olivia just graduated from Fordham University this past May where she was a Film & Television major with minors in Marketing and Music. In the fall, she’s heading to Spain to work in a school as a language learning assistant for a school year. Outside of Summer Stage, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, taking little weekend trips, playing pickleball, singing, and hanging out at the pool or beach.
When asked what their favorite part about Summer Stage is, all three agreed that community was the first word that came to mind.
“I loved performing in the shows, singing, dancing, and acting, but I think what made participating in Summer Stage so uniquely special were the bonus features of the program where everyone comes together and shares in a great time,” Olivia said. “Things like The Harry Awards, general meetings, ushering, supporting friends in different shows, senior speeches, pre-show rituals, theme days, meet the cast, and more all came together to make the whole experience so special and exciting,” she added.
Ava said, “It is such a great community where I am free to be myself and not feel like I am being judged. And I can’t say that about every place!” She added, “ I have gained so many skills from participating in Summer Stage. Not just acting, singing, or dancing, but also teamwork, and collaboration. I am so grateful for the program and I wouldn’t want to spend my summers anywhere else.”
Max concluded, “Getting to meet new people, having new experiences, and being involved in Children's Theatre has allowed me to try so many new things both on and offstage and I'm super grateful and appreciative for my time spent here!”
Needless to say, with all the combined magic up their sleeve, the Nasts have contributed a great deal to the Summer Stage community and will continue to be a presence here for years to come.