About Musical Theater Camp

Born from the almost 40-year friendship between our two congregations, Musical Theater Camp is an interfaith activity that seeks to build relationships among young people from a variety of backgrounds. Whether you identify as Jewish, Christian, or any other faith (or none at all), you are welcome! The camp and performance will take place at Abiding Presence’s church facility under the supervision of our experienced camp staff.

The cost of registration includes a script and t-shirt to keep, as well as all materials necessary for the show. Roles will be assigned closer to the start of camp, but ALL campers will be involved in singing, dancing, and acting; everyone will be an important part of the show! Cast members will receive their scripts and song recordings a month or more before the start of camp so they can starting learning their parts early. We will also offer two to three optional pre-camp rehearsals to help cast members who would like help learning their parts or simply want more time to practice and get coaching.

Questions? Contact the co-directors, Dave Chavez (dave@abidingpresence.net) and Leah Kocsis (leahk@tbs-online.org).

About the Production Team

Leah Kocsis (Co-Director, Temple B’nai Shalom) started loving and playing the piano at age 8. As a pianist and conductor she has been performing, teaching, and collaborating ever since. She is passionate about teaching and sharing music with children. She received her B. A. in music from the University of Rochester and its Eastman School of Music and her M. A. in music education from the Peabody Conservatory. Since moving to the DC area in 2000, Leah has taught classroom general music, founded and taught a beginning strings program, choral and handbell ensembles. She is the music instructor at The Oakwood School, song leader and music educator at Temple B’nai Shalom, and keeps a private piano studio. She builds communities through song in her work as a song leader, playing guitar and singing while exciting children and families to explore music and their musical voice. Leah has served as music director for numerous musical theater ensembles including Kensington Arts Theatre, The Arlington Players, The Little Theater of Alexandria and Rockville Musical Theater. She has also worked with area community and youth orchestras as music director, assistant conductor, and pianist. Leah has three music makers of her own – Lane, Charlotte, and Elizabeth – who can often be found singing, dancing and making music of their own.

Dr. David E. Chávez (Co-Director, Abiding Presence) s a composer, collaborative pianist, music theory professor, church musician, and music director. His compositions include one-act and full-length operas, choral music, solo songs, music for visual media, and works for various other instrumental/vocal ensembles. Recent premieres include a re-orchestration of the Mozart Requiem for synthesizers and percussion with the IN Series in Washington, DC, and a variety of sacred music arrangements for choir and orchestra. In 2023, David served as co-music-director for the IN Series’ production of John Adams and June Jordan’s rarely-performed musical theater-opera hybrid I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, praised as “alert, sharp, and brisk” by DC Theater Arts and named a Best Bet by the Washington City Paper. David regularly plays piano and electronics in an eclectic variety of collaborative groups and settings, including with Opera on Tap DC Metro. Current and recent positions include Music and Worship Minister at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Burke, VA, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Theory at Shenandoah Conservatory. David holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music composition from Penn State, and a doctorate in composition from George Mason University. More at davidechavez.com.

About Finding Nemo JR.

Disney’s Finding Nemo JR. is a 60-minute musical adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo, with new music by award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush, and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves.

Featuring memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming,” “Fish Are Friends Not Food,” and “Go With the Flow,” Finding Nemo JR. brings a vibrant underwater world to life on stage in a story full of family, friendship, and adventure. Learn more at mtishows.com/disneys-finding-nemo-jr.

About the Songwriters

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are the Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy winning, married songwriting team behind the Disney animated films, Frozen and Frozen 2. Together they also wrote the Oscar winning song “Remember Me” from Pixar’s Coco and songs for Marvel’s WandaVision (Emmy Award win for “Agatha All Along”). They wrote songs for the Obamas’ series We the People and adapted Frozen for the Broadway stage. Robert co-conceived and co-wrote the hit musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, both earning him Tony Awards. Kristen’s show In Transit made history as the first all a cappella musical to run on Broadway, after an award-winning Off-Broadway run. Lopez and Anderson-Lopez have written for television, film and stage, including Finding Nemo: The Musical; songs for “The Wonder Pets” (two Emmy Award wins) and the Winnie the Pooh animated film. 

Preview the songs below!