As soon as the 20th anniversary of Summer Stage was approaching, co-founders Joe Bretschneider (executive director) and Ed Fiscella (artistic director) decided to put on a party.

As soon as Fiscella put up a notice on www.facebook.com, several hundred alumni from around the country responded with enthusiasm.

After e-mails began arriving from alumni of the summer theater program sponsored by the Mainstage Center for the Arts, Bretschneider and Fiscella discovered they had a lot to celebrate.

Since 1989, more than 15,000 young people have performed in Summer Stage’s musical shows and honed their theater skills in classes. Many have gone on to enjoy careers as singers, dancers, filmmakers and writers, set designers and lighting designers.

There’s so much talent, Fiscella decided to turn the July 12 gala over to the alumni. Former students are writing songs for a show other alumni will perform and stage.

“I always believed you can judge the quality of an organization by the quality of its alumni,” notes Fiscella, who lives in Washington Township.

“We have been very forunate. The little kids we had 20 years ago are now coming into their own and it’s a joy to know this is only the beginning.”

Summer Stage began its life at the Glenn Landing Middle School in Blackwood, where Bretschneider and Fiscella were teachers. As teachers, they were aware of how the performing arts can impact on the lives of young people. They also were aware there were few opportunities for students to perform or study music, theater and dance.

Bretschneider and Fiscella founded Mainstage Center for the Arts to provide year-round training. They put the focus on Summer Stage, a summer camp that attracted 65 students in its first year.

Summer Stage stayed at Glenn Landing Middle for more than a decade before the program moved to Camden County College in 2002. The move provided more space and better facilities. A year later, Camden County College became the official home of Mainstage Center for the Arts.

“Our partnership with Camden County College has benefitted both Mainstage and the college,” explains Bretschneider, who lives in Woodbury. “We serve a population the college does not serve and they provide friendly support for what we do.”

Bretschneider retired last year and now devotes his full-time attention to Mainstage and Summer Stage. Fiscella plans to retire in June. He will become the full-time artistic director. Together, the founders hope to take their programs to another level with some crucial help from special projects director Anne Marie Weaver and director of educational programming Rob Romani, both of Cherry Hill.

“While I strengthen our business plan, Ed is taking the artistic side to a new level,” explains Bretschneider. “We have a new strategic plan. Now that we will both work fulltime, we can do important things we did not have time for.”

Fiscella already is planning a few changes for the 20th anniversary season. For the first time, Summer Stage will sponsor an outreach program for 11th and 12th graders who will take a show on the road to reach children who cannot attend performances at Camden County College.

Mainstage also will increase its studio offerings and work with the college on continuing education programs.

Fiscella and Bretschneider say they can devote another decade to Mainstage Center for the Arts. They are working to professionalize further the center’s staffing, policies and prrocedures.

“We want to establish a pathway for succession when we leave,” explains Fiscella. “The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has given us fabulous support in the past few years through grants and the South Jersey Staffing Initiative. The arts council has helped us raise our work.”

The July 12 anniversary celebration includes a barbeque, as well as an evening performance. Fiscella encourages Summer Stage alumni to reconnect with the program by sending an e-mail toinfo@mainstage.org. The center’s Web site – www.mainstage.org – offers another way for alumni to stay in touch.

In addition to five fully staged children’s shows, the anniversary season offers a production of “Ragtime.”

Fiscella calls the musical “a huge show,” but says it will provide an opportunity for Summer Stage to use some of its older talent. Until now, the cut-off age for Summer Stage musicals was 25.

“The thrill for us,” sums up Bretschneider, “is seeing kids come into the program and then blossom and grow. We’ve been blessed with the talent we’ve attracted here for 20 seasons.”

Reach Robert Baxter at (856) 486-2436 or rbaxter@courierpostonline.co