Clearwater theater director Scottie Michael was always a fan of the children's story about the Pied Piper. So 15 years ago, she sat down and wrote an adaptation of the story which was eventually performed on the stage.

All along, she had a gut feeling the story was not just a tale, but that it was based in truth.

"I was intrigued," she said.

More than a decade later, she saw a show on the Discovery Channel that confirmed her suspicions.

Now the play, a friendlier version of the tragic, mysterious story, has been resurrected and will be the project for the Stage Agenda's Youth Theatre workshop, a six-week session starting with registration and auditions June 9.

The Pied Piper is just one of several local summer theater opportunities for children and adults over the next two months.

"Kids have nothing to do over the summer. (Community theater) adds just another wonderful dimension to their lives," Michael said. "This way they have fun, get introduced to the theater and have discipline. I'm pretty firm. I have an athletic whistle around my neck and I blow it."

The Clearwater City Players, headed by director B.J. Pucci, is gearing up for a Theatre Tune-Up, a 19-class session beginning June 9 at the Francis Wilson Playhouse.

The Players, in collaboration with other Tampa Bay community theaters, has created a program for experienced and novice thespians 17 and older which will include instruction on acting, set design, lighting and costuming, as well as audition and dance tips.

Professionals, including those who have worked on Broadway, Hollywood and at Disney World, will discuss their experiences, the highs, lows and pitfalls.

"This is a hands-on workshop," said Pucci. "People can come in and taste a little bit of theater. Lorraine Montgomery who was in Hollywood and on soap operas, will do a couple of segments on how to look like a dancer. She is going to talk about what to know before you go into the pro world -- things she wished she would have known."

Other guests include Dobie Thompson, who has cut some CDs and will talk about the rap world, and Pucci's daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Claud Smith, who work on Disney's two cruise ships, the Wonder and the Magic.

"She's done (costuming) for Super Bowls," said Pucci. "He is a director who was in charge of the shows on the cruise line. He will do improv sessions."

The city of Largo is doing something a little different this summer with help from the Great Franzini Family Circus. There will be a three-week circus camp for youth age 10-16 beginning July 8, offering instruction on acrobatics, tumbling, juggling balls, rings and clubs, riding a unicycle, tightrope walking, clowning and walking on stilts.

The camp will culminate with a performance July 26 under the big top.

Largo Marketing Specialist Karen Barth said the camp can have a "dramatic effect" on children.

"I've never been exposed to tightrope walking," she said. "Have you?"

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