SUMMER ON STAGE: Registration is now open for Tomato Patch Summer Workshops at Mercer County Community College, where students are offered classes in the performing and visual arts, culminating with an Evening of the Arts for family and friends on the last day of each session.

The Tomato Patch summer workshops at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) begin June 30, and registration is now open for all school age students.

Now in its 25th year, Tomato Patch is the longest-running multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts program in central New Jersey. Featuring classes for all school-age students, Tomato Patch is taught by a artists and theater professionals.

Unlike other performing arts camps, Tomato Patch Workshops allows students to major in one subject while taking classes in other areas. Classes are offered in Theater, Dance, Music, Visual Art, and Video Production. Students will have the opportunity to choose from one area as a major, with mornings spent in a major class. Afternoons will be spent in elective classes of the student’s choosing.

Former Tomato Patch participants have gone on to star on Broadway, on television, and in feature length movies, according to Kitty Getlik, artistic director at MCCC’s Kelsey Theatre. And invariably, she said, they credit Tomato Patch in giving them their start.

“As a comprehensive workshop in the arts, Tomato Patch focuses on providing a well-grounded, realistic experience, guided by instructors who have worked as artists and as theater professionals,” Getlik said. “This ensures that participants receive a real-world experience, with a perspective of what a career in the arts has to offer.”

For details on the two sessions and a master class for advanced theater students, visit tomatopatch.org. or call (609) 570-3566.