Former Weathervane Windsock Camper Makes Broadway Debut

WHITEFIELD, NH—Over its 60-year history, Whitefield’s award-winning Weathervane Theatre has been the stepping stone for many notable Broadway and TV stars—Richard Kline (“Three’s Company”), Michael Gross (“Family Ties”), Tony nominees Judy Kuhn (Les Misérables) and Elizabeth Stanley (Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill: A New Musical), and Tony winners Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!) and Ari’el Stachel (The Band’s Visit). The newest and youngest addition to that list is 9-year old Harper Burns, making her Broadway debut in Beaches, A New Musical.

 

Burns’ time with the Weathervane was in 2021 and 2022 when she was a camper in Weathervane’s immersive summer day camp—Windsock. She contributes her time as a camper instrumental to her foundation as a young professional performer.

 

“Watching so many professional shows here at Weathervane was a great opportunity to learn,” says Burns. “Also, any chance that I have been able to be on stage has helped me grow more confident as a performer.”

 

Burns is referring to the camp show Windsock presents at the end of its two-week session on Weathervane’s outdoor stage. She highlights it as one of her favorite Weathervane memories.

 

“In the camp show Surfules, I got to eat noodles on stage as the boar,” she exclaimed. “Noodles were my favorite food back then, so I was happy to rehearse that over and over! 

 

Another favorite Weathervane memory for Burns is doing cartwheels on Weathervane co-founder Gibbs Murray’s front lawn with her sister, Violet, who is also a performer. For the Burns family, performing and the Weathervane are a family affair. Harper’s mother, Taryn, spent several seasons at the Weathervane as a performer, director, and choreographer. Miles, Harper’s father, authored and directed many theatre for young audiences productions presented by Weathervane’s Patchwork Players. Together, they successfully ran Weathervane’s Windsock camp, where their daughters Harper and Violet were campers. 

 

As the Burns family is based in Portsmouth, NH, they would live with Weathervane’s company of artists each summer, and that experience would prepare Harper for her first national tour—The Sound of Music.

 

“Living with the company helped me learn how to be professional off stage as well as on, said Burns. “It also helped me learn that my theatre company friends can also be family.” 

 

Post-Weathervane Harper has performed regionally (Frozen – Ogunquit Playhouse) and as the Gretl/Marta Von Trapp understudy on the current Sound of Music national tour. Now she makes her Broadway debut, originating the role of Nina, in Beaches, A New Musical. Based on the best-selling novel that became the blockbuster film, this sweeping story follows the vivacious Cee Cee and elegant Bertie, who meet as children and form an unshakeable bond. Over the course of their 30-year friendship, these unlikely soulmates find joy, humor, and heartbreak in a pour-your-heart-out production that’s made to be shared. Currently in previews at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre, this strictly limited engagement opens April 22 and runs through September 6, 2026. Tickets are available at beachesthemusical.com.

Weathervane’s Windsock Camp is now enrolling for its 2026 season, running July 27–August 7. The program includes two one-week sessions for ages 8–11 and one two-week session for ages 8–17. Camp runs daily from 9 AM to 4 PM, combining rehearsal for a camp production with instruction from guest and resident artists in acting, dance, music, Shakespeare, and technical theatre. Participants also enjoy complimentary theatre tickets and behind-the-scenes access to mainstage productions, fostering strong connections with the Weathervane resident company. Learn more and enroll at weathervanenh.org/education/#windsock-camp.

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ABOUT THE WEATHERVANE

The Weathervane Theatre was founded in 1965 by Gibbs Murray and the late Tom Haas and is under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Ethan Paulini. It has presented high-quality professional productions of plays and musicals for over half a century. One of the few remaining alternating rep companies in the United States, the Weathervane is recognized as a historical institution nationwide, boasting among its alums 2021 Tony nominee Elizabeth Stanley, Tally Sessions, four-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn, and recent Tony Award Winners Sam Pinkleton and Ari’el Stachel.  

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Media Contact: Carrie Greenberg
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