SALEM - Tripp Carey of Topsfield may be well on his way to Hollywood.
The 15-year-old freshman at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield has enjoyed all aspects of filmmaking as part of the Spotlight Program, an annual summer camp at North Shore Arc in Danvers, for the last five years.
The after-school Spotlight Program teaches social skills to children ages 6 to 20 with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. The program's main event is a summer camp where children write, direct and star in a film. The camp culminates with a mock Oscar ceremony.
"Spotlight is just about the fresh air, it's something (Tripp) looks forward to," says his father and North Shore Arc board member George Carey. "It's one of the highlights of his day. It's a nice way to have the kids learn communication and social skills in a less threatening atmosphere."
This weekend, Finz Restaurant in Salem, managed by George Carey, will host a comedy night and silent auction featuring improv groups from Boston and New York City to benefit the program.
"This is a nice, more unusual approach, a great way to ask people to come in and enjoy a nice evening of comedy," Carey says.
The event, which will also include a silent auction, cash bar and complimentary appetizers, was spearheaded by Spotlight Program director Matthew Lerner. While North Shore Arc hosts several major fundraisers each year, this will be the first one specifically for the Spotlight Program.
"Part of what the kids do is improv," Lerner says. "They use games and activities as a vehicle for social development. This sort of seemed like a natural extension since there's already a comedy component."
The comedy night is also a tradition that North Shore Arc is bringing back to Finz's Pickering Wharf home.
"Our location, when it was the Chase House, used to host comedy nights all the time, so we're trying to bring back an oldie, but goodie," Carey says.
And he hopes it's something that will become an annual fundraising staple for the Spotlight Program.
"My goal is to have it be too big for Finz," he said.
IF YOU GO
* What: Comedy Night and Silent Auction, presented by North Shore Arc
* When: Thursday, June 14, at 7 p.m.
* Where: Finz Restaurant, 76 Wharf St., Salem
* How: Tickets are $75. Contact North Shore Arc, 978-762-4878 or www.nsarc.org.
