While some of it was staged and some of it was on the fly, one thing is for certain ­– the Mattapoisett Library was the scene of a lot of drama this summer.

Back for its second year, the Mattapoisett Outdoor Theater gave kids the chance to ham it up on the library lawn twice a week as part of the summer reading program.

Lead by Ellen Flynn (the kids use her stage name Elan Vital), the program had a number of new thespians this year. And at the beginning, they were a little unsure of what the whole thing meant.

“They kept asking what outdoor theater was. It was adorable,” said Flynn.

Flynn took the kids, aged five to ten, through exercises to stretch their creativity and to help them get into improvisational acting.

At the beginning, Flynn said, “A lot of them don’t want to say a word. They’re all very apprehensive.”

Once the kids got used to the idea, however, their stage fright disappeared.

For most of their activities, Flynn tried to use the kids own words, rather than making them memorize lines. But, when it came time to perform for a crowd, they used a screenplay from their own ranks.

Kyle McCullough, 7, started writing a play in school based on the book “How to Save Your Tail” by Mary Hanson, in which a rat tells tales and serves homemade cookies to keep two cats at bay.

With the Outdoor Theater, he got to see his rat and cats come to life.

“He has been so excited to see it in lights,” said Kyle’s mom Jeanne. “He started writing plays at school with his friends and they would put on plays at recess.”

For this play she said, “He dictated it, and I typed it.”

With a beanstalk and castle fashioned by Paula Cobb, the kids debuted Kyle’s adaptation in Shipyard Park on Wednesday, August 1.

Kyle, who also directed the play, got help from Elan Vital and several older kids from the Junior Friends of the Library.

Matthew Carvalho, a sixth grader, volunteered last year and said he enjoyed helping the younger children.

While Matthew filled in for roles when needed, he tried to stay out of the limelight.

“I like the behind the scenes stuff more. It’s good to be part of something even though some people may not be able to see it,” he said.

After the kids acted out their “work in progress” version of Kyle’s play, they took a bow and had a mini-cast party in the gazebo.

Hey, actors got to eat!

The group’s final performance of the season is Friday on the library lawn at 3:15 p.m.