waking up

After waking up, our wonderful campers headed off to their first session of morning yoga with Lia! After a relaxing and invigorating session, the campers went to the dining hall to fuel up before auditions. 

auditions

The campers get to audition in the playhouse! Today, they each got to add their names to the long list of incredible actors who have breathed life into the Blackfriars Playhouse. Seeing them act on that stage for the first time is a truly magical experience. I, for one, was utterly blown away by the passion, hard work, skill, and dedication I was lucky enough to witness. 

Auditions consist of four parts: Ensemble work, the campers’ prepared monologues (which they had a chance to work on in small groups with us last night), cold reads, and the lightning round. During the lightning round, campers get to show off any talents or skills that they can bring to the productions. These frequently include singing, playing musical instruments, or showing off accents and other vocal work. The lightning round is always a time for campers to show off who they are and gives them a chance to get to know each other better. 

casting and voice lessons

After lunch and a bit of down-time, the campers were off to voice lessons with American Shakespeare Center actor Sara Griffin. Meanwhile, directors and their teams met to deliberate on auditions. After much consideration, the cast lists were completed and sent off for printing.

Following voice lessons, the campers made the walk back to our dining hall. Waiting for them there was our cast lists. The campers were abuzz at dinner as we all sat in eager anticipation of our first read-throughs.

intimacy masterclass

After dinner, the campers left for their Intimacy Masterclass, taught by me! We covered boundaries, emotional/physical intimacy, and consent in theatre. This masterclass empowers campers to self-advocate and teaches them skills of expression that will serve them for the rest of their lives. 

read-throughs

Next came our mega read-through of both plays, split by a dance break led by our wonderful 2 Henry VI director Mili Koncelik. Check out the Double Feature Read-Through blog post for more!

Finally, we went back to the dorms and concluded our first full day of camp. Be sure to check back over the coming days and weeks to see more of what our wonderful campers are up to. Thanks for reading!

camp insights

Camp is a place to grow, change, overcome, and let yourself shine. As a former camper, I’ve seen quite a few first days. There is nothing that compares to the sheer wonder that you experience when you enter the playhouse doors for the first time. Our beautiful stage invites you to create and holds you prisoner in its atmosphere. Following in the footsteps of giants while blazing trails of their own, the campers stepped into this space and began to leave their marks. It was a wonderful treat to watch another group of campers begin to make their magic.