Summer is nearly over....

Well summer is nearly over! It is halfway thru session 4 - and no I have not abandoned my blog due to drunken nights out.....Adam! (there's your shout out!) I have, in all honesty, been exhausted and have not had the time or energy to write - poor excuse I know! So to catch up on session 3:

'A New Brain' was amazing! the kids were fantastic and the show was well received - I enjoyed every minute working on it! I love that show! Kristen also came to camp for visiting weekend - so it was great to see her and have some contact with the outside world for a couple of days:) I am sure a lot more happened, but everything has blurred into one at this stage so I will have to fill in the gaps later! Spelling Bee was fantastic, such a talented group!

So onto session 4.... I am working on 'The Producers' which is Directed by Ron Schaefer, who runs the camp! The show is huge, but I am loving it and we have a fab cast! we open at the end of the week! very exciting! I am also working with Rob K on Cabaret Troupe this session, which is the older campers and we have taken then to various camps/resorts to perform (it brings back JYTS/VYC memories!) and has been lots of fun, altho exhausting work! I am looking fwd to coming home!

The shows for this session:

The Producers

Aida

The Wedding Singer

Peter Pan

Halcyon Days

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown

Guys and Dolls

Anne of Green Gables

Finding Nemo

The Aristocats

Ladies of the Alamo

Cinderella

Annie Get Your Gun

The Drowsy Chaperone

Last lazy day I caught a Limousine with 7 other counselors into Binghamton, and spent the day with Adam (another mention so be happy!) and Brandon where we nearly got lost on the bus (Brandon's fault hehe) and acquired bears named Bing, Reggie and Roger, spent time in Walmart and had a throughly enjoyable day, then headed back to camp and caught the end of 'SING!' which is a competition between the Boys and Girls in camp in all different categories! I can go into further details if anyone is interested - just ask:)

Yesterday was Banquet night - the one night in camp everyone dresses up and has a nice dinner and then was the staff show - this year it was 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' which we rehearsed on various evenings over the last 2 weeks! I was the part of 'Sally' and it was a lot of fun, if not the most under rehearsed/under prepared show I have every done - can't wait to see the DVD! Today was our last lazy day of summer! I went into Hancock to the Circle E for breakfast with Joe, Cassie, Ryan and Chris. In the afternoon I headed to Skinners Falls again with a whole bunch of people, then we had a nice dinner party up at Nicki's Trailer. Cassie, Lyn and Joe made us a wonderful meal and punch and we sat out on the deck and had a relaxing evening! Definately my best meal all summer! 

In a week's time it will all be over! I can't believe the summer has gone so quickly, yet it feels like I have been here much longer! But I have a extremely busy week ahead! So hopefully I will be able to do another update before I go! I am also trying to upload photo's onto facebook as I type - I know about time!!!

Session 3!!!

So we are now officially in Session 3!!

Annie went surprisingly well! After a pretty hectic Dress Rehearsal it all came together on the night/s as the cliche goes!! The kids were great, despite the second night there being a huge storm and it pouring down with rain making it very hard to hear anything!! I also spent 2 afternoons with Mia curling and spraying Jordan's (Annie) hair red which was fun lol

My day off the other week was was spent at a place called Skinner's Falls. It's only half an hour away from camp and I went with Lyndsay, Mia and Adam amongst others. We stopped in a nearby town to buy food, Lyndsay and I bought a great selection for our 'picnic' revolving around a great roast chicken...and apple pie! We were the first ones out, waited for ages for everyone, hopped on the bus, got to Skinners Falls, only to find out we had forgotten to pick up the chicken!!! Thankfully Adam came to the rescue with his food! And we still had the pie! Skinners Falls was amazing. It is the most relaxing day I have had this year! It was really hot and we just sunbathed on the rocks and sat in the middle of the river near the rapids  in the middle of no where - sooo relaxing. We did attempt to ride down the rapids in which my left leg slammed into a rock under the water  - my bruise is HUGE!! and got a bit sunburnt but it was fab! We were there for about 5 hrs then we went back to camp and got a lift into Hancock and went out for Chinese - non camp food woohoo!

The rest of the session went quite smoothly! My one act play I directed 'Kitty the Waitress' by Christopher Durang went exceptionally well!  I had a fab cast of kids and got some great feedback!

Now we are into Session 3! I am AD with Beth again on 'A New Brain' by William Finn - so excited!! I LOVE the show, it's upper camp with a small, fabulous cast (we cast today) and I am working with Beth again! I can't wait to start rehearsals tomorrow! I am also doing Theatre Games with Evan, Characterisation with Stu and Jnr Cabaret Troupe with Joe - some fab ppl that I have wanted to work with this summer! So it's all looking good! Casting was long again this session - we have nearly 1000 kids at camp and the majority of them audition! We did 6hrs of auditions yest, then this morning/afternoon, then callbacks late afternoon then the casting session tonight, it was a long, but quite enjoyable day!

So off to bed for me! I have another day off on July 21st - trying to head down to NYC for the day with some ppl and to see Lauren and Jen and then fingers crossed I am going on the Broadway trip to see The Little Mermaid!

Oh and shows for this Session:

A New Brain

Kiss Me Kate

Carousel

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Anything Goes

Godspell

Wonderful Town

Sugar

Cinderella

Ruthless

Once Upon A Mattress

Our Town

Noises Off

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

plus Spelling Bee, It's A Hit, The Crucible and House of Blues Leaves are still to perform this week as they were carry over shows! and 'Drowsy Chaperone' is still in rehearsals til 4th session as well as 5 One-Act plays for this session! Also I have seen a few Spelling Bee rehearsals and it's going to be amazing!! 

  

A Busy Week!

Well it's been a while since I have written anything - mainly because I have been flat out busy and exhausted!!

'Phantom' went really well! The kids were great, they gave great performances, I was so proud of them, and the show got a great response!

After that we had change over day where campers left/arrived. All of the girls in my bunk went home - it was sad to see them go as they were all great, and then in the afternoon we started auditions for session 2! Over 2 days we sat in 19.5 hours worth of auditions/callbacks and casting session - I was shattered!! I then had to do another 2 hours of auditions the next day as I am directing a One Act play this session - so Ia m all auditioned out! My schedule for Session 2 is:

1st Major: Characterisation

1st Minor: Super Troupe

2nd Minor: One Act

2nd Major: Annie

3rd Minor: Annie

3rd Major: OFF

I am AD for 'Annie' this session with Mike McCall as Director. The show is going well so far, it's a middle camp show (ages 11-14) and will be performed in the Playhouse where we did Phantom! The other shows for this session are:

Les Mis

Spelling Bee

It's A Hit

Dream Girls

Crazy For You

Me and My Girl

Fame

Finian's Rainbow

Sleeping Beauty

How To Eat Like A Child

The Crucible

and we have a 'Stock Show' that is performed 4th Session but starts rehearsing now which is 'The Drowsy Chaperone'.

So everything is going well just very, very busy! I have a day off tomorrow which I desperately need! I am going on the bus to a place called 'Ithaca' in NY State which should be nice! I am also directing a One Act play this session called 'Kitty the Waitress' by Christopher Durang, which is also going well! 

So it's all just been d busy, busy, busy, starting all over again! We also have a lot more Counselors/Campers this session so there are a lot more people around. There was a Theatre Staff/Theatre Camper Basketball game last night which I watched that was great, I think I might play next time!

Anyways enough from me, I am still enjoying the Woods and hoping the 'sun will come out tomorrow'....

oh I have only just got back onto facebook as well - so sorry for my late replies to everyone!

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It's Show Time!

Well, it's now wednesday and session one is nearly over! I can't believe how quickly it has gone yet at the same time I feel as tho I have been here so much longer! We are now in full runs of 'Phantom' which is looking and sounding great! The kids have worked so hard! We have 2 performances - Saturday and Monday! I can't believe how much has been accomplished in 7 days!

The last week has been great, altho I have been sick with a cold on and off which has sucked and the weather has been very up and down - stinking hot one day and freezing cold the next! We had our staff talent show on Saturday night which was a lot of fun and Monday was our day off - and well needed! We had a 2 hr rehearsal in the morning, then Beth, her husband Michael, Anne - our choreographer, and I all went in Hancock to have lunch at the Circle E Diner which was really nice. I then waited for Katy to finish her rehearsal in the afternoon and then Katy, Dan and I headed to Binghamton. Unfortunately the directions we had were wrong and when we stopped at a 'gas' station the guy working there pointed this out but told us about another place about 45mins away where there was a Walmart and it was cheaper called Honesville, in Pennsylvania, so we decided to head there.

It was a really nice drive and nice to see other bits of the country. The place wasn't that flash but we did some shopping and found a nice restaurant to have dinner at before heading back and relaxing. It was just nice to be out of camp for a few hours.

Now we are back into the swing of things. The Festival has officially started. We saw the One-Act Plays tonight and the magic shows are also on then the musicals/concerts (including our 'Super Troupe' show) etc... all start from Friday and we also have visiting day for the parents on Sunday so it's busy busy busy, but a lot of fun and I am working with such great people!

In the Swing of Things!!

Well everything is going really well!

We are into the full swing of rehearsals for Phantom - the kids are great, learning everything really quickly and I think it's going to be a great show! My Super Troop class are fab as well! We have some talented kids!

The last few days have just been busy with the usual routine. The weather has been exceptionally hot - in the high 30's - but really muggy, finally 2 nights ago there was a huge thunder storm (and tornado warnings - not so good!) and the whole camp was trapped in the Playhouse for an hour os so while it passed and we could get the power back on! I managed to slip down the stairs on the way out, but no major damage done! But at least the weather has cooled down now which is a relief!

Not too much more to report at this stage, my kids are great - I was moved bunks about a week ago so I ma now in Girls Senior Lodge 2 and have 8 girls ages 15/16 who are all lovely! We have another day off - 'lazy day' - on Monday which I am looking forward to but at the moment it's all Phantom, Phantom, Phantom which I am really enjoying!

Oh we also had a Cabaret night on Monday which was lots of fun - Mike conned a bunch of to get up and sing amongst the campers and we have our Staff Talent Show on Saturday! I will keep you all posted on how the next week of rehearsals etc... go....we open in 9 days!!!

Auditions!

Today was audition day!!

It was stinking hot so thankfully I was in an air conditioned study for most of the afternoon/early evening!

Auditions for all the musicals take place at one time - the lower camper shows are in one room with their Directors and AD's and the upper camper shows in another. We were lucky enough to see most people today - there are some really talented kids! Then we see a few more in the morning, do call backs, then go into a casting session with all the Director's and work out which show each kid will be in - everyone who auditions gets in! Then we hopefullt start rehearsals tomorrow night! So it's all on the go!

I have been listening to the Score of 'Phantom'as well (not the ALW version) and it has some great songs, I am really excited to be working on it!

On Thursday we had a day off so most of us caught the buses that were provided into Binghamton which was about 45 mins away. We had a great day - all you can eat Chinese buffet for lunch, we caught a session of 'Sex and the City'which was fab!! then shopping at Walmart! It was huge! It had everything you can imagine and was all soooo cheap!

On Friday we were in meetings all day and then we had our first lot of campers arrive! So now the kids are here!

Our proper schedule starts on Monday and my classes for this session are:

Major 1 - Phantom Rehearsals
Minor 1 - Phantom Rehearsals
Minor 2 - Theatre Games (with another counsellor Lexi)
Major 2 - OFF
Minor 3 - Theatre Games (with Joe)
Major 3 - Super Troupe (with David and Jessica)

Super Troupe is going to be great, we have chosen our theme - my suggestion - TV Show Themes!!! So we have to work with the 11-14's to produce a show by the end of session!!

Well that's about all that is happening at the moment, which is actually quite a lot! Computers are blocked for the next fews days as kids aren't allowed to email/call home for a while, I am using my Bunk mate's laptop, but I think I may be run off my feet for the next few days!! It's just great to be finally started!!

Busy Day!!

Today was quite busy! Full of meetings about camp, campers, procedures etc... In the afternoon we had a Theatre Dept meeting where 2 of the Diretor's - Mike and Stuart, took us through a 'mock' class and we spent an hour or so playing theatre games which was lots of fun! The ppl in the theatre dept are fab! We then got our Schedule for Session 1, which includes our show!

I am going to be working on Maury Yeston's version of 'Phantom' with Beth (The Camp Director) as my Director! I am really looking forward to it as I wanted to work with Beth and I don't know the show that well! I got my script and the cast recording to listen to today! We are going to be in the Playhouse, which is the 2nd largest theatre here. I am also for the first session teaching 2 different Theatresports/games classes and working on 'Supertroop' which is the 11-14 yr olds who do a variety/cabaret type show for the end of session! Very exciting! I think it's going to be lots of fun:)

Tomorrow we all have a day off, so we are taking buses in Binghamton which is about 45mins away for the day to do a bit of shopping etc... 

I have also had to move Bunks s one of the Stage Manager's left yesterday and they needed another counsellor in their cabin! I will now be with the oldest campers (16-17). Our first session isn't as busy and we have our first campers arriving friday night!

Everything is going really well:) And I am meeting some great people! Oh I also still have Hotmail and Facebook access - all up in the air at the moment so sorry to everyone I have been sending countless emails to!! 

Day 2

Well I am at camp!! I arrived yesterday afternoon, found my bunk which I am sharing with 2 other counsellors (as well as the kids) - Katie and Lauren. Katie is from London and working in the Stagecraft area and Lauren is from Sydney and works in Woodwork!

We had dinner in the dining hall, collected our linen etc.. and had the night to ourselves, which was pretty uneventful - it consisted of upacking, walking around, meeting people and then sleep!

This morning we had breakfast at 8am (I was up and ate breakfast can you believe it!!) then we went to our departments, where I received an orientation pack and as we are going to be busy from tomorrow onwards today we had time to finish unpacking and start cleaning the bunks! fun! lol

So Katie and I got to work scrubbing things down and now I have the rest of the day to wander around before our activities in the evening! The place is really pretty, everyone is very friendly, so far! Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures later in the week!

French Woods!!

Well, today is the day! I am finally off to French Woods! I have had a great time in NYC these past 2 weeks, but really looking forward to starting at camp - as that is the reason I am here:)

Only 2 hours til I am picked up from Columbia University! YAY! Here is to a great summer!!