Yesterday was the first of two festivals planned for Session Two. We were transported to Elizabethan England, courtesy of some excellent costumes supplied by our friends at Blackthorn Productions! Each dorm had an identity – for example, B1 was a group of Explorers, led by Sir Francis Drake. At lunch, all groups were presented to the Queen… who then demanded a Pageant to be held in her honour. Each group prepared a portion of the Pageant, and we also had a guest instructor on camp, teaching Renaissance Dance.
The Pageant was a great hit and highly entertaining for all of us… until the final moments, when – shock, horror – an assassination attempt was made on Her Majesty! A masked ball was held to celebrate her survival, followed by a trial in which various campers and staff were accused of masterminding the plot to kill the queen. There was widespread surprise when all the dorms discovered they had potential assassins secreted in their midst! The trial ended in laughter as the assassins were revealed.
In the evening, we brought the festivities back to the present day. We told our campers about an actual assassination attempt against King James I of England… the famous Gunpowder Plot! We recreated the resulting British tradition, holding our very own bonfire night. We made bonfire toffee, built a Guy Fawkes, bobbed for apples, watched fireworks, drank hot chocolate in front of a huge bonfire and even heard the story of Guy Fawkes and his aborted attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Even the weather co-operated… there was a light drizzle and cool breeze as we gathered around the bonfire and it felt exactly like being in England in early November!
We’re back to the regular summer camp schedule today. I wandered around several programs, and rehearsals for many of the final shows are now underway. The weather today is lovely – breezy and not too hot, with a glorious blue sky. Tonight campers can choose between a fun camp evening program (“Family Feud”) or additional time in any of the arts departments, to work on their own arts projects.
More photos at https://www.centauriartscamp.com/media/Galleries/2012/index.htm
Julie
Director
Centauri Arts Camp
www.centauriartscamp.com