This annual festival is one of the most-anticipated of our summer camp calendar, and this year it was held in session 3. Campers are arranged into theatre troupes, with everyone choosing whether they act, write, direct, design, dance, choreograph, sing, write music or play instruments. The entire day is led by our campers with staff around in a support capacity only, and then in the evening, we hold a theatre festival, and bring in an adjudicator from Toronto. For many of our writers, songwriters and directors, this is the very first time they have taken on a leadership position of this magnitude.
Plans for Play-in-a-Day began at flagpole the day before, when all campers discovered which plays they had been assigned to, and the writers received the first line of their play. Our four writers and our songwriter then missed dorm hour and ‘pajamarama’, proceeding instead to the computer lab with a few bottles of water, a plate of cookies, two staff members for support, and all their ideas! They wrote throughout the evening, ending at around 10pm when all four plays (9-14 pages apiece) were complete. Our songwriter collaborated throughout the evening with the writer of the musical, producing several original songs in just a few hours. If all this sounds hectic, it was… though during play-in-a-day, the writers and songwriter have a very relaxing schedule – a sleep in, free time, collaborative meetings with their director… and then a chance to work on the production in an advisory capacity if they wish.
The anticipation was palpable next day, when all scripts were given out! After a camp wide sleep-in, rehearsals and preparation began. They continued throughout the day, interspersed with free time. By dinner, everyone was ready for a relaxing BBQ – then tech rehearsals began, and productions started! The plays were magnificent – it’s always incredible what can be created in just a few hours. Campers had enormous buy-in to their creative work, and at the same time responded with enthusiasm to the efforts of all other groups. We rounded off the evening with ice cream. A great day was had by all.
Julie
Centauri Arts Camp