Why Drama Camp?

Taylor

** Note: All names have been changed for anonymity.**

It's a couple weeks into my new job in a new city. I'm finally starting to find my rhythm. It's 8:45am, and as the camp day begins, I'm welcoming kids by the entrance. We're all clad in masks, as Covid is still a concern, but the kids have turned them into accessories. The masks come in all different colours, some with giraffes, some with sparkles, etc. They match shirts, which match hats, which match backpacks that are as big as the kids themselves.

Some of the campers are as young as five, and yet, they hug their parents, and head confidently in the door. They don't look back. I hear dozens of tiny "hello Taryn!"'s as they walk past me. I bring down my mask for a moment to take a sip of coffee. I'm excited for the day ahead.

Just then, I notice one of the older kids sitting off in a corner. She hugs her knees into her chest. She looks like she's been crying.

I investigate... "Hey Taylor, what's wrong?"

Taylor doesn't respond, but she's still clearly distraught. Perhaps it's a good idea to go somewhere a little quieter.

"Do you wanna go chat in the sideroom?"

Taylor nods. We go.

There, I encourage her to take some deep breaths. Soon, a group warm-up will be starting for all the campers, but I tell her not to worry about that. We can take all the time she needs. I do what I can to make sure this is a gentle, safe space.

As Taylor calms down, she tells me she's scared because she has a sore throat. She's worried that she has Covid, and that her foster mom will be mad at her for having to come pick her up, interrupting the work day and whatnot. As a separate issue, she tells me that her social worker is supposed to visit camp today. None of the instructors were informed of this. I wasn't even aware that she was in foster care.

As per my supervisor's advice, we do unfortunately have to send Taylor home. One sick kid could shut down the whole camp. But before we do, I take a deep breath of my own. I tell Taylor that she should go get a Covid test, just to be safe, but not to panic:

"Anxiety can show up in our bodies in a lot of different ways. I myself have had stomach issues for years, and I know that anxiety contributes to that. It could also be the smoke that's making your throat hurt."

(Note: The BC forest fires are so bad this summer, that they've turned the sky apocalypse-red over two provinces).

My supervisor pops in as well, equally gentle despite the bazillion tasks she has on hand: "All parents know that having to pick up their kids is a possibility. They sign a form stating this before the kids are even allowed at camp." This relaxes Taylor a bit, in regards to her foster mom. After a brief meeting with the social worker outside (we can't let a stranger into a building with a bunch of kids), Taylor is picked up, and heads home.

She comes back the next day, with a negative Covid test. She tells me," I think you were right. I was pretty anxious. And I'm feeling much better today! Thank you for spending time with me."

As she rejoins her friends, I take another deep breath. Before this, I never really thought about what all of these kids were going home to. This time at camp may actually be crucial.

What the Job Entails...

When I accepted this summer job as a Drama Camp Instructor, I knew it would be a lot of work. Although admittedly, I didn't fully understand how much was a lot, until I had to do it. Yes, we had the 8-4 Monday-Friday grind, but there was so much to do outside of work as well. Here's a typical breakdown of the week:

Day 1: Monday

You meet the kids. All of them. They're divided into 3 or 4 different age groups, with about 10-15 kids per group. Every morning this week, you'll visit each of the groups and lead workshops, such as movement, acting, improv, or voice. In the afternoon, you're assigned to one of the groups. I often got Group 1 (ages 5-8), or Group 2 (ages 9-11).

Monday afternoon, you do play creation with your assigned group. You ask them what they want to write a play about. They have wild imaginations, unbridled with brand new concepts:

Week 1, Ollie suggests "a play about dragons and knights!"

"That's neat!" I say. "You mean dragons who fight the knights?"

"No," Ollie clarifies. "Dragons who are friends with knights."

(How cool, right?!!!)

If you're lucky, the concept will be something cohesive, like that. If you're not, you might end up with a cast list like this:

1) A wizard

2) A witch (okay! Not too bad so far, but then there's also...)

3) A pink, hairless puppet

4) A good tiger

5) A bad tiger (not to be confused with the good tiger. Two different characters)

6) Three normal teenagers

7) A talking banana....etc.

And it's your job to make a play -- that makes sense -- with all of those characters. I did. Also, you have to write it in one. night.

Maybe another instructor is assigned to the same group, and you can have a three-hour Zoom session while you write the play together. If there's no one else though, then this is a solo venture. Good luck and God-speed.

Day 2: Tuesday

The play has to be done in one night because the kids need the script for the next day. They perform the play on Friday, which is a pretty tight turn-around. Thus, the sooner they have the script, the better. Keeping in mind, some of the campers are quite young, and can't read yet. How are they going to memorize lines in less than three days?

You tell them to go over their lines with their parents, grandparents, or dog (they usually laugh at this). Read the lines like a story before bed! Whatever it takes to get those words in their brains.

Day 3: Wednesday

Practice in the afternoon. Practice, practice, practice. Some kids are great listeners, and it's clear that they've already tried memorizing at home. Others lose focus, and it begins to feel like you're hearding cats.

When they need breaks, you play games, grab water, and then get back to it. If necessary, you feed them their lines. You tell them to start thinking about costumes.

When the camp day is over, you're looking through the many closets of stuff to find props and back-up costumes. Can't find what you need? No worries! Make it! Don't know how? You learn, and you learn fast. Sometimes, you have to get creative...

The same goes for sound design, which you'll also be doing in your off time. You check in with the other instructors who have done this before. They teach you how to use the sound program, and how curate the sounds you need from the open web. You apply this knowledge right away. Ideally, for the next day.

Day 4: Thursday

It's the day before the show. If rehearsal didn't go well on Wednesday, perhaps you allot some of your morning workshop time to practicing the play, taking it in sections. Is your play about mermaids? Perfect! Get the group to show you how mermaids move during the movement workshop.

At this point, you have your props, sound design, and hopefully, your campers know all of their lines. This never ends up being completely the case, though. There's always something to do.

When the day ends, you stay late to help the other instructors with their the bigger props. You write certificates for each camper in your group. This is the time for anything last-minute.

Day 5: Friday

Performance Day! There's nervous, excited energy all around. The kids come to camp in their costumes. They greet you with the same "hello"'s, but now, they're dragons, and mermaids, and cowboys, and talking bananas. Ollie is a "Lightning Dragon." He has giant blue cardboard wings, with yellow lightning bolts all over them. There was definitely parental help with this one. You smile, knowing the parents are into it, too.

Despite the craziness of the past week, it's worth it for this day. For some kids, this is the first time ever they'll be performing onstage. You guide them through their nerves, encouraging them to support each other.

Then, it's show-time! Miraculously, the kids who had trouble memorizing their lines know them now. No scripts are in hand. They've put the work in. And if they forget, their fellow performers help them out.

The parents in the audience laugh, listen intently, and erupt into applause at the end of the show. All of the kids onstage are absolutely beaming.

As they bow in (mostly) unison, you hand out your hand-made certificates. Sometimes, they hang around after the show with their parents.

Hailey in Group 1 looks a bit upset, so you ask what's wrong. Her mom says, "she just wants to give you a hug."

A hug. For you?!!

"Hailey! Of COURSE."

She's six, and small. She smiles, and throws her arms around you.

"She loved it so much, she wants to come back next week! So we signed her up."

And indeed, Hailey is back next week, with a whole new group of kids and a whole new play. But she knows you.

Sometimes, Fridays end like that. Other times, the kids find their parents, get flowers or pats on the back, and then everyone leaves at once. You know all the kids by name. You've seen their strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and personalities. You've seen them make friends, maybe life-long friends for all you know! And now, just like that, you may not see them again.

Don't shed your tears just yet. There's a whole new batch of kids on Monday.

Throughout the Summer

I lived through this week eight times in a row. Not one group of kids was the same. For some of the instructors, this is their fourth or fifth summer at camp. They've been through this song and dance (quite literally), and shred the hard copies of their plays at the end of each week. Not me. I keep mine in a special folder with names, titles, notes, everything.

Let me be clear though; I think the world of my coworkers. I couldn't have done any of this without their patience, guidance, and support. We all communicated and collaborated. We shared quotes from campers (that old saying, that kids say the darndest things? It's SO true). These instructors welcomed me, like I had been there for years, and helped me feel at home in a city I'd never lived in before. One weekend, we even played Dungeons and Dragons together (my first time ever!)

I think there's a reason too, why even into adulthood, we remember summers at camp. Heck, I still remember camp songs I learned when I was a kid, and I'll probably know them for the rest of my life. These camp plays, workshops, and people are all a part of formative childhood experiences for these kids. As instructors, we provide them with a fun, safe space, where they can fully express themselves.

In this respect, Taylor's story ends up being just the tip of the iceberg...

Ru

A camper named Alyssa asks, "can I have a new name-tag? I go by Ru, because I'm non-binary. Just not at home, because my grandma's old-fashioned."

"Of course!" I pull out the name tags.

"No 'e,' please. Because that's the feminine version."

"Okay! No problem!" I write R-U.

"Wait! Can I write my pronouns on here? That would be so awesome!"

"Absolutely!" I hand over the name tag. Ru writes they/ them beside their name, and proudly sticks it on their hoodie.

"Wow, this is just..." they smile, and actually do a little jump for joy. "This is PERFECT! Thank you!"

Marcus

Marcus had his first summer at drama camp this year. He tells me that after this week, he's also going to skateboard camp, and then computer camp; theoretically, drama camp is one of many he's trying out. Yet, Marcus has a natural talent. He speaks clearly onstage, he emotes, and he makes great character choices. At the end of the week, I pull him aside, and encourage him to audition for the company's mainstage season:

"If this is something you'd like to do more of, they could definitely use you."

He gives me a slight too cool for school smile, and thanks me.

Fast-forward to the end of the summer, and I find out from my supervisor that not only did Marcus audition, he NAILED IT!! He was cast in two shows!!!

And who knows? Had I not said anything, Marcus might not've even considered auditioning. This could be his new favourite thing, or at the very least, a confidence-building experience.

So it just goes to show...

This Work is Important

Let me say, I have had many, many moments of doubting myself outside of this job. I have a BFA in theatre, and I graduated just before Covid hit and the world shut down. I come from a family of doctors. I'm an artistic outlier. So when I heard about this job, I knew that it could be a fun way of applying my education.

What I didn't anticipate was the impact my work would have on so many kids. I'm part of their growing up. They can be whoever they want to be at camp, and create whatever they want to create. I've learned so much from them. I've learned so much FOR them: how to make props, how to sound-design, and how to handle hard situations on the fly. AND I made eight whole different plays in one summer! That's a new record for me!

I'm not saving lives, like my dad, or aunt, or sister, or cousins. But perhaps, in little ways, I'm changing lives. I'm providing positive experiences in the years that really matter: the early ones. The campers can carry these memories forever. Perhaps they find a passion here, right in front of my eyes, that sticks with them for life.

Oh, and the best part? When they ask...

"Are you coming back next summer?"