One of our main mantras at camp is “process over product”. This mantra is complicated in the theatre department by the fact that the product is the process. I had hoped these camp entries were going to be the sunshine, lollipops and rainbows of the experience of working with teenagers at a progressive creative and performing arts camp. That I would write about the fulfilling joy of being part of a team to create a musical with immense time constraints. That I would twirl like Maria on a goddamn mountain in celebration of all that is summer camp. And sometimes, we just have to accept, the process is not these things. Sometimes, it’s really, really hard. And you are so exhausted that you can barely differentiate your left from your right, or which way is up. 

Here is a confession. The past nineteen days have been intensely difficult. It is one thing to stage a full-scale musical in nineteen days. It is another when your cast are involved in other productions/performances (various combinations of clown/music/dance) at the same time. When they have field trips. When they are designing and building puppets from scratch. When they are stubborn. When they believe they know it all. When they are late to every single rehearsal. When they don’t do their homework. When they refuse to work on their puppets. When they just want to have fun and not come with you on the journey of hard work = reward. And on top of it all, you are simultaneously working in the music shed and teaching thirty individual singing lessons and preparing students for a concert. The schedule is jam packed, the days are long, and everyone is continually stretched to their limits. Remember how much I love this place?! 

It’s hard to believe we sat down to cast this monolithic baby just two and a half weeks ago. The next afternoon we began rehearsals - a meet and greet with the cast, some basic puppeteering, and a read through the script. Every day after that the cast were called for music in the mornings, and blocking and choreography rehearsals in the afternoons. In between rehearsals, the cast had to design, construct, and learn to use their puppets,   and memorize lines and music, all whilst juggling schedules to include other rehearsals, lessons, and time in the visual arts shops. 

My job in the musical is to look after the music. Working with our wildly talented conductor and keys player, Brandon, we rehearsed the dots, did vocal coaching sessions, and rehearsed the pit band. I particularly love working with students who have never sung before. One cast member had never sung in a musical before, and was nervous about belting. She wasn’t sure if she could pull off her role. We did a few sessions together, and during a sing through of the show, she NAILED her part. I was in tears at the end of the number. Where did all the power come from? All those amazing acting choices? It’s moments like that, that make all the crazy long hours and piles of stress, incredibly worthwhile. 

The show went up last night. The creative team were absolutely exhausted. We had spent the previous night in dress rehearsal, and the two nights previous to that in tech. All three nights had stretched into the early hours of the morning, with the kids being sent “home” (back to their bunks) a little after midnight. Come show time, the weather was against us. Oh, the perils of outdoor theatre! The theatre is covered, but open to the elements. I sat with the choreographer, Nina, one of my favorite people in the world, our hands gripped tightly in solidarity of “oh god, we hope they nail it!”. It poured with rain. The sky flashed with lightening. Thunder rumbled ominously. The kids were troopers. The show went on. The audience roared in appreciation, and cheered at the end of every number. At the end of the night, we loaded the instruments back into a van and took them up to the Music Shed. The tech army started striking the set. The kids went up to the dining hall for post-show cake and celebration. They were beaming.

The feedback has been delightful. Buck’s Rock audiences are the most supportive you’ll ever find. All day I’ve been receiving the most lovely comments about how great the kids sounded, how strong the pit was this year, how hilarious the show was. In these moments, I forget the exhaustion and stress. I remember why I love working on these shows. The product may be different to what we were expecting on day one, but the process has been one hell of a ride.