Camp Birchmont
We commend everyone who took the stage to be part of what was arguably the best camp musical production in years! The talent that was assembled for Roald Dahl’s Broadway tale of a brilliant child who rebels against her oppressive school and awful parents, was by any theater critic’s standards, fantastic. The chorus ensemble from our very youngest campers to our oldest delivered the fiercest, most rousing musical numbers with tight and terrific choreography. “When I Grow up” and “Revolting Children” were stand out performances fully deserving of the ovations they received. And best of all, the kids on stage were having a ball.
Jessie R as Matilda and Renee M as Miss Trunchbull were the night’s brightest stars.
Jessie amazed everyone with her great vocal range and well timed delivery of clever lyrics with fine musicality. Jessie’s energy never wavered and she made the audience love Matilda with her first song “Naughty”.
Miss Trunchbull played with great gusto by Renee M. had the audience rooting against her character from the get go, and her two solos, “The Hammer” and “Smell of Rebellion” were actually scary and hilarious at the same time. Miss Honey, played sweetly by the very musical Annika P. was the perfect foil as she delivered her haunting songs ” My House” and “Pathetic”. The set design and costuming added great production value. The brightly painted wood blocks made in woodshop, scattered on stage were also echoed in the alphabet tiles which encircled the curtain and made for a perfect classroom scene. Campers working the spot light managed to catch all the soloists, and made good use of the colored filters to enhance the moods on stage. All the actors hit their marks, and few lines were missed so the script made sense, and set up the songs perfectly.
Super Senior Raquel G served as the dance captain and I do not think it is over estimating her talent, to suggest, with future training and experience she could become a choreographer of some note; she’s simply a natural. Our director, Steve Vieira and musical director, Cherry Yang did a wonderful job teaching and coordinating all facets of the production.
The kids on stage were having a great time, and that’s what camp theater should be.
The full cast party consisted of hot pizza, cold sodas and a special cake baked for the occasion. But probably the sweetest reward was to come later as so many campers were congratulated and praised by their friends and counselors that night and following day.
Personally, I missed “Matilda” on Broadway, but I don’t think I could have enjoyed this show more if I had seen it in orchestra seats in Times Square.
A few nights before the play, we had another lovely arts event on campus. Each summer we host an art gallery evening up at Notches where campers display their art works for the camp to see. There’s jazz playing, faux champagne served (ginger ale with raspberries and blueberries) and petit fours baked in our kitchen and served on trays, adding a little elegance and sophistication to the affair. This has been a transporting evening with campers talking about art, how they make it, what they envisioned, how long it took to create…But alas, this is not a gallery in an arty city loft, and just as we got started a summer storm blew in bringing thunder, wind and big black rain clouds, in minutes, it began pouring. We all scrambled to save the art and get under cover vowing to re-schedule. We were able to make that happen, but there were precious few evenings left with Color War breaking, and Water Carnival nights on the beach, so we do what campers do, we do not whine, we do not cancel, we re-group, re-adjust, and do what we aimed to do in the first place. We pulled off the art show on a sunny rest hour afternoon, and it was still wonderful. There were paintings, sculptures, wood projects, glazed pots and bowls, and mixed media pieces including a rusty bird cage centerpiece lined with mosaic tiles and stones that was transformed, inspired by a photo of the Taj Mahal. A few Upper Seniors designed and wore “disposable dresses” for the occasion. Creativity ran amok, just the way we like it. Kids wore feather boas and fake mustaches for the occasion, too cute for words.
We are now full steam ahead into Color War, and the excitement builds every day.
Photographs now should reflect the primary colors of our four teams, but we don’t know if photographs can really capture the fun, joy, and never ending spirit of this weeks activities.
Our colors are true blue for Birchmont, no matter which color wins.
One thing that struck me last night as we all were enjoying Chinese Banquet Night was not just the variety and popularity of the dishes offered at Birchmont, but the creativity and care with which they are put forth. An old saying of Pop Pierce’s is especially true at camp, “many hands make light work”, and so it happens that a few areas of camp get involved with making magic for the kids. To set the scene for Asian cuisine there was paper mâché sushi, in a garland of green cellophane seaweed, glittering giant chopsticks made in Arts and Crafts and set out on a table, Chinese lanterns were hung from the Dining Hall ceiling with Chinese fans and Japanese parasols strewn about, all to create a fun meal for campers to remember.
At home, meals are made with no less care, but somehow children expect great home cooked meals all the time, and much to the chagrin of moms and dads everywhere, most meals are taken for granted. The job of preparing 3 meals a day for 400 people at once is a huge task, and our campers and staff are genuinely appreciative at meal times.
We thought we’d share the impression of a Group Leader, Sara of the Pioneer Girls. She found herself caught by surprise the other day by the simple profundity of an unguarded conversation between her girls. We probably could write a whole series of the times counselors are awe-struck by their campers, and vice versa, but you’d really have to be in the moment here to appreciate the way personalities unfold at camp.
U.S. women were multi-sport athletes before focusing on soccer
standing tradition where Greg gathers the camp to speak of the richness of camping life and the opportunities to try new things and set new goals. Big Cabin Inspection begins, and it’s actually more fun than it sounds…Big Inspection is a weekly Sunday ritual where each bunk is judged on general neatness and organization. The winners for the week in each group are awarded prizes and announced in the Dining Hall to much fanfare and applause. We don’t expect that every young camper will begin the summer with 193the living skills of making their bed, and folding their towels, but learning with friends makes for the best lessons. It never ceases to amaze me that the perennial traditions at camp can gain a new spin every year. This summer campers took to upping the ante with some adorable antics in girls camp; as wildflower arrangements were put out on cabin stoops and campers tried to impress supervisors with original cabin songs and even a violin serenade. Boys camp made welcome signs for Greg Pierce and Scott Shallcross of twigs, rocks and pine cones, just outside their screen doors. All cabins passed with flying colors!
