<p>Thank you, Susan and others, for all your wonderful info. I am the mom of a 1st year SDM camper, who is attending 1st and 2nd session this year. My question is this -- how did you know yesterday what role your daughter had been cast in, and when it is being performed? I saw the show listing on the SDM message board, but not the cast list, or the timing of which shows are performed at which times. Thanks.</p>
<p>Dani, as far as who is cast as what, I do know some, yes, particularly the kids I know of (leaves out kids I don't know). I don't know if YOU will know them cause none of them are third session kids but maybe since you came up last year to see Nine and maybe met kids or saw other productions, I can mention these kids to you: In Jekyll and Hyde, Miles is Jekyll and Sarah R (from FL) is Emma. In Cabaret, Meredith is Sally, Cliff and MC are new, Becca is Fraulein Kost, Lena is Frau Schneider, In Pirates of Penzance, Jacob is Frederic, Maggie S. is Ruth, don't know the rest, in Fame, Sarah A. (from FL) is Selena, Callie is the teacher who sings These are My Children, Rebecca F. is the character who sings FAME, don't know the rest, In Crazy for You, Sam R (from NYC) is the lead female, don't know the rest, in Crucible Randi is Mary Warren, DJ (sorry but her name has initials but I many have the initials wrong) is Abigail, Katie B. is Elizabeth Proctor, don't know the rest....and I don't know any of the other parts/leads in shows or the shows I have not yet mentioned. This just represents either her friends or kids we know. I hope you have the BEST time at Northwestern which is known to be a fantastic program. </p>
<p>Angst, all the auditions will be held on your D's first day. The exception to that is in first session when they have over 250 kids to audition and I think it runs over into the second day. But there are less kids to audition in second session since there are kids who stay over from first and they do not need to reaudition (though could if they chose to). I don't know exactly how they are assigned but my guess is that they call them by groups (like all girls living on Main 3 have auditions at such and such time, be there and wait your turn, kind of thing). When you try out you are not trying out for a SPECIFIC show. You try out and you can stiplulate on your form if you want to be in a musical or a drama or either. But then you are placed into a show. So, do not gear your audition song to any particular show (like you would if you were merely trying out for a certain show at a theater). This is more like at college auditions; you are showing your skills but not for a particular role. When she gets there, she may hear what shows they are doing but by then should have already selected her audtiion song. I suppose if you don't try out for dance, yes, you could still be put in a show that has dance. But if they need dancers, they are going to look for kids who dance. You said your D wants to take dance classes and if she does, she automatically has to do a dance audtiion for placement. And yes, every kid does a cold reading of a scene with a partner. And yes, they have to do a LOT of auditions to do all these kids and cast 13 productions! And then there is casting of kids into the open slots of the cabaret, also the new drama ensemble (a drama version of cabaret), and auditions for things like acting master class. But they have this process down. They have a casting staff and they have piano accompaniests. Each kid can also run their song with a pianist prior to their true audition and get help that way ahead of time. Hope that helps. I encourage you to ask questions on the Stagedoor forum itself where actual campers could answer as well as give their perspective. You are just getting mine and also I am a parent :D.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>BroadwayWannabe, oh, thanks, did not see your post when I wrote mine above (I had started mine but a local parent called me who has sent her D to SDM for the first time, she is ten, and my D is her vocal coach). I have read a synposis of the show so knew what it was about but not that much about my child's role. </p>
<p>BrownSugar, hi and welcome. If I can help you in some way, just ask. You can call the camp and find out the role or time of your child's show. Also, the camp will be sending a mailing that you should get any day now that tells you what show she is in and at what time. How old is your daughter? I am sure she is having a great time. The performance times follow a pattern. If you are in an A show, your show goes up at 3 PM on Friday and 7:30 PM on Saturday (six shows will have this pattern) and if you are in a B show, it performs at 8 PM on Friday and 2:30 PM on Saturday (six shows will have this pattern). The C show which is The Crucible is shown to the entire camp on Thursday night and at 10 AM in the Garden Theater on Saturday. The Our Time Cabaret performs around midnight on Saturday night. Hope that helps. You should have your answer likely in the mail tomorrow or so. You could call the office if you choose. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Hi Soozie, thanks for the casting news. Big Congrats to your D! What a great role! I know she will cherish each moment and deservedly so.</p>
<p>My kiddo will be disappointed they aren't doing Pirates of Penzance second session (and I'm guessing it's unlikely they will do another G&S show this summer). She LOVES that show (did chorus a few years ago as the "baby" daughter) and Mabel is one of her dream roles.</p>
<p>I can't believe camp is nearly here...I must ask this question. How hot is it in the Catskills right now? Is the Elsie the only theater with AC?</p>
<p>Umm Im having trouble comign up with songs. Do they hafta be from musicals? My voice is alot like Idina's and I have a wide range. I can sing For Good and then sing Thankgoodness. I was thinking mabye an Idina song thats not from a musical. I'll go hafta do ym reasrch and pick one lol. My mom (being the overprotective parent she is lol) is afraid the girls will be all Melissas( Melissa is a snobby theater brat that goes to ym school, she gets all the leads is very popular, she remarked that it is such a rich camp (in terms of finances to go there ) that it will all be snobby whites kids. She remarked while looking through the photots all the kids were white and attractive. ( Were white so its not a race thing, its more like ive been in bad social situations in the past and shes worried I will be miseable. Any thoguhts on this? She does this every year ith every camp and it ****es me off.</p>
<p>Dani mabye we can meet up as I will be going third session.</p>
<p>Thanks Dramama. I got your LOVELY email and I owe you a return one. I have a list of emails I owe, as I just was not that available last week. I hope to get to it all as soon as I can. </p>
<p>Too bad about Pirates and I know your D was in it before (mine did it in elementary school and was Isabel) but as you know, they do many great shows each year. Last year they did a G and S show, The Mikado. </p>
<p>Your best bet with the weather is to keep checking forecasts online for Loch Sheldrake. When I dropped the kids off the other day, it was gorgeous out, in the seventies and sunny. The forecast for the next week is all sunny (!) and going into the 80s (but one day in the 90s). The norm for summer there is likely lower 80s, but it can truly vary. It can get very humid in summer in the NY area (much more so than in VT). Right now it is gorgeous in both places. But it could be quite different when your D gets there. I know the Elsie has AC and I THINK The Playhouse does. Some performance weekends have fine weather but some don't. Worst case scenarios are rain as it impacts the outdoor theater venues and the schedule. The reason I think the Playhouse has AC is cause in summer of 2001, second session, it was a sweltering humid and hot weekend and right before the weekend, the AC went or something like that at the Playhouse and they had to postpone the dress rehearsal and it threw off the performance schedule. I recall sweating bullets watching Little Me, which my D was in, and it was also a very long musical to boot. One summer when she was in Tintypes in the Barn Theater which has since burnt down, it was soooooo hot and they had on period costumes. Usually it is not bad though. Those two times stand out. Of course if your kid gets into the Elsie or Playhouse, the heat won't be too bad :D.
Susan</p>
<p>Defying Gravity, I find SDM to be a very very accepting place. The majority are Caucasian, however, though there are some kids of other ethnicities. Kids come from all over the country and other countries as well. Because it is expensive, it prohibits lower income people from going. However, not everyone is rich. My kid certainly is not. My kid is getting financial aid at college. However, SOME kids are wealthy. Some are middle class. My kid comes from rural Vermont. Her camp friends are nothing like her home friends and their backgrounds differ from her home buddies' ones. However, when I sent my kids off to summer programs out of state, I thought at first, oh, how will they fit in as they are with some kids from well to do backgrounds or from NY or whatever and I was ALL wrong. They fit in beautifully. Nobody at camp cares where you are from or what you have at home. Everyone shares this common passion of theater. It is not a competitive atmosphere and it is not focused on who has what. Kids support each other immensely. My D knows that some of her camp friends have way more but so what. She has visited MANY of their homes and while she can comment on how different their communities are from ours, she is very very closely bonded with these kids. Nobody cares who has what. It is not a very cliquey place, in my opinion. The atmosphere is NOT snobby at all, in my opinion.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would sing something from the musical theater repertoire since this is a theater camp. Just my opinion. Don't get stuck on Idina Menzel songs. Just find songs that emphasize what you are good at and show range. Feel good about your song. If you like Wizard and I kind of songs, find another that is similar. Or, just use it if you love it a lot. They are not gonna care that much which song you pick. I prefer a less common song but it is not horrible if you do a common one at this camp.</p>
<p>Well Defying..if you are white and going to the camp then you will be joining the rich "snobby white kids" and "gasp"..become one of them - because you too can afford to go! LOL teasing you...!!!
Ummm my D. is white..she is very attractive...BUT she is really nice! So there you go. I know of at least one not snobby kid going.
I would hope their were many ethnicitys going but I dont know.
Just chill..and go.. and make friends</p>
<p>Meantime ..I will chill about the songs and stuff too and I will give Susan a rest!</p>
<p>Defying Gravity, SoozieVT is right when she says, "no one cares who has what." To the point that, there is virtually no suffering over "who has what" role. From what I could tell, every kid is respected and happy with their show. These kids just look like ordinary, everyday kids (everyone dresses strictly for comfort, lots of tee shirts, dance camis and Soffe shorts)who happen to be crazy about theater. They finish each other's lines from songs and plays. Do not worry about "snobby rich kids". If you must worry about anything, it's that these kids love musical theater so much you might find yourself not knowing an inside joke or a song from a show you haven't seen. That's pretty great, if you ask me! So, leave your good clothes at home, and listen to all the latest cast recordings your local library has to offer if you want to have a great time, which I'm certain you will!</p>
<p>It is indeed hard to predict what the weather will be like performance weekend. I've seen it go from hot and humid to pouring rain and freezing in the space of a day. Soozievt, where you there the year it starting hailing giant snow-like drops? Then, ten minutes later it was clear and sunny. Just be prepared for all weather when you go up for performance weekend. I would often leave a change of clothes long sleeve shirt, sweater, etc.) in the car. Pack an umbrella, sunglasses and a hat, if you're so inclined. And take BUG SPRAY!!! You will need it if your child is cast in an outdoor production. (My child somehow escaped ever doing an outside show). I will also suggest that you pack some bottled water--the soda/water/soft drink machines on performance weekend often break down or run out. Last year, for the first time they had a food and drink concession set up outside near the Forum Theater. You can call and find out of they will be doing that again. Murphys law (pun intented to all those SDM-savvy types) also takes effect on those three weekends--it rains 50% of the time. Sometimes they have to move the outdoor performances inside, sometimes the staff can dry everything. But in any case--it is still a great experience. I'lll miss it this year, (and will epecially miss seeing Soozievt's D strutt her stuff) although my D plans on attending with alums.</p>
<p>Yep, we experienced "J. Murphy's Law" last year when it rained and we were worried about the performances getting changed, which would have made it impossible to see my D's show on Friday when we flew in. (She chorus was in "Nine.")</p>
<p>It's been hovering in the 90's for weeks here in the Lone Star State, so a bit of rain would be so welcomed. I'll def. remember the bug spray, thanks!</p>
<p>dramama,</p>
<p>My D was also in "Nine" (played Claudia). What a small world exists on this forum!</p>
<p>Freelance, Dramama is my long time internet friend going back to about 1999. She learned of SDM from me and fortunately, sent her very talented D there last summer for the first time, second session. She was fourteen at the time. I'm sorry I must not have introduced you guys. But she knew that my D's best bud (your D) was Claudia. Her D sang a lovely soprano verse in the song that Perri sang. And she is going back this year, second session! I'll miss seeing you, Dramama! I'm going back for the 30th anniversary shindig on July 24 and I hopefully will run into your daughter. It was funny last year that of all the shows at camp, that Dramama's D ended up in the same one as my D - Nine, after all these years. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Thats good to know about the friendleyness factor. A camp i went to once called Lohikan the girls brought LV slippers to camp and had their coach handbags and put on MAKEUP to go to BREAKFAST! Needless to say I left half way thru. Any awsome cast recordings you or your D. recommend?</p>
<p>DefyingGravity, SDM is not like that, don't worry. I am sure there are girls there that own such things but it is not like they all do and that is not how they are dressed while at camp. I don't think there is even time to put on make up before breakfast and rehearsal! </p>
<p>If it makes ya feel any better, my daughter does not own either of those designers or actually ANY designers! I had to even think for a minute what was "LV"? I thought, hmm, Las Vegas? No, I'm dumb...must be Louis Vuitton? Yeah, likely. Ya see, here in my neck of the woods (literally), NO kids own those things. Yeah, my D has heard of those things from being exposed to kids at camp who live where girls own designer this or that. But it is not like everyone at camp comes from such a place or has such things. It does not come up that much there as they are just immersed in theater stuff. They even tend to hang out in dance gear a lot of the day I think. I don't see kids flaunting this or that. You can't even necessarily tell who is rich and who is not from just walking around. Yeah, my D has a clue cause she has picked up on what the lifestyles and material things are that some of these kids have that SO contrasted to our community. But this is not a big thing at camp like in the way you are describing at your previous camp. She knows about it and has seen it or visited other areas but kids just bond at camp and this does not interfere. Any fear I had of that back in 1998 when I sent the girls off, was not founded. Kids bond at camp and it does not matter where you come from so much. </p>
<p>I have to say, however, that my D was exposed to things (like designers) from having friends from various backgrounds at camp and it came in handy one time in a funny way. She auditioned for a pilot once in NYC and her sides included some lines where girls were being catty in it and Prada came up in her script, and normally my D would not have had a clue what Prada was, but she had heard of it through kids at camp so she knew. Now, she did not want to let on that she was a VT girl where the designer was more likely to be Birkenstock! In fact, she was seen many times for this part and one time was told to come back and dress more "hip" with her clothes and hair (I'm thinking, yikes, she is not a NYer, ya know?) and we worked on it. She ended up being the final girl for the role in NYC and like the way these things can go, they decided to cast it in LA after that. But I kept joking to her that it was handy that she had gone to a camp where there were girls from NYC and she understood the references to the designers in the script! </p>
<p>By the way, was Lohikan in the Pocono Mountains in PA? I went to overnight camp for ten years growing up (LOVED IT) and there was another camp that shared the same lake and it was called Lohikan and our camp played their camp in sports. My camp was called Pine Forest Camp. Was yours also on Lake Greeley? Funny coincidence, if so. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Ummm I would bet my D would wear makeup to breakfast..she loves to dress and look her best! She loves clothes and where other folks are in shorts and tees..she is in a white long flowing skirt with a pink cami and burgundy glass beads. I pick her up from drivers ed and she comes out in tan skirt and tan crochet top with flowered fiipflops and silver earrings.
So yes some kids will dress but does that make them snobby? ...Mine just loves clothes ..and loves to wear them. She loves jewelry and shoes and is a girlie girl..thats just how she is.
But you have to look past that and see that she is a fine person even though she dresses up more than casual cus thats her.</p>
<p>I received a letter from my child that almost all the kids brought their cell phones, and that my child feels like the only one without one. Is this true? What is your experience with this?</p>
<p>BrownSugar,
I don't know what all the kids have or do in this regard. If your child says other kids do have them,I imagine it must be extremely discreet and not out in the open so it would be hard to tell if they did because they cannot use them openly. So, I don't know for sure what kids have privately in their rooms. If you want to know what role your child got, I encourage you to call the camp and ask a secretary at the office. They will tell you. The note from the office as to your child's show and performance times ought to arrive around now. As well, your D can call home in a couple days. If your child says that a friend has a cell, she could ask to borrow it for a quick call out at bedtime to talk to you, I suppose. I'm not there and so I don't know that situation but if your D says it is so, then perhaps it is. I very much doubt that your child is the only person without a cell phone. My guess is that she is in the majority of kids by not having one. That has been my D's experience. Where we live, kids don't often even OWN a cell phone until they drive. If you walk around camp, you won't see any cells out publicly, that is for sure. </p>
<p>As you get to know parents of other campers over time, often you hear about what your child is in or other news from networking with other parents who have heard this or that. That is how I have found out lots over the years. If one kid calls out, their parents might write and tell me what's happening. That sort of thing. There were a lot of years when I heard what role my child had from someone in Michigan before I ever got my child's letter about it.</p>
<p>Thanks so much Susan, for your reply and for all your wonderful information. You are such a resource to us first-timer moms!</p>