NEWSIES

About the play… it is hard to know where to begin. Might be easiest just to list the details and let you fill them in based on your experiences at the theater. Many of you go to Broadway shows, some of you support local shows put on by community actors, and one or two of you might actually have acting experience. I know some of you care deeply about the show’s details, others not so much! I’ll not use a lot of words, just give my observations.

• The Playbill was professionally done (but run off on a standard printer).
• The Pavilion Pit was perfectly decorated in theme (NYC, turn of the century). Details include crumpled up news paper pages, street lamps, cloths lines over it all.
• Anticipation was high, everyone in their places right on time and perfectly quiet.
• The Cast was VERY confident, evident in their body language, movement, lines, and dance movement was without hesitation.
• The cast could sing! They were really good!
• We could hear every word (the microphones and soundboard were perfectly set up and run without a hitch).
• The lighting was perfect (a big deal in a show… Mary Ellen is a professional lighting person (works on Broadway and it shows).
• Each actor was well cast, even down to the deli owner (who stole the show every time she was on stage).
• The story was interesting and the music was catchy… it was a lot of fun, providing great “ooohs”, laughter, and cheers moments.
• Costumes were sublime… exactly consistent, period appropriate, and evocative.
• The set was part of the show, obviously made by professional carpenters (we put our carpenter crew on the job, they built some amazing things to meet Mary Ellen’s specifications). When the crew moved pieces around between scenes, most of the time we got to watch and it was like a well choreographed dance.
• The dancing was really wonderful. The newsboys had some really great moves and we have a nicely trained group of ballet dancers who really stepped up (their high kicks made us gasp).
• It was long (2 hours) but the time flew by.
• The campers were engaged (no coughing, movement, chatter, or anything). To quietly sit on the hard floor that long says it all, erupting in applause and laughter at all the right moments. Genuine appreciation.

The girls pulled it off at the last minute, as often happens in the theater, but this frantic accomplishment is happening that way in every activity and every cabin this week.

Time speeds up this week. Our focus is solely on each other. Hanging out with friends and grabbing some really great conversations in some really wonderful places. Summer houses are typically occupied (tiny little open air structures with opposing benches built in as part of the structure… big enough for 2-8 girls, but crowded with more than 4). Gazebos (bigger octagonal, room for 10). Benches (room for 2). Adirondack Chairs, stone walls, Bermuda grass lawns (the “soft” grass), bridges, and rock paths all provide venues for significant moments.

The girls are diligently completing their plane letters. Plane Letters are a camp tradition that began years ago when literally half of the camp would fly home. These flights frequently required the camper to leave early (like 3:00 AM!), not a good time to say goodbye… so the departing camper would be given letters from her friends. These letters were not to be opened until she had left the gates of Greystone. They were always heartfelt expressions of love and appreciation and often led to grateful tears when opened. It became a tradition and continues even though relatively few campers fly on their own.

I got several plane letters at June Camp… quietly slipped into my hand or dropped off at my desk while I was out. This is the way of these letters… we don’t want to talk, just do this little thing. A letter I received last year said it well: “I feel that I can be myself at Greystone and the friends I have are ones I know I will keep for the rest of my life.”

We are so grateful to have shared this month with your girls. They are delightful and we are proud of the way they have grown. They have filled our world with salt and light. Thank you for letting them come to camp.

The Details:

• Breakfast Sausage, Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browns
• Lunch Smoked Turkey and Bacon Sandwiches
• Dinner Steak Salad
• EP Closing Vespers