June 18 2024

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Raise the curtain and start the show! These familiar words elicit a physical response every time I hear them. They bring back memories of my brief time on stage in high school. Hendersonville High had a fantastic Drama teacher. Mr. Orr LOVED everything about the theate, and he ran a great club. We competed in statewide drama competitions, never winning but often getting favorable reviews. Learning lines and songs, blocking movements, getting into character, making the character come to life with the nuance of movement and diction, wardrobe, props, sound, lighting, and promotion/marketing were all things I learned to do. It was the best educational experience of my life apart from camp, and I remember the lessons as if they were from yesterday.

So I get particularly excited about a production EP… not only do we know it will be a great show, we are also sure that each production will have a significant impact on the performers. Last night was a huge song and dance show that came off without a hitch. The songs were cute and sung with confidence and flair. The dance numbers were innovative and ran like a clock. Most dances rotated two groups in each number (thus giving many campers the opportunity for a front-row spotlight position on the stage). The girls were so confident, too! They claimed their moves with that flair that makes non-dancers (like me) gasp with delight. The singing was loud and confident, matched with choreography and complicated rotations of solo numbers. The guitar girls played a mix of songs as one (remarkable for such a big group). We loved it all and can’t wait for tonight when about a hundred campers put on a production of “Frozen.”

About ten years ago, one of our former June campers became an actress on Broadway (she played Glenda in “Wicked”). Everyone knew she was special when she played the lead in the June Camp play two years in a row. We were blown away by each performance. She hit every note perfectly, spoke with delightful inflections, and effortlessly moved about the stage with grace and style… we knew she had a gift and celebrated that fact. You never know when we will experience a moment when a star is born!