The Pageant Court: Revived to its Glory Days

When Greystone moved to its current location in Tuxedo in 1922, preparation for that inaugural summer had Dr. Sevier quickly building and creating some of the spaces we still know and love today. In that first summer, Dr. Sevier and his team built the Dining Hall and the Pavilion and set up one of camp’s most iconic locations: the Pageant Court.

In 1922, what we know now as the Pageant Court was a cornfield, and Dr. Sevier divided it into two areas: the Archery Range and the Pageant Court, which was used as an outdoor stage for dancing and dramatic pageants. With the natural slope of the grass leading to Lake Edith, the Pageant Court made for ideal seating; Dr. Sevier understood the benefits of sloped stadium seating before it was even a thing!

In more recent summers, the Pageant Court has morphed into more of a focal point of camp instead of a well-used space for campers. While Flag happens around the Pageant Court each morning and evening, and the Shepherd’s Gazebo became a home for smaller Greystone classes, the only time the Pageant Court was used as a performance space was for our Main Camp Sunday night concerts. These three concerts each summer allowed campers to experience this outdoor performance space like it was originally intended; but still, we only used it as a performance space three times a summer.

All of that changed when we realized we were facing a COVID summer. While a normal summer finds campers crammed into the Pavilion for our nightly Evening Programs, it quickly became apparent that something new was needed for the summer of 2021. When campers are supposed to space out, leaving “a Jimboy apart” between each cabin group, where would we host our programs?

We pivoted quickly, reviving the Pageant Court to its glory days. A 40-foot wide stage was built in front of the Shepherd’s Gazebo with mere days to spare before camp opened. Everything then moved outside: Morning Assembly, Evening Programs, Vespers, Senior Celebration, Gameshows, and more. And most of all? We prayed day-in and day-out for a “no rain” summer; you can’t use an outdoor stage in the pouring rain!

And the Lord answered abundantly. We quickly realized what Dr. Sevier knew all along: the Pageant Court is the ideal spot for programs and stage-events. The trees provided enough shade in the morning so that Morning Assembly often still required a sweatshirt. By the time Evening Program rolled around, the sun had set below the trees, providing campers with glorious sunsets and chances to spy fireflies as the night unfolded.

We worried about losing the closeness that you feel in the Pavilion. Will Vespers feel the same when everyone is spread out and the candles don’t have quite the same impact? Will girls just talk throughout the Evening Program, running to the seasaws instead of watching the stage? Instead of being a more challenging or “lesser” experience, we realized that for many events, being outside was actually better.

We found that campers were more engaged with what was happening on the stage during Evening Program, and without all the “shushing” that happens in the Pavilion each night, every event felt more laid back and natural. We didn’t worry about curtains (most of the time), backstage (until we had to hide counselors during Banquet), or lights (which led to a very funny situation during Senior Celebration when cars drove down on the Pageant Court to light the stage as the event went well into the night). Camp felt like camp, and the simplified nature of the programs added to the overall experience.

What will happen when we can cram girls back into the Pavilion for Evening Program again? We will still go inside on occasion, but when we surveyed campers at the end of the summer, 75% of the girls said that they preferred having Evening Programs outside.

So what does that mean for 2022? Start praying, alumnae; it looks like we will need another summer of “no rain”!