Musical theater musings

Hello readers!

On Monday night we had our first musical theater performance of the second Ballibay session, and as someone who house managed the show and turned pages for the musical director, I'm proud to tell you that it was a smash hit! Last night's show kicked off the last-week performances and it started us off on the right note, for sure.

It was followed on Tuesday evening by a performance of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," an Andrew Lloyd Weber show that has become a classic at this camp. I had the pleasure of directing the 18-member all-female cast and I couldn't have picked a better show with which to end this summer. We had a truly beautiful production, as you can see by the picture I'm posting here, as well as the album on the Ballibay Facebook page, which I encourage you to check out!

Anna S. sings "Close Every Door" by candlelight in "Joseph"

Every time I work with a new cast of campers at Ballibay, I find myself saying things like, "This is the best cast I've worked with," and then the next time, "No, this is the best cast!" After completing "Joseph," I now realize that every cast I've worked with during my years at Ballibay, both as a camper and as a counselor, have been just right. Every child always brings the very most they have to offer to their performances -- the most enthusiasm, the most energy, and the most love and dedication that they have appears in every show we see at Ballibay. It's hard to imagine that the theater performances for this summer are coming to an end!

More soon,
Elizabeth C., Ballibay Blogger

One of the busiest weeks ever!

Laurene C. at the sand art jam, Wednesday night

Hello readers!

Here I am with a special update about how our week has been going here.  I'm sure you've heard it from me here over and over again, and probably from your campers too, but wow are we busy this week! 

The week kicked into high gear on Wednesday with Jam Night.  I had the amazing opportunity to work with eight campers at the music jam, where Aaron K. and I led the group in learning a fugue, in the style of a chant.  What at first seemed a little daunting turned out to be so much fun, and the campers (who, I'll admit were a little wary at first..."Chanting?  That sounds boring.") really got into it!  The reports from my G1-ers indicate that all of the jam sessions were just as much fun, with a special nod to the food jam, where campers made raspberry bars. Yum!

Last night, we enjoyed variety of performances at this session's Camper Cabaret, including vocal solos, dance collaborations, and some acoustic performances. I've mentioned this before, but it's worth noting again: Cabarets are always one of my favorite events at camp because I love seeing the hidden talents of campers that I work with every day.  If I usually see them rehearsing for Antigone, I have no idea that they love to sing and play the guitar!

Tonight, John J. and I will be sharing the stage of the Outdoor Platform (as long as the rain holds off! Send dry vibes our way!) for A Night of One Acts.  I am so excited about the debut of my one act this evening.  My cast -- an amazing group of six girls -- has worked so hard, and has dedicated so much effort to the comedic timing and accuracy of the show.  I will bring the full update of how both shows go tomorrow morning when I'm back in the office to blog again.

More soon!

Elizabeth C., Ballibay Blogger

Week 5: Here we go!

Hello readers!

We've had two busy transition weekends in a row, and yesterday afternoon we welcomed a brand new group of campers to our summer haven! I'd like to extend a big "Hello!" to all those who have joined us (both campers and families or friends reading at home!) for Endless Mountains Dance Camp II, Farm Arts III, and Rock Farm III. It's so nice to have new campers coming in almost every week -- as a staff person, it keeps me on my toes and motivated about the projects on which I'm working, and also provides the fun experience of meeting more and more campers as the summer progresses. I'm already predicting that I'm going to have a great last two weeks of camp because for the rest of the summer, I'm going to be living in Girls 1, the youngest cabin. A brand new perspective on camp!

It has cooled down a bit more during the days here -- we are no longer in the middle of our heat wave. Today we had some rain to cool us off, and tonight we are looking forward to a bonfire -- albeit inside because of our rainy afternoon. This week we have a full schedule of events and shows coming up, including a Camper Cabaret, a Jam Night, and an evening of One Act place (one of which I'm directing! Ah!). I will be doing my best to keep everyone updated with news on the busy week ahead of us!

Stay dry and more soon,
Elizabeth C., Ballibay Blogger

Our steamy mountaintop!

Hello readers!

I hope everyone is staying cool and relaxed if your hometowns are as hot as Ballibay right now! Today is already quite warm and yesterday was so hot that we decided to alter our schedule here. We combined morning and afternoon activities into a two hour time slot and took the rest of the day for some of campers' favorite activities: open swim and rest hour! Even though it was my day off, I spent some time relaxing in the girls' area, and it was so much fun to watch the kids take a little time off as well.

Campers relaxing inside the office, playing an ancient strategy game they learned from John

A few campers, Ruby C., Alexa D., and Jess E. brave the heat to harvest!

Camp may be warm, but it isn't derailing us from having a wonderful time up on our mountain here. There is lots and lots of sunscreen, ice cold water, and shade to go around, and we are proceeding with regular rehearsals, classes, and sessions. In fact, I'm about to head out to rehearsal for my one act this morning!

Tonight we have Band Night and viewings of the art show and art installation, signaling the end of the Rock II and Farm Arts II session. I can't believe that we'll be saying goodbye to this group of two-week campers tomorrow morning and preparing for even more to arrive on Sunday. It's going to be another bittersweet weekend -- hellos and goodbyes, and the excitement of what's still ahead in the Ballibay session!

Stay cool and more soon,

Elizabeth C., Ballibay Blogger

New faces, new session!

Ocean H. and Marcus D., rehearsing for tonight's one-act

Hello readers!

Good morning and welcome to all the new readers, families and friends who are joining the Ballibay blog community for the second session of Camp Ballibay, 2011! For those of you who have been reading since first session, I want to briefly apologize for my lack of presence recently -- between my musical this past Friday, the transition weekend, and holding auditions for new shows this session, time for the blog just...wasn't there! We've been so busy here!

Anyway, our new session of Ballibay is well underway. The past day and a half has consisted of orientation sessions and auditions, and this morning we had a full set of announcements, meaning that campers are already jumping right into the activities they want to try! I love days like today -- when everything is fresh, kids and campers are motivated and excited, and new projects can begin.

I promise more updates soon -- especially since we start our theater schedule tonight with a one-act play directed by Marcus D.! Check back tomorrow for the details about how it went!

More soon,
Elizabeth C., Ballibay Blogger

It's almost time!

Hello readers!

I'm about to head up to the theater for the performance of the musical my cast and I have been working on for three weeks and I couldn't be more excited! I'm going to spend the next hour getting my 21 wonderful cast members into their costumes, and perfecting hair and makeup, so I can't give you all much more of an update now, but I promise that tomorrow or the day after you will get the full story of the rest of the last-week shows!

Break a leg, everyone in tonight's show!

More soon,
Elizabeth C., Ballibay Blogger

Last week shows have begun!

Hello readers!

As the title of this post implies, last night was the beginning of the Ballibay Session I last week shows. We started the week on a great note with a production of a classic children's play. The cast -- a wonderful mix of younger and older campers, with both very experienced performers and campers who had never been in a show before -- put on a truly fun and exciting show that kept the audience laughing and smiling for the rest of the evening. The stage was so bright and colorful, and so were the costumes! Here are a few snapshots from our first last-week show!

Zipi D. and director Ruth

Will W., Olive K., and Toni R.

Drew A., very excited for the show to begin!

More soon,
Elizabeth C., Ballibay Blogger