On Another Summer of Camps

I made it through another summer of kids' theatre camps.

Yes friends, I am alive.  And well.  And I actually love theatre camp.

I never went to theatre camp as a kid, so it's not one of those I AM GIVING BACK TO REPAY THOSE WHO GAVE ME- no. No, that is not it.  I did like soccer and tennis and film camp and other things. 

But I do get an incredible joy out of watching kids succeed onstage.

I just realized this will be a horribly sappy post with many a cliche.

But come on!  Cliches are born of unimaginative people trying to relay truth.  And truthfully, when I stood backstage on the flyrail every night when the kids sing "NYC," only half of me wants to put in earplugs and the other half wants to applaud wildly because THEATRE. 

I guess it's just that when you're around kids they remind you how wildly uninhibited the art form can be.  They will go for anything.  They don't have 4 years of conservatory training and weird warm-ups and reservations about things and union rules.  They just do the things that they want to do.  And they sing their little hearts out on overworked material that is popular because it's catchy. 

Working in theatre with adults feels different.  It's not wrong or bad. Just different.  You can say there's more value to the art I produced working on How We Got On at Company One.  I agree with you.  That show did many great things and engaged with community on a level that made engagement more than just a buzz word. 

But I just can't shake how fun it is to work on kids' shows.  And it pays too.  So why the heck give that up?  For credits of "grander artistic relevance" and professional environments? 
Okay yes, having Annie on your resume twice is not as impressive as having an Equity credit..but hey, I like Annie (sort of). 

I don't know.  It's just something that strikes me as I finish this Summer.  I know next Summer I can go back to TD'ing camp.  Alternatively, I know I can go take on smaller professional credits in houses with big names, and get a lot of experience that will help me make more money someday.  I've griped with fellow techies about having to do the educational stuff for the money it pays.  But I guess what I'm thinking is I do like the educational stuff. Most of the time.  And it does pay better than where I'm at elsewhere.

I have to play the the hustle game, even in a field where I thought the game was just making the art.

I know, I know I'm making this face at myself too.

Shut the f up Kevin, people are paying you to do theatre, you're the lucky one.