Dear Parents and Other Readers,
The wait is over! Orientation has ended, and the Campers have finally arrived! There is excitement in the air here at Camp Seneca Lake!
My name is Jon Getnick, and I am busy preparing the best Camp Drama experience - ever. Throughout the session every bunk will participate in Drama periods at the O-Rec, where we will play all kinds of drama and improv games with an emphasis on fun. All the while, campers will be learning skills that will help them throughout their entire lives - creativity, risk-taking, confidence, teamwork, and, of course, thinking on your feet.
Let me run through what a Drama period at CSL looks like. We start with a warm-up game such as Zip-Zap-Zop, Bang! or Zip-Boing-Shazaam! What these crazy-sounding games all have in common is that you have to focus all your energy on the game, you have to respond as quickly as possible, and you have to be aware of all the people around you. Once campers are focused and energized, we start basic improv games. One perennial camper favorite is called "Bus Stop" One camper sits on a bench, minding his or her own business, waiting for the bus. A second camper enters the stage and approaches the first. Both campers are instructed to act as though they are complete strangers who have never even seen each other before. Here's where the improv comes in: the second camper can do anything and say anything with the goal of chasing away the first camper by acting in a weird or scary way, with one caveat: the campers cannot touch. When the first camper, in character, becomes uncomfortable, they leave the stage and the scene ends. Then the second camper becomes the one sitting at the bus stop. Everyone gets to play both roles. I have seen extremely creative and bold choices over the years, and the campers never fail to delight and entertain their audiences.
We play all kinds of theater games, easier ones for the younger villages, more challenging games for the older campers. Last year several bunks couldn't get enough - requesting additional drama periods, and we hope to get the kids excited about Drama again this year with their favorite games from last year and some new ones. I will check in throughout the summer with updates from the O-Rec!
Jon Getnick
Drama Head Specialist
