<p>YAyy its been revived!! lol . Brownsugar, sadly I will be going 3rd and therefore will not get to meet you and your daughter, but I hope she has as much fun as last year. There is actually a documentry playing in NYC this week about SDM, which im trying to go see Monday ngiht, before it closes Tuesday. I was going to go 2nd, but most of my friends were going to go third (some will also be there 1st) and it would have been very $$$ for 2 sessions. I would have liked to go 1 and 3 but since I have regents it would not have been possible.</p>
<p>BrownSugar and DefyingGravityâŠglad to hear BSâs D and you, DG, are both going back. This summer, you gotta fill me in on the news as this is the first summer since 1998 that I donât have a kid going and wonât be there on any performance weekends! </p>
<p>DG, I didnât realize you were going back because I thought you were going to OCU but perhaps you are doing both? Also, I hope you see the documentary at the New York Film Forum of âStagedoorâ (the movie). I wish I could see it! My D saw a copy of it a while ago but isnât in NYC now to see it in a theater. We know many who have gotten to see it. I never have and donât know how I will ever get to. My D is in it (as well as lots of SDM friends) as it was filmed second session 2003. Let me know if you see it! I bet it will be fun for you even though you did not attend at the time because it still is about your theater camp. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Yes, Susan I am going to both. 
I am trying to see it Monday evening, before it closes Tuesday. A teacher at my school saw it (as he minored in MT in college). He said there is a scene where the OTC kids have to apoligize to the camp for being so cliquey. I wonder if its a joke or real. He said Connie seemed pretty ****ed off? I shall just have to see it and see.</p>
<p>DG, yes, I know all about that scene and incident. Konnie and Barb and others did want the OTC kids to deal with some attitudes that other kids were perceiving. My D actually thinks that OTC should be very conscious about not being special or different. While she wasnât part of the behaviors that needed to be addressed, she knew it was important to address them and I believe was the spokesperson for the OTC and was the one who addressed the entire camp which apparently is depicted in the movie. Her show of Pippin had been filmed by the film crew but that show, along with Les Mis, was not allowed to be shown in the film due to the rights. Originally my D was one of six campers focused on and who was followed by the film crew 24/7. In the end, they had the film only focus on the other five (none in her show which again, could not be put into the film). I know she is in itâŠsheâs in the Master Acting class (which I saw in the trailer), the OTC scenes (even the trailor shows a tap dance part of OTC in rehearsal that she is in), the spokesperson for the OTC issue you just mentioned, and someone said there is footage of her working on her OTC song of Carousels at a piano and her singing the song is played in the background which I heard part of on the trailor. She was only 14 then and had braces if you see it. From what I have heard, there is not much footage of the productions/talent.</p>
<p>What does âOTCâ stand for? The only acronym I know using those letters if âover the counter,â and I am guessing that is not what you guys meant! Is OTC at SDM (StageDoor Manor) some kind of elite group ⊠a cabaret group, perhaps?
I was also told that the movie, Camp, was based on experience at SDM.
I am sure I am not the only one who doesnât always immediately get what these acronyms stand for. Or, maybe I am. </p>
<p>Thanks anyway,
Lisa</p>
<p>Hi Lisa,
Normally, I donât use OTC unless talking to someone from Stagedoor Manor (SDM) and I knew that DefyingGravity went there but of course others are reading too! :)</p>
<p>OTC is the shorthand for âOur Timeâ Cabaret which is a select cabaret troupe at SDM by audition. It is sort of like âvarsityâ for musical theater. It is hard to get into and sometimes for those who go back, it is something to aspire to. The cabaret troupe are all in shows like everyone else and take classes as well. They take less classes (four instead of 8) because they are also rehearsing an additional show, the cabaret, which is a blocked/choreographed musical revue with solos, small group numbers and whole group numbersâŠmaybe about 30 songs or so and it is intense and at a high levelâŠthey get about 11 days to put it together, all the while rehearsing their other productions and taking classes. Until the past two years or so, the cabaret performed this show publicly at resort hotel nightclubs in the Catskills. As well, they perform the final night of every session around midnight for the whole camp and parents. </p>
<p>As with anything of this sort, there are feelings about getting in or not. The members of cabaret are approx. ages 13-18, with an occasional 12 year old. My D was in it since she was 9 1/2 and was part of 15 different casts, so it has always been a part of her SDM summer experience. Usually once you are in it, you stay in it and then new people get in as others either do not come back or the sessions changeover, etc. There is usually a core group who are not new members which helps others learn the show quickly since some know it already. The show changes around each session but there is a core set of songs that is usually in every production. Some of the show centers around âmaking it in MTâ sort ofâŠthere is an âaudition sequenceâ with a lot of solos. Many years there is also a Broadway themed sequence. For a few years, there was a sequence of old time Americana songs (particularly around 2000 and 9/11). The show always ends with the song from Sondheim - âOur Timeâ. Often if you are chosen for a certain solo, you keep that solo year to year. There is a sort of handing down of solos. Younger kids look up to older ones, things like that. When my daughter was younger, it was a big deal to her to be given a solo that used to belong to someone older who had 'graduated" the camp, whom she admired, for instance. It is a very talented cast. Many kids I know from this troupe are now attending colleges for MT. Being in OTC was a highlight of my daughterâs summers and many of her cast mates are lifelong friends even though they are scattered at varous college programs. They have done away with the hotel shows unfortunately, but the troupe still performs for the camp and parents. Last summer, I went to the 30th Anniversary celebration and alumni from the past 30 years were there. There was an informal gathering in The Playhouse where varous generations of members of the OTC gathered like ten deep around a piano as every song from OTC was played and they all sang along and whoever had certain solos over the years, sang them, young and old alike. </p>
<p>As far as the movie,âCampâ, and the new movie, âStagedoorââŠthey are very different. Camp is a fictional movie. It was written and directed by Todd Graff who is an alum. He wrote it based on his experiences back as a camper and one time staff person. The people in the movie are actors. While it is filmed on site at SDM (NOT while the real camp was in session), a LOT about the movie is not like the experience (younger SDM alum would say). I think it is more Toddâs experience and the themes that stood out for him personally. âStagedoorâ (the newer movie), on the other hand, doesnât have actors in it (well, of course, the kids in it are aspiring actors!). It is purely a documentary. It was filmed during session two (three wks) of 2003 with the real campers. There was no script. The film makers shot a lot of footage. Originally they followed six campers with cameras 24/7. As mentioned, my D was one of these but when the film was made, they chose to center on just fiveâŠeach with a âback storyâ of sorts. Many other campers are in the movie. From what I have heard, it doesnât really show much footage of productions and centers on whatever the filmmaker chose to focus on. For instance, the five kidsâ parents are interviewed. They focus on those kidsâ âstoriesâ. I havenât seen it but know a bit about it. </p>
<p>Anyway, while OTC is short for Our Time Cabaret, I read a film review and had to laugh when the reporter called it âOur Townâ Cabaret (well, at least it is a theater related name!).</p>
<p>Lol! I love that play! Susan are you in it at all, that you know of?</p>
<p>DGâŠno, no, I am not in it! It is just the campers and staff at SDM. I wasnât there :). The parents who are interviewed are the ones of the five campers who were featured. After the summer and when my daughter was one of the six featured, the filmmakers had contacted me about our being interviewed and also asked for some other stuff to do with my daughter here in Vermont. But ultimately they only focused on the other five and each has a âback storyâ. My D doesnât really have one. For instance, one child has AHDD. Another was on Bdway and is growing up in Newark. Also, though they filmed her in her show, that show (Pippin) couldnât be shown due to rights. So, there was no need to interview us since she is no longer featured and they kept it to the five others. She, and many others, are still in the film, but their personal âstoryâ is not followed.</p>
<p>We saw the documentary last night with our D. She had so much fun seeing campers and counselors that she recognized, even though she did not attend SDM at the time it was being filmed. It was fun for her to see how young everyone looked then (and Barb with long hair)!</p>
<p>Susan,
Thanks for the detailed explanation of the OTC at SDM. (I feel so âin the knowâ using those acronyms! :)) Actually, I did know that the movie, Camp, was fictional and used actors, because one girl (the young lady who supposedly had her mouth wired shut by parents who wanted her to lose weight, but cut her braces off at the end and sang her heart out) is a graduate of a local PA HS and the girl who was sort of the lead female character (a young white girl with blonde hair) is a graduate of another local PA high school in my area. Hence there was a lot of publicity surrounding the movie and we all made sure to see it.
Iâd love to see the documentary.</p>
<p>My D was offered a scholarship to French Woods for wither the first or fourth sesssions (I simply canât afford the huge tuition) and couldnât accept either. For the first, she would have had to miss the last 2 weeks of school- and that WAS NOT going to happen- and the last would have meant skipping JV soccer, and this will be her last year after playing for 11 years and sheâll be a JV starter at her VERY competititive school. So, sheâs going to do things locally.
That being said, the sessions also fill according to the schoolâs ending and starting dates and there are very different productions done at each session, Her Show Choir choreographer is Dance Director there and I know that they are doing everything from âPippinâ" to âDollyâ to âNineâ</p>
<p>I just saw SDM the movie. Susan I must say your D. has an amazing voice. I like the little thing she did at the end( she was singing a song called carosel). Overall a good movie, I felt bad for the little boy that got sent to military school for having ADD (his name was Tyler). Randi seemed to be their star, ro thats just how it seemed for the movie. David directed Mame that session so that was fun. I saw a few people I knew. There was one thing I didnât agree with that had to do with the way an exersise was handeled in Master Acting, but other than that it was good and a cute movie overall.</p>
<p>DG, thank you for the positive comments. I havenât seen the movie and donât know how I ever will! I saw Mame. The little boy wasnât really as young as he looked, but was very good in the show. My Dâs friend/roomie was Mame (she is heading to BOCO) and Vera was played by her roomie/friend who is now at CAP. Randi is also her friend/roomie and is transfering to Tisch this fall. I love David, the director. My D had him twice, including her first year for Perfectly Frank. </p>
<p>Carousels from Jacques Brel was my Dâs main solo in Cabaret the past few years (they kinda get handed down and the person who had it before she did was Randiâs older sister who has since graduated from CAP/Playwrights). I used to kid my D that I found that song annoying (no reflection on the incredibly talented girl who used to sing it but more the repetitive nature of the song) but then it became her solo and while it really doesnât show off vocal range or stuff like that, it is a song that involves a lot of acting, and you also have to sing really fast with diction, particuarly toward the end of the song! I heard there was a segment of her rehearsing it in the movie and then you can hear her singing the song in the background to other footage, or so I heard. I donât know the exercise in Master ActingâŠI know she was in the class. Iâll have to ask her. I know she has talked over the years about Master Acting class and there is a lot of âinternalâ work and isnât for everyone (apparently a lot of risk taking involved). </p>
<p>Glad you got to see it. I would think for someone who has attended, it would be fun to watch the movie. It is now three years old footage and so my D has said that her peers feel like it is a trip down memory lane. She was fourteen in it but now goes to college. I hope there is a way to see it some day whether it is good or not, just as a memory of all the kids/staff I knew.</p>
<p>Well, I finally got to see it! </p>
<p>I went with a friend whoâs D is going this year for the first time (all 3 sessions). It was so exciting to see so many familiar faces!
At times, I felt like I was watching a home movie. As I was leaving, I bumped into some SDM alums, who were there to see the very last showing. The director and her husband were also there and we had a nice chat. She told me that the movie will soon be on the Sundance channel and also available on Netflix. Soâall who want to see it will certainly have their chance! Iâm looking forward to watching it againâthis time with my own D and other family members.</p>
<p>Just got home from dropping D at SDM for the first two sessions. Todd from Spelling Bee is scheduled to visit them during the first session, as is an actress from I Love You, Youâre Perfect, Now Change (canât remember her name). I didnât hear any buzz about the first session shows, but the lists go up on Wednesday, and Konnie usually posts the show list on the SDM board sometime on Wednesday afternoon, if I remember correctly from last year.</p>
<p>What a difference from last year to this, in that last year was Dâs first, so this year all we heard/saw were the shrieks of recognition and hugs for old friends. I know she will have another great summer!</p>
<p>Ahh!! It is so strange reading this thread and knowing that the first session has started. Sadly, my S decided not to return this summer for a variety of reasons, and since he will be starting college in the fall, he knew that he had no other opportunity to return in the future. For the last day all he has been saying is âRight now they are probably doingâŠâ and tonite âthey will be doingâŠâ. It brings back many wonderful memories and happy times. I know he is sad about his decision as he always enjoyed his summer experiences at SDM and made many friends he still keeps in touch with. Hope everyone has a great summer. Please post the shows as you become aware of them.</p>
<p>Audi, I can SO relate! Today is rather strange because it is the first time since 1998 my daughter has not been dropped off at Stagedoor Manor. After 8 summers there, and 16 sessions, that âlifeâ is now over. While she did go back for three weeks last summer despite having just graduated HS (though as you know others go after graduating and the age range is up to age 18), she was still 16 and wanted one last stint there. While she is 17, her years of theater camp are no longer. It is like an era in her life is past. Same with our lives. No more performance weekends in the Catskills! Between her 16 sessions at SDM and my other daughterâs 8 sessions at French Woods, I have traveled to the Catskills and seen umpteen productions over the years and no more. BrownSugar will have to give us the âscoopâ on this summer ;-). My D has a few friends who still go (who are not yet in college) though the majority have moved on, because like her, they are in college now. SDM had a significant impact on my Dâs life and will always be a special place. Her friends from camp are numerous and widespread and still remain very close. So many have moved onto great colleges and/or BFA programs and some of her friends have already graduated college and are getting cast in some great productions so I think we will see some of these Stagedoorians in the future on stage, beyond The Playhouse, The Elsie, The Forum, etc. I have just returned from dropping our D off in another state where she is working at an Equity Small Professional Theater the entire summer through to the first day of college in the fall, and thus she has moved onto a new âstageâ of summer life in theater. No more âMain 3ââŠhello living on her own! Bye Bye Stagedoor ;-(.</p>
<p>Oh, Soozievt! I was waiting to hear about your Dâs summer plans! What shows is she doing and where is it? You all must be thrilled. I was wondering, what exactly is a Equity Small Professional Theatre? I am fairly new to all of this. Thanks to you all for such great reading here!</p>
<p>Hi All,</p>
<p>I am new to the boards and my s and I have started the college âprocessâ. This will be my s second year at SDM he is estatic. We did not think he would be able to attend any summer program due to some unexpected family issues but he was able to go back thanks to some very special people. Anyway s was cast as the led in Miss Saigon last year and being his first time at SDM it was a âlife changingâ summer. Everyone from kids to faculty were incredible. I am sitting on pins and needles until Friday when I get to hear from him about this years adventures. I also cannot wait to hear from everyone here about their s or d or themselves!</p>
<p>Oh! mtboymom! I played Kim in Miss Saigon last year, howâs Joe doing? (I miss that show ridiculous amounts, still.)</p>
<p>Iâm so jealous that so many people are returning to Stagedoor, Iâm now too old to go⊠But those were a fantastic 4 summers that I went. Keep us updated on how everythingâs going at camp, I plan on coming up for performance weekend, and I want to know which shows I should definitely see! :)</p>