Sara the Actress

Tuesday

Illustrations by Allison Rich

While Ballibay can be many things to many different young artists, Sara wants a complete theater camp experience. To get this, she opted for a full-day of theater. In her free time she takes voice lessons and intermediate jazz dance classes.

Morning, 9-12
Sara is in a morning rehearsing play, but rehearsal doesn’t start until 10:00, so she’s got 30 minutes free after breakfast. If there were an intermediate Jazz class she’d take it before rehearsal, but today there is not, so she hangs out with friends until rehearsal starts. 10-12 every day she is with her director and fellow cast-members in rehearsal. If it’s a hot day, the whole cast might go to the pool at 11:00 for a swim.

Everyone heads back to the cabins at Noon. After lunch the whole camp takes a Rest Period and meets for a one-minute performance somewhere on campus at 2:35. Today is a short, jazzy saxophone and clarinet duet performed by a brother and sister duo. Every day is something different!

Afternoon, 3-5
Sara has chosen a full day of theater, so she’s also in rehearsal all afternoon. It makes for a busy day, but she loves it! This afternoon, her voice teacher has arranged with her theater director to release her from the last half-hour of rehearsal, 4:30-5:00, and then at 5:00 she walks over with her teacher to the “5:00 special,” an informal performance for the whole camp. Today it is improvisational dance performed by the dance staff; so interesting! Dinner is at 5:30.

Free time, 6:30-7
Very few activities are scheduled during this half-hour. It’s a nice time to take a walk, play some tennis or participate in the sports activity on the sports field, or just hang out with friends; but Sara has a lot of lines to memorize for her two plays, so she spends the time studying. Evening Activities, 7:00-8:00: Sara gets her jazz dance class! Classes move around in the schedule from day to day so that campers with different schedules can take them. At 8:00 everyone goes back to the cabins to put on long sleeves and long pants, grab a flashlight, and then go the evening program.

Evening Activities, 7-8
Sara gets her jazz dance class! Classes move around in the schedule from day to day so that campers with different schedules can take them. At 8:00 everyone goes back to the cabins to put on long sleeves and long pants, grab a flashlight, and then go the evening program.

Evening Program, 8:40
Tonight is the DJ Dance! Wow so fun! Sara did her hair and wore a dress. She carried her high heels with her from the cabin because heels are not allowed on campus, but she can change into them at the dance. The camper DJs were amazing; they chose such great and unexpected songs; it was really cool to see kids on the stage mixing the music, and fun to dance with other campers and the counselors; even the Camp directors joined the dance