Theater Geek: The Real Life Drama Of A Summer At Stagedoor Manor, The Famous Performing Arts Camp (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
This may be the closest I will get to a book that is made just for me. So my review is more than a little biased - this is the camp that I wish I had been confident enough to attend as a kid. I have never really been a performer (teaching is as close as I get) but I have always loved the magic of the theater, and my love has only grown more pronounced as I have grown up. Reading about all of the in jokes and theater references that I got as easily as the campers was a joy in every sense. I'd love to be able to split my review into two ratings - 4 1/2 stars for part of it, 2 stars for the other. The part that is about the camp, the productions, the day-to-day is great. It's exactly what I wanted from this book. The idea - a guy going in and spending one session at Stage Door and telling us what goes on, laced w/camp history, is what the whole book should have been. Though, I would have liked if he'd followed more than just the 3 kids. The "thesis" part of the book, where the author talks about what it all means, is not only less interesting, but repetitive. He clearly ran out of things to say, and that's ok - but then he kept saying it. Also, the book ended rather abruptly. On the kindle, I was only 66% through, when it just ended (the rest was an appendix and index). I would have liked more of an epilogue on the kids we'd followed. Still, the part I loved really appealed to the theatre geek in me (btw - the title should have been TheatRe geek, not TheatEr).
What do You think about Theater Geek: The Real Life Drama Of A Summer At Stagedoor Manor, The Famous Performing Arts Camp (2000)?
Great book for anyone who loves musical theatre or performing- great back stories on theatre camp.
—jen_earley
Bliss. I wish, I wish, I wish I had gone to theater camp!!!!!
—Tricccc
