Nurturing young talent and community spirit through theater in SOMA
Charlotte Boerger and Oona Girton Marshall are children of SOMA. Both of them grew up involved in the theater programs at the South Mountain YMCA, Paper Mill Playhouse, and South Orange Middle School musicals. So when the pandemic hit and these middle schoolers saw the world slow down around them, they looked for ways to make others happier using theater. T he idea evolved and now these young women run their own theater camp for kids in our community.
“It started on a family camping weekend at Fairview Lake,” says Girton Marshall. “I was with Charlotte’s family. Charlotte’s little sister and her friends were with us, too. In the moment, we decided to write a show and put it on that same evening.” They didn’t realize until later their day of fun would spawn a theater camp called the Ultimate Play-Date.
Scroll forward to today, when the Ultimate Play-Date offers one-week summer camps in which Boerger and Girton Marshall write original musicals with up to 25 kids performing. The campers engage in playwriting, set design, and making costumes, with Girton Marshall and Boerger directing. Auditions happen on Monday (the first day of camp). The rest of the week is spent rehearsing. On Friday morning, they do a run-through with costumes. On Friday evening, the kids present a one-hour performance.
“Unlike some theater camps, we have a high boy-to-girl ratio. SOMA is such an artsy place. Just living here makes more boys interested in theater,” Boerger says.
The inclusivity of our community helps foster a love for theater among all participants. The first iteration of their theater camp started in person in the fall of 2019 during days when school wasn’t in session.
But when COVID-19 struck later in their eighth-grade year at South Orange Middle School, Boerger and Girton Marshall saw an opportunity to help isolated kids. “Over spring break, we decided to do a camp for the same family friends we worked with the first time,” says Girton Marshall. The kids were excited to have something different to look forward to. The virtual camp was a success.
Later in the summer of 2020, they expanded their reach by advertising the camp and reaching out to more kids. “We did two one-week camps that summer. The first week we asked the kids to film themselves, and we made a movie, and it was all virtual. We hired an additional helper to manage breakout sessions on Zoom, ensuring that each camper received the attention they needed. The second week, we used music from other sources and did a cabaret-style, socially distanced karaoke setup in a backyard. We wiped the microphone after each scene and song,” says Boerger.
Boerger and Girton Marshall were delighted to be able to bring local kids into the world of theater. They were surprised at how good it made them feel, too. Girton Marshall says, “It gave us a sense of normalcy.” They were able to create an oasis as the pandemic happened around them.
At least one organizer of another camp took notice. “An adult from another camp called us to ask how we were doing it,” says Girton Marshall.
The challenges of running a theater camp during complicated times didn’t stop there. When Hurricane Ida hit in 2021, Boerger and Girton Marshall faced additional obstacles. They hosted a four-day in-person camp at Girton Marshall’s house, but transportation issues, masks, and illnesses among several key participants made it difficult. “Ultimately, Oona’s mom had to be in the show. It was hard,” recalls Boerger. Despite the challenges of the hurricane and pandemic the campers were still having fun.
Said one camper, “The Ultimate Play-Date is amazing. On days you want to stay in bed, it gets you out. At first, you dread the moment you get out of your p.j.’s and go outside, but then you see all your friends and read your script.”
Realizing the need for a more suitable venue, Boerger and Girton Marshall spent significant time planning. By July 2022, they secured a space at St. Andrew’s Church in South Orange. “St. Andrew’s offered us a great deal, but we needed more counselors and an adult on site for insurance reasons,” says Boerger. Their parents stepped in, working remotely from the church and occasionally sneaking into the back of the auditorium to take photos or videos.
The new venue allowed the Ultimate Play-Date to grow, employing five counselors and accommodating more students. For Boerger and Girton Marshall, growing their program presented more opportunities to help their campers. “Sometimes we get a student who doesn’t want to sing or dance, but they always come around eventually,” says Girton Marshall.
The camp’s environment encourages all kids to find their place on stage. In the summer of 2023, Boerger and Girton Marshall introduced a community service element. After their usual Friday night performance, the campers performed for free at Winchester Gardens on Saturday, delighting the residents.
Boerger and Girton Marshall held two one-week camp sessions this summer. The first week featured an original show called “Matchmakers,” set in Maui. The second week’s show, “Unwanted Items,” featured characters as lost or no longer useful items, with creative costumes that added to the fun.
As Boerger and Girton Marshall prepare to graduate from Montclair Kimberley Academy, they reflect on their journey and the impact the Ultimate Play-Date has had on their lives. Boerger is considering business programs at schools with active artistic communities. Girton Marshall hopes to find a music and education program at a California school. Wherever they land, these young women are sure to bring their SOMA-inspired theater acumen and interest in helping kids with them.
Although Boerger and Girton Marshall are looking forward to their transition to the larger world outside SOMA, they leave us with fresh young theater enthusiasts and an enriched community. Says Ultimate Play-Date parent Farah Miller, “I think this is the most I’ve smiled in months – a little reminder that teen girls can save us all.” If you are interested in next summer’s offerings for The Ultimate Play-Date, check out ultimateplaydate.com.
Adrianna Donat, a freelance copywriter and mother of two, still twitches at the suggestion of using glitter. But she loved diving into the delightful commotion of he Ultimate Play-Date Theater Camp – proof that SOMA high schoolers can turn pandemic boredom into Broadway dreams.
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