Preparing for Summer Camp

It may only be March, but we are in the fourth quarter of the school year, AND spring break is about to begin! Ladies and gents, summer is just around the corner!

With summertime comes summer camp. Whether you're a cheerleader, dancer, or just going for the heck of it, summer camp is a pretty big deal. Like, I measure my life in camps. As an aspiring actress, I attend a performance camp every year, and it's really strict. So, this year, I'm going to give it my all!

So, what exactly will you need to ensure you have an amazing time at summer camp this year? Here is a list of things you won't want to forget to do, and things you won't want to forget to pack.

1. Fill out those forms!

This is so, so important. Make sure you have everything done as soon as possible, from signing up for camp to the day it begins. If you're applying for a scholarship and you know financial aid is limited, send in your application as close to the date announced as possible. Remember to turn in medical forms, too. This may all seem like common sense, but really. People forget.

2. Get a backpack.

Even if you're not attending an overnight camp, you're going to need something to hold everything-- your water bottle, hair ties, makeup, dance shoes, gym shoes, spare clothes, deodorant, pads/tampons, baby powder, lotion, sheet music, etc. Believe me. Every performer has a bag. Models have model's bags. Swimmers have bags with extra gear and whatever else they like. So, get a backpack. You'll need it.

3. Be informed on the camp.

This applies specifically to performance camps. If you're going to Les Miserables camp, you should probably know the melody of "On My Own." If you sing it all the time in the shower, that's cool. I do, too. I mean, it's just so... I can't help it... "I love him, but every day I'm learning all my life, I'VE ONLY BEEN PRETENDING!!! Without me, his world will go on turning. A world that's full of happiness that I have never KNOOOOOOOOOOWWWWNNNNNN! I love him. I love him. I love him, but only on... my own..."

4. Brush up on your techniques.

So, you're a gymnast and your coach is having a super intense boot camp, huh? Well, you better work on that tumbling pass you never seem to stick. At my camp, I know we'll have auditions on the first day, and I know my sight-reading is rusty and my double pirouette is stuck in single rotation. I'm not a dancer, so I'm trying to get to an acceptable level. Get to an acceptable level. You don't need to be perfect. Else, why would you be at camp?

5. Bring any braces or bandages you use.

Musical theatre is pretty much a sport. So, if you use a knee brace during gym class, you sure as heck will need it for choreography. Never leave home without it!

6. Bring your iPod (and maybe download a piano app).

Every performer should have an iPod with music from the show downloaded, and it is also important to have a piano app. This is why being able to read music is SO important as a performing artist-- if you can't seem to sing a part right, you can play it out on the piano to find out how it should sound. So, bring your iPod with you. During lunch or downtime, you can figure it out.

7. One word: SPF.

Even if camp is held indoors, you're probably gonna be sitting outside waiting for your parents. Even if you drive yourself, you're still gonna be exposed to the sun eventually. So, if you burn easily, just bring it anyway. Now, I'm black, but I don't want cancer, either, so...

8. Spare clothes.

It's nice that you'll be wearing biker shorts and a sports bra, but... it's gonna get cold. I mean, it's summer, and summer means air conditioning. So bring sweatpants and a jacket.

9. Tampons. Need I say more?

Well, I'll say more anyway. A lot of girls (another awkward post, here I come) with... smaller figures... really don't like using tampons, but... I mean, if you're a dancer, you're in a leotard. If you're in musical theatre, you gotta dance, too. In most sports, you're going to be in situations that are not that great for a woman who is menstruating, if you are, in fact, a woman reading this. If not, you don't need to read this. Now, I know it's easier to just use a pad, but... in this case, bring out the tampons.

10. Your resume.

For all you know, there could be resume activities any day. There may be a resume critique, or for audition day they may want to see it. So, bring it.

11. If it's optional, bring it anyway.

Last year before theatre camp, they said, "Jazz or ballet shoes are optional." I begged my mom to get me jazz shoes, but she was so hung up on the word "optional" that it really killed my audition. So, the word "optional" does not exist in a performer's vocabulary. Optional means DO OR DIE.

12. What to include in your bag overall.

-Deodorant
-Small snack (or lunch)
-Lotion/moisturizer
-Body spray (optional... for real)
-Sweatshirt/jacket
-Sweatpants
-Rosin (for violin and dance)
-Dance shoes, depending on what type of dance you do
-Muscle braces
-ACE bandages
-Tampons/pads
-Hair ties/headbands
-iPod/earphones
-Baby powder (especially if you decide to wear basketball-style shorts)
-Dry shampoo (baby powder can be used for this... after sweating, don't sacrifice fabulousness)
-Oil-blotting sheets (I use a Japanese rice powder)
-Sheet music/binder
-Sunscreen
-Extra forms
-Notebook (to take notes in classes)

If I missed anything, I'll update soon. So, what is on your must-pack list?

32-Bars for Musical Theatre

If you look up what songs to audition and what not to audition in theatre, the lists completely contradict each other. One website will say it's alright to use "Defying Gravity" and the other considers "Wicked" a taboo word. So, of course it's up to me to write down a list of some under-rated songs to use, and some that people may not warn you that you shouldn't use.

1. DON'T use "Defying Gravity," just to get that one out of the way. Really, using anything from Wicked is a no. I know of one judge that as soon as they heard ANYTHING from that musical, they won't even consider you. But I also read an article by one person that said that the reason many judges don't like it when people sing it is because they've heard it done badly. What's my opinion? What do you know Idina Menzel for? Yes, she is going to play a Disney queen. Yes, she was in Enchanted. But mainly, her Elphaba is the most popular Elphie there is. So, with "Defying Gravity" being a popular song among non-acting people as well, this song is kinda like, HER song. You'll constantly be compared to her. And it's not original at all. I'm sure by the end of the day, the accompanist will want to throw away your sheet music after seeing the word "Leap."
2. DO. "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?" from Avenue Q. This song has a particular kind of performer it suits best, though. If you are a man who is in college or fresh out of college, then it'll fit you. The original singer sounds young and naïve, just like a lot of kids your age are. What do you do with a B.A. in English? / What is my life going to be? / Four years of college / and plenty of knowledge / have earned me this useless degree / I can't pay the bills yet / 'Cause I have no skills yet / The world is a big scary place / But somehow I can't shake / the feeling I might make / a difference to the human race.
3. DO. "Every Story is a Love Story (Reprise)" from Aida. This song suits a woman in the 20-30 age range who still has a fairly youthful voice (say it's obvious that you're older but you still sound like you're eighteen). From deep within the tomb, a gentle light still shone / showing me my path as I ascended to the throne / certain in my heart that ancient wars must cease / The lovers' deaths gave birth to a reign of peace / and their story / and my journey / and the lesson they provide / drew their strength and inspiration from a love that never died.
4. DO. "Sure As Sun Turns to Moon" from Tarzan. This song especially works because it is an under-rated musical (I didn't know it was ever even on Broadway until this year) and it is no longer on Broadway. You will rarely find someone else use this piece to audition. This song works best if you are of marrying age, preferably at least in your late twenties.
5. DON'T. "My Strongest Suit (Reprise)" from Aida. As much as it pains me to never be able to audition this (I actually sound pretty good when I sing this song), this song is somewhat sad. It is also a duet, and being only a minute long, shortening this would take it below 32-bars (though it could work if you were asked to audition an 8-bar). But the point is, this is not a neutral song or a happy one. Avoid sad and angry songs.
6. DO. "Two Worlds" from Tarzan. This song might be slightly over-rated, but it is gender-neutral, neither happy or sad, can be cut in several ways, and has different variations from singing loudly to quietly to sweetly. This is my audition song. Unless you live near me, you're free to do it. Hope Ezell won't be playing Amneris or Rafiki anytime soon.
7. DON'T. "Easy As Life" from Aida. This is... in a way, a somewhat angry song ("This is how the gods reward the faithful through the ages") and we want to avoid that kind of chemistry. This was going to be audition song, but then I thought, mm, maybe not.
8. DON'T. "Shadowland" from The Lion King. I can't express how I feel about this song and its original Zulu version (the live version from Hans Zimmer's album is probably my favorite though). I know just about every word from "Fahtse leso, lea halalela" through "Giza buyabo." So why wouldn't I audition this piece? It's in my vocal range, it's the song that got me into theatre, everyone who hears it falls in love with it, it can touch the coldest heart, and let's face it: It's friggin' perfect. I wouldn't audition this because it is one of the few songs that has made me tear up. Which means it's a sad song. I mean, come on. "Pride land, my land, tear-stained dry land, take this with you, fahtse leso..."
9. DON'T. "Circle of Life" from you-know-where. Even if you're auditioning to play Rafiki, you won't even be considered if you shout, "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba" and they will NOT respond with "Sithi uhm ingonyama."
10. DON'T. "I'm Not That Girl" from Wicked. Like I said, "Wicked" is a taboo word on some websites, and this is one of them. Remember, no one mourns the wicked, and when you audition with a song from that musical, you'll be left only on your own. Wow, that was a really corny reference. This song is amazing. I could probably work this song. Heck, I could probably play Elphaba really well in this moment because, well, I know how it feels to feel that way (like, literally, the other girl had "gold hair with a gentle curl"). However, this is a sad song so it is a no-no.
11. And numerous others... can't think of them at the moment.

I should probably make a part 2 but you know me... it'll take forever IF I even remember, so no promises.

Love you, chicos!