Blog

Director’s Note – Summer 2017 CHYSS productions

I always start this camp by telling kids that I’m changing the name from Camp Hill Youth Summer Stage to the Camp Hill Youth Summer Theatre Intensive. The word intensive more accurately represents the training and experience that CHYSS has to offer. I firmly believe that CHYSS is an intense program for kids to foster their love of theatre in a creative and professional environment. When CHYSS started in 2004, the set was constructed from cardboard and had only 15 kids in the camp (myself being one of them). Since then, the program has grown to include elaborate sets, dramatic lighting, thrilling costumes, and over 150 kids every year from across the Central PA area.

While the productions have grown in size and scale, the objective has remained the same: teaching young people the craft of theatre. On a day-to-day basis the campers endure a technique driven acting lesson (using Tips for Actors by Jon Jory as our textbook), intense choreography sessions, and vigorous vocal training. The other directors and I continually push the kids to meet the expectations of a high school and even college level performance. Every single year I’m proud to watch them exceed those expectations both in the rehearsal room and in the actual performances.

From when I took over this camp in 2013 to now, I couldn’t have asked for a better production team to bring such quality theatre to the youth of Central PA. It’s going to be extremely difficult for me to step away and leave after a continuous 13-year long relationship with CHYSS. The camp will always hold a special place in my heart as I continue to pursue my passion for theatre in New York City as a career.

With today’s current political climate and attack on arts funding, the idea of standing together as a group has never been more important. My goal with these productions (and every production I direct) is to show the campers how important their theatre community is. Like many of us who find themselves the odd one out at school, theatre can be the one place where all are accepted and respected.

As you watch the show today, please take the time to consider the importance of theatre within our society. Your continued support for the arts will go a long way. Sit back, relax, sing along, and enjoy the show!

 

Practicality vs. the Dream

Spring 2014 (college essay)

Pounding against my chest, my heart raced to know the answer. The theatre, adorned with gold leafed lion-heads, emanated heat from the mass of people sitting in it. The guy on my left was bearded, muscular, and at least a foot taller than me; the guy on my right, the same, possibly bigger. We all sat – me, extremely nervous – waiting and clinging to our red-velvet seats with our sweaty palms. The only sound that could be heard was the sharp inhale of the presenter’s breath before he announced, “And the Hershey Theater Apollo Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical goes to…”

Nine months earlier I had entered high school as a freshman, jittery and quite short, and the looming question of “What do you want to be when you grow up, Josh?” became a little more daunting. Throughout my year in ninth grade, I had pondered the question, trying to see myself in different occupations across the country. First I thought, “I’ll be a doctor.”  Then I realized that even the thought of blood made my eyes roll back and my stomach sink into my legs. So I crossed all medical professions off my list. Finally I just dropped the whole “what I want to be” and focused on my part in the upcoming spring musical, Beauty and the Beast.

I was fortunate to have been cast as Lumiere, the suave candelabra. It was my first lead role and I was exceptionally young compared to the other leads, all upperclassman. The part of Lumiere requires a complexity of emotions formed from diverse motives, multiple character to character relationships, and above all, the stamina and concentration to maintain a coherent French accent the whole three hours. This presented a difficult challenge, but I embraced it enthusiastically. When the final performance came around, the audience cheered and laughed and ended up falling in love with Lumiere. After the show, the compliments and comments from the audience all seemed to blend together. However one memorable comment stuck out in particular: “Josh, I hope you’re going to college for this acting thing.” I was not even graduating that year nor thinking about colleges yet. It was only a couple of weeks later when I saw the announcement that the idea of professionally acting became a tangible opportunity: I had been nominated for a Hershey Theater Apollo Award for Lumiere. The Hershey Theater Apollo Awards recognize outstanding student achievement in theater in central Pennsylvania.

In the time between the nominations announcement and the actual award date, I experienced a tempest of emotions, questions, and thoughts. This whole awards thing just flat out confused me. Should I search for an occupation that would guarantee me a stable life or should I do what I love and become an actor? It was on that hot, muggy night in May at the Hershey Theater Apollo Awards that I found my answer.

As I sat in the third row, neck curling around the giants in front of me, I realized I didn’t want this night to end. I loved the people, the atmosphere, and most importantly, I loved the feeling I got from just being a performer. The adrenaline and excitement that I get from being in front of a crowd – making them laugh or cry – can’t be found any other way. I craved the idea of taking a character and making it my own. Finally, the presenter proceeded to open the envelope, the crowd hanging on his every movement. He read the name and the audience enthusiastically cheered as I watched the guy next to me rise to the stage and accept the award. But I didn’t care about the fact that I didn’t win the award because in that moment I, an enlightened freshman, had made up my mind: I wanted to be an actor.