Theater Camp Parent Guide

Camp AdirondACTS holds a place in the hearts of the drama students who honed their skills and established friendships over the summers. Brilliant directors like Amos (Ben Platt) and musicians like Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) have devoted their talents to coaching another generation of performers. But when camp founder Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) has a seizure and falls into a coma, the financially-strapped institution’s survival is at stake.

Joan’s son assumes control of the camp, but Troy (Jimmy Tatro) is no theater kid. He’s a brash vlogger with dreams of the stock market and a hopelessly gauche vibe. As the banks circle and a neighboring camp tries to buy the land, Troy comes up with increasingly impractical ideas. Failing to listen to the perspectives of staff or campers, he puts the camp in even deeper peril.

Theater Camp is filmed as a mockumentary, which gives it a dry, deadpan sense of humor. Unfortunately, the format also makes it feel choppy and disconnected. Directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman also fail to give the movie a clear focus. The story bounces around between Troy’s troubles and Amos and Rebecca-Diane’s co-dependent relationship and then briefly spotlights a few of the young campers and flamboyant instructors. It’s difficult to get emotionally invested here since Troy is so shallow, the teaching staff are so self-absorbed, and the young campers are never more than ciphers. Ironically, the film scores well on sardonic wit but poorly on character development.

I’m not entirely sure who’s going to want to watch Theater Camp. Theater kids would be the natural audience – and would appreciate the diversity and LGBTQ representation that mirrors the real-life world of school theater groups – but this movie doesn’t seem to be made for them. Given its focus and themes, this production feels like it’s aimed at adults who are feeling nostalgic for their own youthful thespian efforts but now appreciate the complexities of the adult world. Even then, using so much time to explore Amos and Rebecca-Diane’s tortured relationship feels like a lost opportunity.

As times get tough at camp, Joan’s words are used to motivate the staff and campers: “We’re theater people. We know how to turn cardboard into gold.” This movie isn’t gold but at least it’s reasonably well decorated cardboard.