wazi wazi waziyatah

this past summer I returned to my old summer camp, camp waziyatah. when people hear the name waziyatah they generally have an immediate reaction and say they know it from somewhere, and then start singing the theme song to salute your shorts. unfortunately these people are morons, wazi was on a tv show, but is was on the far superior disney channel show bug juice(5 stars on imdb.). I was a camper at wazi from 1999 until 2003, coincidentally the years wazi was at its largest in a post-disney channel boom. While I was there I made some of the best friends I have, whenever any of us are in the same city it is an immediate bond and no time has passed, even when we dont see each other for two or three years. When I was there I learned improv, fell in love with theatre, had my first kiss, learned how to sail, and had just an absolute blast. I would come home from camp, and it would feel like I had just been laughing for a month.

Then in 2004 I wasnt able to go to wazi, then again in 2005, when I could finally be a counselor I was going to school in los angeles and wanted a little time in Tampa, so I missed 2006. 2007-2009 I was in resident advisor training and had a conflict. This year I was convinced it was important to break into hollywood immediately after graduating USC, I set my eyes on Wazi 2011. Then a friend of mine died in a car accident in february, and I realized I didnt have forever to go back to Wazi so I signed up and was named the director of the performing arts.

Which was huge for me, to go back to a place where I had the experience that really launched me wanting to be an actor. I remember I was 15, had just finished freshmen year of high school, without a real niche. No particular path in front of me, and then I was cast as Charlie Brown. This was a really cool shock, I lied and told my mother I was cast as Schroeder before I heard official news because that was the best part I could conceivably get. Then I was a great Charlie Brown, counselors who were young campers when I performed Charlie Brown said they remembered it being great, which is a clouded, dumb compliment but I still love it. Regardless I felt great about it, and it was all thanks to Wazi. Coincidentally in second session I would direct You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, with my old counselor as my technical director, talk about full circle.

In june I showed up back in Waterford, Maine at Wazi, kind of on the run from Los Angeles. I had stressfully produced, directed, and acted in a show in west hollywood, graduated college, moved out of the place I lived for three years and seriously needed a break. So when camp was really a lot of work I was seriously overwhelmed. My co-counselor was a total deadbeat and I was in charge of ten ten-year-olds running every which way by night, and by day I was directing a production of seussical which would not have passed muster at USC.

So I tried to quit, but the owner got a few more days out of me... then a few weeks........ then the whole summer.

I still can not say whether I had a 'good' summer this summer. It was tough, I was stressed, I was dealing with people talking behind my back, I was feeling like a total failure, like I could not measure up to the great counselors who changed my life, but at the same time some of the kids were really great. I saw some of my campers really have a great time, just like I did when I was at camp. There was no particular moment when things got better so I didnt have to quit, but I am glad I stuck around. Towards the last few days I realized the reason I always camp back to wazi was because of my fellow cabinmates who I was with every year from age 11 to 15. Last time when I got together with my friend Jack who lives in Los Angeles these days, we talked about how cool it would be if we had kids the same age who could go to wazi and bunk in Pines 11 together.

It is really hard for people to understand the summer camp thing. When I meet people I can pretty quickly tell who went to summer camp and who didn't, invariably when I talk to people who went to camp there is this tremendous moment of recognition between two people. Almost like when you find out someone went to your high school or college, or you were at the same concert, but a million times more powerful.

The best way to get the idea of what camp is is the 'track' of the day, from my favorite radio program This American Life, Episode #109 Notes on Camp.