Camp Siegfried (play)

Camp Siegfried
2022 Off-Broadway production poster
Written by	Bess Wohl
Characters	Him, Her
Date premiered	September 7, 2021
Place premiered	The Old Vic
Original language	English
Genre	Drama

Camp Siegfried is a play by Bess Wohl. Its setting is the real Camp Siegfried where American children of German descent were taught Nazi ideology.

Background

Playwright Wohl had rented a house in Bellport, Long Island, and had researched the nearby town of Yaphank. She discovered the town had hosted a camp for German-American youth, and felt it had the makings of a drama. ^[1]

Productions

Camp Siegfried premiered at The Old Vic theatre in London, in a production starring Patsy Ferran as Her and Luke Thallon as Him. ^[2] The production played a limited run from 7 September 2021 to 30 October. ^[3]

A production opened off-Broadway at the Tony Kiser Theatre on 15 November 2022 and ran through 4 December 2022, following previews from 25 October. The cast featured Johnny Berchtold (originally cast to Sawyer Barth) as Him and Lily McInerny as Her. The production was directed by David Cromer. ^{[4] [5]}

Critical reception

In his 5 star review for The Independent , Paul Taylor described Camp Siegfried as "an insightful piece about the frightening appeal of fascism". ^[6] In her 3 star review for The Guardian , Arifa Akbar states that "while Wohl’s dialogue is good at teen neurosis, it contains an offputtingly self-conscious tone, carefully crafted for cuteness". ^[7]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2022	Evening Standard Theatre Awards	Promising Playwright	Bess Wohl	Nominated	[8]
	BroadwayWorld UK Awards	Best Leading Performer in a New Production of a Play	Patsy Ferran	Nominated
	WhatsOnStage Awards	Best Performer In A Female Identifying Role In A Play		Nominated

See also

• Camp Siegfried

References

1. "'This is still here': Bess Wohl's story of seduction in a Nazi summer camp". the Guardian. September 7, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
2. "Camp Siegfried at the Old Vic: Patsy Ferran and Luke Thallon discuss premiering the new play | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. October 4, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
3. "Camp Siegfried at the Old Vic – first look at rehearsals | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
4. https://www.theatermania.com/news/johnny-berchtold-replaces-sawyer-barth-in-camp-siegfried_94345/&ved=2ahUKEwj3sfPU28WDAxWALEQIHd18CakQFnoECBAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1fXBeHhvfuWEB1IPBT1d6S
5. Green, Jesse (November 16, 2022). "Review: At 'Camp Siegfried,' a Nazi Summer of Love on Long Island". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
6. "Camp Siegfried is an insightful play about the frightening appeal of fascism – review". The Independent. September 18, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
7. "Camp Siegfried review – love and terror on Long Island". the Guardian. September 17, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
8. "Recent Awards & Nominations – The Old Vic Theatre". The Old Vic. Retrieved August 29, 2025.