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.
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]
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]
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]
The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Victoria Palace. It was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 and formally named the Royal Victoria Hall, although by that time it was already known as the "Old Vic". In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian Baylis, assumed management and began a series of Shakespeare productions in 1914. The building was damaged in 1940 during air raids and it became a Grade II* listed building in 1951 after it reopened.
Aikaterini Hadjipateras, known professionally as Kathryn Hunter, is an American-born British actress and theatre director, known for her appearances as Arabella Figg in the Harry Potter film series, Eedy Karn in the Disney+ Star Wars spinoff series Andor, and as the Three Witches in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun "O-T" Fagbenle is an English actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in several films, stage, and television productions. Fagbenle is best known for his role as Luke in The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–2022), for which he received an Emmy nomination, and his portrayal of Barack Obama in The First Lady (2022).
Steven Atkinson is a British producer working in theatre and film.
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Fascism has a long history in North America, with the earliest movements appearing shortly after the rise of Fascism in Europe. Fascist movements in North America never gained power, unlike their counterparts in Europe.
David Cromer is an American theatre director, and stage, film, and TV actor. He has received recognition for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in his native Chicago. Cromer has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including winning the Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for his direction of Our Town. He was nominated for the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for his direction of The Adding Machine. In 2018, Cromer won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Band's Visit.
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Camp Siegfried, a summer camp which taught Nazi ideology, was located in Yaphank, New York, on Long Island. It was owned by the German American Bund, an American Nazi organization devoted to promoting a favorable view of Nazi Germany, and was operated by the German American Settlement League (GASL). Camp Siegfried was one of many such camps in the US in the 1930s, including Camp Hindenberg in Grafton, Wisconsin, Camp Nordland in Andover, New Jersey, Deutschhorst Country Club in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, and a camp in Windham, New York.
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Bess Wohl is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actress whose plays include Grand Horizons, Small Mouth Sounds, and the book for the musical Pretty Filthy with composer/lyricist Michael Friedman and The Civilians.
Luke Charles Bayer is an English actor and singer who is known for his work in musical theatre. He is best known for his work in the Original West End Cast of Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre and for appearing on The X Factor in 2007.
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