French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts

Last updated
French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts
Location
French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts
199 Bouchoux Brook Road, Hancock, New York 13783
Information
TypePrivate summer camp
Established1970
FounderRon Schaefer
DirectorRon Schaefer, Beth Schaefer
GenderCo-educational
Age range7-17
Campus size170 acres (68 ha)
Campus typeRural
TuitionFirst Session, $5,850; Second Session, $7,075; Third Session, $7,075; Fourth Session, $5,850; Full Summer: $14,100
AffiliationACA
Sister CampusFrench Woods Sports & Arts Center
Websitefrenchwoods.com

French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts (or simply French Woods Festival or French Woods), is a private, co-educational performing and visual arts camp for youth aged 7 to 17 located in Hancock, New York. Established in 1970, French Woods is among the most prestigious summer arts programs in the United States. [1]

Contents

French Woods Festival runs one of the longest summer programs in American camping, running four three-week sessions, one week-long mini-session, and sponsoring a week-long adult camp at its sister camp, French Woods Sports and Arts Center. [2] [3] [4] The primary summer schedule (the first four sessions) itself is among the longest in camping, ending in the last week of August. Campers are not required to attend for the entire summer and are able to choose any arrangement of the four sessions they wish to attend. [5]

French Woods Festival has prepared generations of prominent alumni in arts and culture, particularly in the performing arts. [6] [2] [7] [8] Alumni have either won or been nominated for a total of 40 Billboard Awards, 29 Emmy Awards, 26 Tony Awards, 22 Drama Desk Awards, 18 Grammy Awards, 7 Golden Globe Awards, 6 People’s Choice Awards, 4 BRIT Awards, and others.

In recent years, French Woods has premiered several amateur productions of Broadway shows, including Billy Elliot and Honeymoon in Vegas. [2]

Program Overview

French Woods runs four, three-week sessions (e.g. First Session, Second Session, etc.) from early June to late August. An additional one-week session immediately follows Fourth Session. The program incorporates major-minor scheduling. The daily schedule revolves around three majors and three minors, beginning at 9:30 am and ending at 5:45 pm. French Woods offers nearly 400 individual majors and minors each session, stemming from over a dozen departments. [5]

The camp and its activities are divided into three aged camps: Lower Camp (7–11 years), Middle Camp (11–14 years), and Upper Camp (14–17 years). [2]

Each September, French Woods sponsors the French Woods Classic Band Festival, an adult band camp hosted by its sister camp, French Woods Sports & Arts Center. [9]

French Woods administers the Hancock-French Woods Arts Alliance, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that primarily provides financial scholarships to a selected group of staff pursuing education in the arts. [10]

Location & Facilities

French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts is situated on a small lake in the town of Hancock, New York, roughly two and a half hours from New York City and three hours from Philadelphia. The camp is situated in the western Catskill Mountains near the convergence of that region and New York’s Southern Tier. The Delaware River (and thus, the New York-Pennsylvania border) is about 6 miles south and west of French Woods. The camp’s name is derived from the hamlet of French Woods where it resides. It is approximately 170 acres (68 hectares). [11]

French Woods is home to five theaters, two circus pavilions, two music centers, two visual arts complexes, a costumes building, dance center, culinary shed, and a collection of fitness facilities including eleven outdoor tennis courts, an indoor skatepark, hilltop challenge course, equestrian stables, sports complex consisting of a gymnasium and sport-specific fields/courts, fitness center, and pool. [2]

The property also has two administrative buildings, a dining hall, wellness center, camp store, and a canteen.

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Herman</span> American composer and lyricist (1931–2019)

Gerald Sheldon Herman was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernadette Peters</span> American actress and singer (born 1948)

Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two, and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Taymor</span> American film and theatre director and writer (born 1952)

Julie Taymor is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for her direction and costume design. Her 2002 film Frida, about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a Best Original Song nomination for Taymor's composition "Burn It Blue." She also directed the 2007 jukebox musical film Across the Universe, based on the music of the Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patti LuPone</span> American actress and singer

Patti Ann LuPone is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972 she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of the Arts (Philadelphia)</span> Art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

University of the Arts (UArts) is a private arts university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia. Dating back to the 1870s, it is one of the oldest schools of art or music in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Robert Brown</span> American songwriter

Jason Robert Brown is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on Parade and The Bridges of Madison County.

George Hearn is an American actor and bass-baritone singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Murphy</span> American actress (born 1959)

Donna Murphy is an American actress, best known for her work in musical theater. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she has twice won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical: for her role as Fosca in Passion (1994–1995) and as Anna Leonowens in The King and I (1996–1997). She was also nominated for her roles as Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (2003), Lotte Lenya in LoveMusik (2007), and Bubbie/Raisel in The People in the Picture (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie J. Block</span> American actress and singer (born 1972)

Stephanie Janette Block is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucille Lortel</span> American actress

Lucille Lortel was an American actress, artistic director, and theatrical producer. In the course of her career Lortel produced or co-produced nearly 500 plays, five of which were nominated for Tony Awards: As Is by William M. Hoffman, Angels Fall by Lanford Wilson, Blood Knot by Athol Fugard, Mbongeni Ngema's Sarafina!, and A Walk in the Woods by Lee Blessing. She also produced Marc Blitzstein's adaptation of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, a production which ran for seven years and according to The New York Times "caused such a sensation that it...put Off-Broadway on the map."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason Gross School of the Arts</span> School of performing and fine arts at Rutgers University (New Brunswick)

Mason Gross School of the Arts is the arts conservatory at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mason Gross offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theater. Mason Gross is highly selective in terms of admissions, with a low admission rate. It is named for Mason W. Gross, the sixteenth president of Rutgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagedoor Manor</span> Performing arts training center in New York (state)

Stagedoor Manor is a performing arts training center located in Loch Sheldrake, New York. Since its opening, it has trained thousands of young actors, many of whom have gone on to success in film, television, and theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Page</span> American actor and singer

John Patrick Page is an American actor, low bass singer, and playwright. He originated the roles of the Grinch in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical (2006), Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2011), and Hades in Hadestown (2019–2022), the last of which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Melissa Errico is an American actress, singer, recording artist and writer. She is known for her Broadway musical roles such as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and the title role in One Touch of Venus, as well as her recordings of musical theater classics, including albums of songs by Stephen Sondheim and Michel Legrand. In recent years she has become a contributing writer to The New York Times and served on the National Endowment for the Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts</span>

The Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts is a Wheatley Heights, Long Island-based summer day camp, situated on 140 acres (0.57 km2) of woods.

<i>The 39 Steps</i> (play) Play written by Patrick Barlow

The 39 Steps is a parody play adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. The original concept and production of a four-actor version of the story was written by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, and premiered in 1996. Patrick Barlow rewrote this adaptation in 2005.

Peter Kellogg is a musical theater book writer and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics and the book for the 1992 production of the Broadway musical Anna Karenina, for which he received two 1993 Tony Award nominations, one for Best Book of a musical and one for the Best Original Score. He also wrote the lyrics and book for the musicals Chasing Nicolette, Desperate Measures, Lincoln In Love, Stunt Girl, Money Talks, and The Rivals which have been read and produced regionally. Kellogg also received the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2006 award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing (Book) for Desperate Measures. On June 3, 2018, Kellogg won the 2018 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics for Desperate Measures.

Gilles Chiasson is an American producer, director, composer, writer and actor. While he first came to prominence as an actor, particularly in the original cast of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning RENT, Chiasson went on to work in film and television development, then theater administration and operations, and now works in education. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Sherri Parker Lee and their two sons. He is a theater teacher at a high school in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Platt</span> American actor and singer (born 1993)

Benjamin Schiff Platt is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. Platt, the son of film and theater producer Marc Platt, began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012–2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). His performance in the latter earned him multiple accolades, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, the youngest solo recipient of the award at the time, in addition to a Daytime Emmy, and Grammy Award. Platt reprised the role of Evan Hansen in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical, produced by his father. He then played Leo Frank in the 2022 New York City Center Gala production of Parade, which transferred to Broadway in 2023 and earned him another nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Michael Dellaira is an American composer. He is a citizen of the United States and Italy and resides in New York City with his wife, the writer Brenda Wineapple.

References

  1. ↑ Rapkin, Mickey (2008-07-27). "Auditioning Round the Campfire". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Windman, Matt. "Theater Critic at Theater Camp: A Return Visit to French Woods". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  3. ↑ "Sleepaway Performing Arts Camp Dates and Rates". frenchwoods.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  4. ↑ "French Woods Classic Band | Adult Music Camp in Catskills, New York". fwbandfestival. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  5. 1 2 "The Program at French Woods Festival". frenchwoods.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  6. ↑ Ciment, Shoshy (July 23, 2018). "Broadway's Beanie Feldstein, Adam Pascal, Adam Kantor, and More Share Their Theatre Camp Memories". Playbill.
  7. ↑ Ingenthron, Blair. "Julie Benko, Leslie Uggams, and More to Play 54 Below Next Week". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  8. ↑ "Broadway stars perform selections of musical by first-year Rider student". Rider University. 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  9. ↑ "The Festival". fwbandfestival. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  10. ↑ "FAQs". Hancock-French Woods Arts Alliance. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  11. ↑ Griffith, Carson (2016-08-23). "13 East Coast Camps Where Hollywood Stars Spent Their Summers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  12. 1 2 3 "MTI Meets MTV at French Woods Summer Camp" Archived 2014-12-14 at the Wayback Machine , The Marquee blog, Music Theatre International, May 5, 2009.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Michael Gioia, "A Moment in the Woods: Aspiring Performers Tackle La Cage, Sweeney Todd and More at French Woods Theatre Camp", Playbill, 1 August 2013, p. 4.
  14. 1 2 3 Mickey Rapkin, "Auditioning Round the Campfire", Fashion & Style, New York Times , July 27, 2008.
  15. ↑ Tea Price, "New music director for Phoenix Symphony crescendos to prominence through youth", Downtown Devil, September 18, 2014.
  16. ↑ Frank Nestor, "Camping It Up", Backstage , March 23, 2011.
  17. ↑ Robert Lloyd, "Review: MTV's Camp'd Out: I'm Going to Performing Arts Camp", Show Tracker blog, Los Angeles Times , April 25, 2009.

41°55′02″N75°11′04″W / 41.917112°N 75.184400°W / 41.917112; -75.184400

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.