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Today was the first day of Belfry Theater Camp in Germantown Academy and I saw a ton of new faces. My mind just couldn't process all the names. One was Benjamin or Benjamin. It sounded kinda like a tomato and tomato.

Like last year, 25 girls outnumbered 7 boys by 3.6 to 1. So if we wanted a revolution, it didn't sound good at odds. Unexpectedly I became the youngest among the boys.

The Broadway show Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr. was chosen this summer. The director then explained that the story took place in New York City in 1922. Millie, a young woman, and the main character came to NYC for success from Salina, Kansas, and had just been mugged on the street. At present, she was broke. Millie got a job and planned to marry her wealthy boss, Mr. Graydon for money instead of love. But Jimmy, another poor man, intended to marry Millie. At first, her answer looked as if "ARE YOU CRAZY??!!" or "no", but later she agreed with him. It turned out that Jimmy, Millie's husband was a whole lot richer than Millie thought. In 2002, Thoroughly Modern Millie won Tony Award.

We broke up into groups. I went to the Dance Studio first. We learned that this play happened to be in the Jazz Era. So there was plenty of sassiness going on. And everyone had to walk in a different way. We had to be stylish.

The next music was on.

Millie proved to be a very standing-out type of person (no offense). Unfortunately, she had to be a girl.

Finally, the performance came. Each of us read a line aloud so that the teacher could decide a part we would act. They promised that we would have one at the end of this week! I hoped that they kept their promise!

星期一，二O一三年六月廿四日

今天是捷门堂钟楼剧院夏令营的第一天，我遇见很多新面孔，一时叫不出他们的名字。其中有位叫本杰明或本杰民，听上去很像西红柿两种不同的发音。

与去年相仿，今年戏剧营共由25位女生和7位男生组成，每3.6位女生才有1位男生，比例严重失调。如果我们男生想闹暴动，未必有好果子吃。不知怎么搞的，我竟是男生年龄最小的。

这次我们要表演百老汇《仙乐美人》少儿音乐剧。导演介绍说，该故事发生在1922年纽约市，主要角色蜜莉姑娘从堪萨斯州的萨利纳小城来到大都会谋生，在大街上惨遭抢劫，生活艰辛。她找了一份工作，为钱而不是爱情要嫁给其阔气的老板格瑞顿先生。但是，当时另一位穷光蛋吉米也想娶蜜莉为妻。起先蜜莉满口回绝，后来却又同意了他的求婚。其实，吉米远比格瑞顿富有，超出蜜莉的想象。2002年，《仙乐美人》获百老汇最高荣誉奖──托尼奖。

大家被分成几个小组，我先去舞蹈室跳舞。因为剧情发生在上个世纪初爵士流行的年代，所以我们有不少时髦的东西要学，甚至连走路都有特定的要求。

这时，音乐响了起来。

实际上，蜜莉属于非常要强的人物(毫无贬义)，可她偏偏是位女同胞。

最后轮到表演，我们每人都要大声朗读一句台词，这样老师可以为我们安插角色。他们发誓要在本周结束之前让每人对号入座，但愿能顺利成行。

Tues. June 25, 2013

Yes! Today I got my script. It was un-stabled, but who cared. All I cared about was the full story.

To start off, we got half an hour to read our scripts. Then it came with an audition. Each person had to sing Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr. and another one selected on our own. Girls liked Sweet Mystery of Life, but I chose The Speed Test. Some people seemed so nervous that their shoulders looked trembling as if they were holding trucks.

Next, we danced the ending of Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr. with the Charleston (dance). The Charleston was a swing dance invented in the 1920s. First, we put our right foot in front of our left. Then we brought it back. The following step was our left foot behind the right. At last, we took it back and repeated the process.

Lastly, not until we read some lines of the scripts, we were randomly selected to do something that the other campers had to figure out according to our silent motions. I got Make A Campfire. Everyone guessed correctly. One kid, probably a new camper, got to play tennis. But he looked as if he was cooking. Just as the fun began, it stopped and we were ordered to leave the theater.

Everything today is thoroughly modern

Bands are getting Jazzier

Everything today is starting to go

Cars are getting snazzier

Men say it's criminal what women'll do

What they're forgetting is

This is 1922

- Excerpt from Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.

星期二，二O一三年六月廿五日

没错！今天我们拿到剧本复印件，并没装订在一起，可谁在乎这些？在我看来，了解剧情最重要。

一开始，我们先花半个钟头读剧本；接下来立刻走场试镜，每人要唱一遍《仙乐美人》少儿剧主题歌和一首自选曲。女生们喜欢《甜蜜生活的奥秘》，我选的是《速度测试》。有的人看上去十分紧张，双肩像扛了一辆大卡车，浑身上下不停地颤抖。

随后，我们学跳《仙乐美人》少儿剧结束时查尔斯顿舞。查尔斯顿舞是上个世纪廿年代创造的一种摇摆舞。舞步是这样的：第一，右脚在先，左脚在后；第二，收回右脚；第三，左脚移到右脚后面；第四，收回左脚。照此进行，我们循环往复地练习。

阅读完几句台词，我们开始玩起猜谜游戏。一个人在大家面前不准出声，仅需徒手做动作供营员们猜，看谁最有本身破解这些动作。我做出“篝火”动作，并没有难倒任何人。不过，有一小子大概是新手，本想设计“打网球”，结果弄巧成拙，我们以为他在做饭。兴头正高，游戏戛然而止，剧院马上要清场关门。

当今凡事摩登

乐队越来越流行爵士乐

当今节奏飞快

汽车越来越时髦风光

男人叹息女人开心的世道

莫非已忘记

这是1922年

──摘自《仙乐美人》少儿音乐剧主题歌

Wed. June 26, 2013

Today, we had a blackout. It started when the audition began. Tommy just went through his first song with a thousand errors when the lights went out with a "pop"! We were asked to evacuate. I couldn't believe how lucky Tommy was. He got the second chance!

But at the moment, we had to deal with the blackout with air conditioning when it became steaming hot. Soon, the hall temperature became hotter than outside. And Jason got his pants wet because his ice pack melted. And the water fountain was then broken. A counselor had to walk to the camp office for help since the telephone wasn't working either. It sounded funny how useless things would be if there wasn't any electric power in those days.

In the meantime, we played games like Sticks, Patty-cake, and Cowboys or went on iPhones. With cell phones, at least we weren't 100% powerless. We watched some kids play like maniacs on their iPhones. Most boys had their eyes glued to Jason's iPhone. Then a disaster struck. Jason's iPhone went dead as its battery died. Half the boys screamed, a quarter of them stomped and even slipped out "F" words. Jason who was quietly watching and said: "Is it the end of the world?" to no one in particular. We answered YES!! I guessed that it brought us luck because "pop" and the air conditioning switched on. However, it was time to go home. Before I left, a teacher complained: "This was one heck of a day!" I agreed.

星期三，二O一三年六月廿六日

今天断电，试镜开始不久，楼里变得黑咕隆咚。汤米刚唱完第一首歌，且不说漏洞百出，“啪”的一声，电没了，大伙儿随即要疏散到楼外。简直不敢相信，汤米“死”里逃生，老天赐给他第二次重新表现的机会。

当务之急，停电后失去空调，我们闷热难熬。不久，室内气温彪升到比楼外气温还高。杰森因为带来的冰袋融化弄湿了裤子，电动饮水瓶甚至跟着罢工，辅导员不得不亲自走到营地办公室通报实情，没有电，电话怎么使用？听起来实在可笑，当今一旦停电，几乎所有的事情都陷入瘫痪。

与此同时，我们只好玩五指出击、手掌互拍、牛仔肢体或智能手机等游戏。有手机可用，严格地说并非百分之百缺电。个别小伙伴手机游戏玩得正欢，大多数目光还是聚焦在杰森的智能手机上。好景不长，他的手机电池殆尽。半成男孩失望地尖叫起来，其中四分之一捶胸顿足，甚至下意识说出脏话。杰森反倒表现冷静，奇怪地质疑我们：“难道世界末日到了不成？”我们齐声给予肯定答复！！

话音刚落，运气来了，“啪”的一声，空调恢复正常。然而时候已经不早，我们该打道回府，这时听见有位老师嘟嘟囔囔：“多晦气的一天！”我深有同感。

Thurs. June 27, 2013

Today, we had our "extended" audition. I had to sing The Speed Test and danced Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr. Altogether it seemed boring until we had a lockdown drill.

The lockdown drill was when an unauthorized person entered the building, everyone should hide and the teachers would lock the doors. Campers in the camp could just go to the lockers or closets. But for practice, we had to squeeze between the seats. I wish that there was carpeting on the floor. When it was over, my question "Was everyone else feeling the same way I was feeling" was answered with moans and groans.

After a long callback for the audition, we decided to watch Thoroughly Modern Millie in a high school version. Let's just say, by the end of it, everyone was watching something else other than the TV screen.

The big moment arrived. After getting our stuff, we were called one-by-one up to see our part. The first few of all turned smiles, but Tommy screamed. He got his least favorite part, Bun Foo who was Ching Ho's brother as the henchmen in the hotel where Millie stayed. He only spoke Cantonese, but the dialogues on the scripts pronounced nowhere near correct. By the way, Tommy was ABC.

Finally came my turn. I walked up on the stage, stood in front of K, the director, and heard "Mugger". The mugger was the person who robbed Millie. I thought that was good and bad. At least I got some vengeance on the girls although the mugger sounded like a bastard.

For now, I was glad the audition over.

星期四，二O一三年六月廿七日

今天试镜“延时”。我得唱《速度测试》，跳《仙乐美人》少儿剧终场舞。除了安全训练之外，总的来说没太大意思。

所谓安全训练，实际上就是遇到非夏令营人员擅自进入大楼时，所有营员都应听从指挥，立刻隐避藏身，老师要把大门反锁起来，以防任何意外发生。一旦出现这种情况，营员们可以躲进壁橱或衣柜。不过这回预演，我们只能暂时挤在座位之间憋曲一阵子，真希望地板上铺有地毯。安全训练结束时，我心中“其他人会不会像我有同样感触”这类疑问在一片怨气和不满声中找到答案。

在等待试镜结果出来之前，我们决定先看一遍《仙乐美人》高中版录相。我敢打赌，没人死盯电视屏幕而不开小差坚持到最后。

关键时刻到了，等把东西收拾好，我们便一个个被指名道姓叫到老师面前听候发配。先叫到的营员大都面带微笑，但汤米例外，只听他高声尖叫，原来他要扮演的角色是自己最不喜欢的清河，清河与其兄弟彬富来自香港，在纽约蜜莉姑娘住的旅馆做服务生。按照剧情，清河只会说粤语，可对话脚本听起来实在别扭。顺便提一下，汤米是美国出生的中国男孩。

终于轮到我了！我走上舞台，站在K导演面前，听见“抢劫犯”仨字。剧中的“抢劫犯”要对蜜莉姑娘行窃，在我看来好坏参半。“抢劫犯”固然十恶不赦，但至少我可以借机报复女孩子们。

不管怎样，我庆幸试镜到此结束。

Fri. June 28, 2013

Today was Fat Friday.

Fat Friday was the first Friday of our summer camp. Each year, we had a theme. This year, it was PJs (pajamas). I wondered who got that great idea.

To set out, we had a Belfry's Got Talent! We had some nice jokes with a hand full of spits and a ton of singers. To chill off from excitement, the counselors passed out Popsicles.

Afterward, we split into groups for games.

We had Freeze Dance. The music was so soft that we had to stand next to the radio and sometimes accidentally kicked it over.

Another game of "When the West Wind Blows" came after. The rules were that one less chair than the number of players seated in a circle. The extra player stood in the middle and said: "The west wind blows if you have ..." and if you had ... you had to switch spots with someone else. If there was no more seat left, you went to the middle. We did the game for a long time. It looked as if Nate, a volunteer counselor overlooked the time, and some had to be dismissed.

I wish we could do today again in the nearest future.

星期五，二O一三年六月廿八日

今天是逍遥星期五。

逍遥星期五是夏令营第一个星期五。每年这一天，我们都搞一次主题聚会。今年的主题是身着睡衣，天晓得谁出的鬼主意。

首先，我们举行钟楼才艺表演！脱口秀搞笑，独唱声动听，大家兴奋至极，达到白热化状态。辅导员及时送来冰棍，有意让我们的热情冷却降温。

接着，我们分成小组玩游戏。

第一个游戏是闻乐起舞。播放的音乐太轻柔，我们不得不围收音机旁边听边跳，有时会不小心将它踢翻。

第二个游戏是西风吹。其规则是：摆放的椅子要比围坐成一圈的人少一个。没坐上椅子的人站在中间喊话：“如果你有……，西风吹”。在“如果你有……”期间，大家必须交换座位，倘若你找不到椅子坐下，那么你必须站到中间向大家喊话。我们玩了很久这个游戏。来做义工的辅导员内特好像看错了时间，结果有不少人被提前罚下场。

真希望今后还能继续今天的游戏。

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