When the world around you changes in an instant, and you’re responsible for the safety of hundreds of young campers, what kind of leader will you choose to be? Tuesday Night Café Theatre’s production of //The Grown-Ups//, by Simon Henriques and Skylar Fox, explores how personal decisions feed into or destroy belief in one’s own judgement. The show emphasizes the value of community and the courage it takes to trust others while embracing change.
Set at a youth camp in the United States, the show follows a group of camp counsellors during a major civic conflict as they try to shield campers from the troubling news. Most of the counsellors have grown up together at the camp, but newcomer Cassie (Emma Lee, PhD Biochemistry) enters unaware of their dynamic. Though she bonds with them, tension emerges between Cassie’s bold approach to handling camp issues and the protection tactics of the other counsellors.
Trust remains a constant concern throughout. The camp’s assistant director, Aidan (Johnny Rees), worries that sharing news of the outside tensions will shift the camp’s culture. The counsellors struggle to adjust to changes in both camp activities and their friend group, and this resistance makes it difficult for Cassie to convince the others to embrace her proposed operational changes.
In an interview with //The Tribune//, director Sol Blanco, U4 Arts, mentioned resonating with the fear characters have of making the wrong choice.
“A lot of people are afraid of saying things or doing things because they think that what they will do or say is wrong,” they said. “But the only way that you can move forward is by doing or saying something, and changing, so there are no wrong answers, only your answers.”
Stage manager Hannah Liben, U4 Science, reflected on the common hardship of letting go, despite understanding the necessity for change.
“It’s all about things changing and things needing to change. And I think that that’s really, really tough for me and a lot of people. But we need to think about it, especially now.”
This conflict between change and continuity, framed through the lens of teenagers grappling with changes to their chosen home, is uniquely touching. Directed in-the-round surrounding a campfire, the production’s community-driven nature shines through.
Blanco highlighted the show’s collaborative process.
“We are equals every step of the way [….] Everybody provides a little bit of insight on everything,” they said.
The bond between cast and crew results in an intricate portrayal of fluctuating relationships, aided by the show’s staging that replicates both distance and intimacy. Audience members have the same perspective of each other as the actors have of their castmates; we remember to //choose// to be present with our communities for all they are, rather than worrying about leaving behind the past.
Both on and offstage, choosing to step up has been a common thread. Liben expressed her admiration for the unique contributions of the crew and cast.
“Even if everything went wrong and we weren’t able to put this on or anything, these people are like, the best people I’ve ever met, including this one,” Liben said, pointing to Blanco.
As the director, Blanco exemplifies a leader’s trust in others’ judgments, noting their own relationship with Liben.
“Every step of the way, I was like okay, I know that Hannah can do this, I wonder what this will look like, let me consult Hannah. And when I say my vision, I also do mean our vision because […] there is no me without Hannah, right?” they said. “I think that that’s what makes this show so special.”
//The Grown-Ups// serves as an excellent reminder that compromise and vulnerability bring about a unifying leadership. The bonds of steel the characters share, as well as those of the creatives, are echoed in the warmth evoked in the audience. It feels like a homecoming.
