Ghostlight Theater Camp

campers joyfully explore their creative side under close, supportive instruction, all while appreciating the beautiful landscape of Maine. Ghostlight Theater Camp, formerly Acting Manitou, began in 2003 in Oakland, ME. What started with just 10 campers has grown to over 1,000 alumni in the 17 years they’ve been in operation. In 2019, associate director, Lesley Levy, and 11-year camp director veteran, Chris Murrah, assumed ownership and directorship, changing the name to Ghostlight Theater Camp. The name is an homage to an old theater tradition, leaving on a “ghostlight” in the theater to preserve the energy of the space while the actors are absent. This light stayed on longer than expected while campers were away last year, but Chris and Lesley are excited to welcome back both new and returning campers to the stage in the summer of 2021.

With future generations of campers in mind, Lesley and Chris remain committed to their four core values and fostering the environment that kept them at the camp. “When I started at Manitou in 2009, I fell in love with what I found to be the most giving and generous group of young artists who changed the way I thought about theater camp and theater making in general.” says Chris. While some perceive acting camps as highly competitive, creating a cutthroat atmosphere, Ghostlight works to break down these stereotypes. Lesley notes, Ghostlight strives to eliminate the "drama" that is often associated with theater programs. Instead, they create a joyful and encouraging community for people of all abilities. At Ghostlight, the most important moment is not the moment in the spotlight, but the times when the entire cast and crew shine, as they work together to create a unique theater experience. “Instead of valuing the spotlight,” says Lesley, “at Ghostlight, we value the creative power of the ensemble which provides equal footing for both the camper just beginning in theater as well as the camper who is engaged year-round.” This doesn’t mean that campers of Ghostlight are receiving any less than the absolute best instruction, notes Chris. “We hire the highest caliber of International, Regional, and Broadway theater artists who have the same eye towards ensemble values. They bring to camp a sense of how to work collaboratively, even in the commercial realm.”

Forming Friendships

"I fell in love with...the most giving and generous group of young artists who changed the way I thought about theater camp"

Founded on top-flight instruction and the four core values of joy, creativity, gratitude, and building community, Ghostlight pairs these advantages with a beautiful, well-quipped campus. Surrounded by the gorgeous natural environment of rural Maine, Ghostlight offers campers an authentic yet individual theater camp experience, complete with an outdoor amphitheater, swimming pool, plentiful rehearsal spaces, and multiple theaters. Daytimes find campers connecting with nature as an important way to practice gratitude for the world they inhabit. The campus lends itself to many “found stages,” inspiring the campers to discover the best setting for their particular production. Individuality is encouraged; campers are challenged to think outside the box to realize a level of creativity they were previously unaware they were capable of. The hope is that campers will learn to feel empowered and confident and bring those new feelings home with them. At night, Ghostlight comes to life, with activities like movie nights, dances, themed nights, roller skating and more. These activities provide campers the opportunity to make the kind of joyful memories they’ll treasure upon their return home. What Lesley and Chris hope most is to instill a sense of community among the campers. Ghostlight inspires in campers a sense of civic responsibility by showing them the lasting impact they have in this close-knit community, ultimately inspiring them to be meaningful members of their larger communities when they return home, as friends, students, and family members.

Creativity in the Great Outdoors

The Artists at Ghostlight

Previous artistic staff and guest artists include…

MARGOT de la BARRE

Adam Fleming

Christian Delcroix

Dee Roscioli

Lilli Cooper

Colin Hanlon

Kit Yan

Cathy Ang

Margot de la Barre has appeared on Broadway in South Pacific, Evita, Anything Goes, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, and Promises, Promises. She has performed on the Tony Awards, Good Morning America, and The View. She was also part of NBC's Sound of Music Live! starring Carrie Underwood. At Ghostlight Theater Camp, Margot has directed Anything Goes, Once Upon A Mattress and The 39 Steps.

MARGOT DE LA BARRE

Adam Fleming joined us in 2017 as a director and choreographer. His work at camp has included a production of Mamma Mia! and Tuck Everlasting, as well as Spring Awakening and Pippin as choreographer. In 2016 Adam taught master classes in Broadway Rep featuring choreography from Wicked, a show he opened in Chicago and subsequently performed in on Broadway. Adam has also performed on Broadway in the original company of Hairspray with Harvey Fierstein and in the off-Broadway favorite, Bare: A Pop Opera.

Adam Fleming

Christian Delcroix has been seen on Broadway in The Book Of Mormon, Follies (Young Buddy), South Pacific (Professor) Tours: Seven Brides...(Gideon) Regionally he was Curly at Goodspeed in The Great American Mousical, directed by Julie Andrews and also has worked at Kennedy Center, Paper Mill, Trinity Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville. At Ghostlight, Christian brings his comedic character development process to teach campers and works with our CITs on college audition prep.

Christian Delcroix

Guest Artist (Musical Theater Performance) Dee Roscioli has traveled the world singing and acting. Dee is best known for her record-breaking portrayal of Elphaba in the smash Broadway hit Wicked. Most recently, Dee was seen on Broadway in The Cher Show as the standby with numerous performances for Star and Lady. Dee was also seen in the 2015 Broadway revival of Fiddler On The Roof, in the National Tour of Cats as Grizabella, and John Kander’s newest musical Kid Victory.

Dee Roscioli

Guest Artist (The Business of Acting) Lilli Cooper made her Broadway debut as Martha in the original Broadway cast of the musical Spring Awakening. In the ensuing years, she’s continued to work steadily on Broadway, playing roles from Elphaba in Wicked to Sandy Cheeks in SpongeBob and most recently as Julie in the new musical adaptation of Tootsie, which she refers to as her “first grown-up show.” It is a role for which she just received her first Tony Award nomination.

Lilli Cooper

Guest Artist (Musical Theater) Cathy Ang is a Chinese-Filipina actress and singer based in New York City who is best known for playing Fei Fei in Netflix’s upcoming animated movie-musical Over the Moon. Cathy was most recently seen in Maybe Happy Ending as Claire at Alliance Theatre. She was also a Forest of Arden company member in Michael Arden’s American Dream Study. Cathy graduated from NYU Steinhardt in 2017.

Cathy Ang

Guest Artist (Playwriting) Kit Yan is a Yellow American New York based artist, born in Enping, China, and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Kit is a Vivace Award winner for big ideas in musical theater, a 2020 Musical Theater Factory Makers Fellow, a 2020 Playwright’s Center fellow, 2020 Company One/Pao Arts Fellow, 2020 Lincoln Center Writer in residence, and former Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow and MacDowell Fellow.

Kit Yan

Guest Artist (Musical Theater) Colin Hanlon was most recently the Standby in Falsettos on Broadway. This spring, he played 'Adam' in Colman Domingo's new play Dot at The Vineyard Theater, directed by Susan Stroman. Colin plays 'Steven' on ABC's Emmy-winning "Modern Family" and is the star and producer of the web series "Submissions Only." His NYC and Broadway credits include Rent, Wicked, I Love You Because and his Lortel Award-nominated performance in Pirates of Penzance.

Colin Hanlon

Building Community

Through a variety of classes, each camper can find what they’re interested in and make it their own. From choreography, vocal technique, scene study, to set design, costuming, and stage management, every child finds their place at Ghostlight. The time and dedication put into the many varieties of classes is what sets Ghostlight apart from other acting camps. Each production has a small cast so that every camper gets the opportunity to have an important role. The productions are modeled around the campers’ strengths and identities. Casting is very non-traditional and strays away from typical gendered roles. Often, productions are given a fresh spin to reflect the particular campers involved. The term “ghostlight” not only refers to the revered tradition of leaving a light on the stage theater at all times, even after everyone is gone, keeping the energy and joy captured from the stage alive while waiting for the next show. The campers themselves are part of this tradition. For Chris and Lesley, it’s the campers of Ghostlight Theater Camp that are the integral part of that joy and energy and the reason they’re excited about hosting camp here for years to come.

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Unmatched Camp Spirit

“They truly are the spirit of this camp,” says Lesley. “In the tough times that we’ve faced in 2020, Ghostlight Theater Camp has kept the joy alive and we’re ready to share it with you. We want to serve as a beacon of hope, something to look forward to this year and many years down the road.” Ultimately, Ghostlight Theater Camp is a place where children are empowered to find confidence in themselves, while learning to be part of a meaningful community. With updated COVID-19 safety precautions and protocols, Ghostlight is excited to welcome campers back in 2021! Chris and Lesley are eager to hear about your child and their unique talents to see if Ghostlight Theater Camp could be a great fit for them. Schedule a call today or visit the website for more information.

"In the tough times that we’ve faced in 2020, Ghostlight Theater Camp has kept the joy alive and we’re ready to share it with you. We want to serve as a beacon of hope, something to look forward to this year and many years down the road."

This story is a part of the Northeast Summer Camp Guide.