Looking back now, what advice would you give to your younger self? Coming to the Albany in Deptford on 7 and 8 March, the story of Camp Phoenix shows how one summer can shape a lifetime.
Camp Phoenix follows the journey of 17-year-old Zia (David Carpenter). When they arrive at Camp Phoenix for a compulsory weeklong residential, they aren’t sure if it’s for them. The camp helps young people emerge from the dust of their younger selves, just like a phoenix.
But not everything goes to plan…
The production by touring theatre Zest Theatre has been directly developed through conversations with young people, including students from Lewisham College – some of whom will make up the cast at each of the show’s performances at the Albany on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 March 2024.
We spoke to Camp Phoenix writer Katie Greenall and director Toby Ealden to find out more…
The Weekender: The story of Camp Phoenix was inspired by the voices of over 600 young people – how did their voices shape the story you tell on stage?
Katie Greenall (KG): Over five weeks in January and February 2023, we met 600 young people across the country.
We met pupils in Years 5 and 6 and asked them what they wanted, what mattered to them, what they cared about and what they were worried about, particularly focusing on any worries they had for the future and going to secondary school.
We then took the pupils’ comments to local college students in those areas, asking them to offer their wisdom or advice as the experts who had just been through that experience.
So the show is full of their wisdom, their ideas, their worries and concerns, and also full of the people that we’ve met. There are characters in the show that are named after and inspired by the people we met in the places.
What energy and expertise do Katie Greenall (writer) and Koko Brown (songwriter) bring to Camp Phoenix for their first professional commissions?
Toby Ealden (TE): Commissioning new writers means a wider range of voices, experiences and approaches get heard. Katie and Koko bring their own creative practice and expertise to the show – something unique to them. You can feel that across the production.
How does the show encourage young people to make space for each other?
KG: Hopefully in lots of ways. There are a few different ways how we model making space for others in the show with our character: Les, who advocates for the young people and holds space for them, including Zia, our everyman that we follow.
We see how the young people learn and support each other when they come together and meet for the first time and, hopefully, in the end, without giving too much away, there’s a moment where we see how the people support each other and listen and hold space for each other.
This is the first touring Zest Theatre production since before the pandemic, was that something that came up a lot in the responses of young people?
TE: Covid didn’t explicitly come up that often, but the impact on general wellbeing and mental health did.
The most inspiring conversations we had were with 9- to 10-year-olds who offered the wisest insights into tackling the challenges of life.
We repeatedly heard about the importance of rest, community, listening and strategies to support mental wellbeing across the research process.
What age is the show for, and what can the audience expect from the show?
KG: This show is definitely designed for young people aged 9-11 who are about to embark on change.
Still, it could also be for young people already in secondary school and the people who are supporting them through that time, whether it be parents, carers or teachers.
Also, it’s worth saying that there is a youth cast; the show is going to be performed by college students in each of the locations [Lewisham College students for the shows at the Albany]. So, it has to be engaging and meaningful to them, too.
I hope it will support any young person from age 9-21, and their families and carers.
TE: People can expect it to be uplifting and wholesome, yet it also challenges you to perceive the world from a young perspective. I
t’s funny, adventurous and honest, and it includes five brand-new songs, which are proper earworms!
Finally, what advice do you wish you’d had when you were a kid?
KG: To encourage and emphasise the things that made me unique, rather than try and change them – and to have confidence that those will be the things that help me find my people and my space and my job, rather than prohibit me.
TE: Take each day at a time rather than always thinking too far into the future. To be present in each moment and not let the stresses of life distract you from who you are meant to be.
The Albany, Douglas Way Deptford, SE8 4AG
Thursday 7 and Friday 8 March 2024
www.thealbany.org.uk
