StarQuest Rocked It!
Unbelievable! What an amazing summer we had! In 4 short weeks, camp StarQuest became a home away from home… a place where our campers transformed into rockin’ StarQuest Super Stars! The last week of camp was action packed! Not only did each group perform in their own musical revue, they also brought the spirit and battled it out “true camper” style for our Battle of the Stars 2020 color war. I’m including several videos below of our Battle of the Stars Song Fest, the culmination of this year’s battle between Hollywood Red, Broadway Blue and new 2020 team, West End Green. Upon announcement of our winning team Broadway Blue, as always at StarQuest we concluded with our traditional award ceremony, closing appreciation circle, ice cream, hugs, tears and so much love! We, at Camp StarQuest, have been honored to have had the opportunity to experience your kids and watch their creativity soar and their minds grow. The bonds, the friendships, and the memories made will be cherished for years to come. We miss our amazing campers already, and the countdown to Camp StarQuest 2021 has already begun!
Final Performances
Camp StarQuest Campers – Wow, just wow!
Our campers were mesmerizing from the moment they took the stage. We couldn’t be prouder of their hard work, commitment, and dedication, not only to their craft, but to each other. They clearly put to use all that we had learned in our specialty voice, dance, and acting classes in the mornings, and brought that focus and energy to our afternoon rehearsals to make each of their Broadway Revues come to life.
Below From StarQuest Scoop, our very own StarQuest reporting arm, Ms. Kenzie Clark, a former StarQuest long time camper and counselor intern this summer wrote the following review to capture the excitement. Below I have also included a link to each group’s final performance.
Writers: Madagascar, JR.
Finally, the Writers group presented Madagascar the Musical Jr. This show had so much energy and excitement surrounding it, making it fun to watch. From “It’s Showtime” until “Together Forever”, these campers were giving it their all. Some highlights include Emerson’s amazing voice during “Best Friends” and Sam’s acting throughout the show. There were several comedic moments as well, including Sophie as the Old Lady, Petra’s delivery and waddle as Skipper the penguin, and Lucie’s bizarre character as King Julien. Lillian and the rest of the cast dazzled the stage. I had the opportunity to see this show come together over the past few weeks and their final performance was nothing less than inspiring. It was the perfect way to conclude Starquest’s 2020 Best of Broadway Revues.
Directors: Little Mermaid, JR
To kick off Starquest’s 2020 Best of Broadway Revues, the Directors group performed their adaptation of The Little Mermaid. This well-known fairytale came to life with talent and energy. Sebastian, played by Alex, was a funny and animated character who shone during “Under the Sea”. One of the most captivating songs, in my biased opinion, was “Part of Your World”, sung by Jordan, who just so happens to be my sister. All of the dancing was fantastic, and a large portion of it was choreographed by counselors Cate and Alison. Besides the talent being incredible, I must say that a highlight of the show was the unintended humor from the cardboard cutouts portraying Prince Eric and King Triton. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when Prince Eric swayed stiffly in the background during “She’s in Love”. Overall, I say “bravo” to the Directors.
Producers: Shrek the Musical Jr.
Shrek the Musical Jr., performed by Starquest’s Producers group, was entertaining and captivating. The cast included only five people, with a guest appearance from their counselor Grace. Asher portrayed Shrek, a loner ogre living on a swamp. His acting was outstanding and it certainly gripped the audience and brought us into the story with him. Long-time Starquest camper Jane embodied the role of Donkey and took it to a new level. She was absolutely hilarious and I could not imagine a better role for her. Lastly, Emma was the surprise highlight of the entire day. My jaw physically dropped when I heard her sing “Forever” and belt out those notes so beautifully. I would watch the Producers’ adaptation of Shrek the Musical Jr. again and again and again.
Inside Peak into Battle of the Stars & End of Camp
Battle of the Stars: 2020 Color War was a hit! We officially broke Color War on Wednesday after our final performance. The last two days of camp, we laughed, we ran, we cheered, we smiled, we sang, we danced.. – A snap shot of some special highlights…
- Arriving dressed in true battle of the stars spirit
- Field Day – egg toss, watermelon eat, potato on a spoon relay, balloon race
- Room-decorating contest
- Song Fest – each team was taught two songs…an alma mater, a cheer, learned a march and created a banner
- Awards – everyone received an award and our all-around camper award was given out
- Final Appreciation Circle
We are all so sad Camp StarQuest has come to an end. The last four weeks have been amazing! Our closing circle last Friday solidified all we had wished this summer to be for our amazing campers. We can’t wait for them to walk into the school year with a truer sense of self, more confidence, and a deeper compassion for others. Their love of the arts certainly grew stronger, skill set improved greatly for sure, but perhaps most importantly, they learned a wealth of life lessons they can carry with them wherever they go and made friendships that will last forever doing what they love. Hats off to our amazing staff for changing lives and to our awesome, fantastic super campers who gave 100% everyday. We will miss you, but look forward to seeing next year. We accomplished all we set out to do and then some. Miss everyone already…. So please join us during the year and be a part of our JPAS awesome programming.
LOVED CAMPSTARQUEST…. BE A PART OF JPAS YEAR ROUND…. THIS IS HOW!!!
Mark your calendars!! If you loved Camp StarQuest, then you will enjoy many of our fall virtual and in person classes too. Please don’t fill up our camper’s fall schedule until you consider what we will be offering. Registration will open in the next few weeks and registration will fill up quickly! Email me with any questions! Many of our talented specialty staff will be teaching classes in the fall. I am confident our new exciting programs will satisfy their theater bug, teach them new artistic skills to propel their talent, encompass life lessons and good old fashion fun! We also plan to do some fun JPAS social events too. Let’s stay connected and keep this positive energy going!
Alise Robinson
Director Camp StarQuest