By Thomas Smith

Carving their own path through cutting-edge contemporary theatre in Haliburton County, Ctrl-ART-Del’s latest production, The Grown Ups by Simon Henriques and Skylar Fox was performed at the Haliburton Legion from Aug. 14 to 17.

The Grown Ups delves into the question we all faced while growing up: what does it mean to be a grown-up?

The play is set at Camp Indigo Woods, located in the Northeastern United States.

Walking into the Haliburton Legion, the camp signs for Indigo Woods and directions to crucial camp locations like the beach and mess hall throw me into a spiral of nostalgia. I can smell the sunscreen on everyone’s skin, see the log cabin’s pine boards and hear the crackling of the fire amidst laughter. I am instantly transported back to the days at summer camp, anxious about the person I may become.

In the middle of the Legion’s floor, turf is laid down with a campfire pit in the centre of it. Camp chairs are strewn about, with the audience sitting in rows of two chairs, surrounding the campfire area just like the campers would.

The program reminds the audience that while they cannot change the text of the play, they encourage people to envision the play set in New Brunswick, with the insurrection-esque events taking place in Alberta and moving eastward.

While assisting the youngest campers through “growing moments,” the counselors face issues with growing up themselves, like feeling love, dealing with the latest viral memes, and how to talk to child content creators.

Between scary stories of the Neversleeper told around the campfire and live updates of a viral Dawne “The Rock” Johnson pineapple lookalike meme that caught the attention of a truth-seeking radicalized far right group, it is hard to tell what is scarier; the monsters that lurk at camp, or the monsters that lurk politically.

It is not lost on me that this play was chosen due to its resonance with Haliburton County’s plethora of summer camps. A line about the campers swarming Minden’s Kawartha Dairy would not be out of place in this play. The name Camp Indigo Woods itself is due to the camp’s desire to rebrand itself away from a colonialized version of an Indigenous word.

While I will not name any camps, I can recall many roads having to be renamed in Haliburton County in the past few decades.

Playwrights Henriques and Fox attempt to give us grown-ups a glimpse into what may be running through the minds of Zoomers and Generation Alpha.

Written in the aftermath of the events of Jan. 6, The Grown-Ups is like a swelling storm throughout the course of the play. Both emotionally and apocalyptically.

The loveable Brody Bolger plays Lukas, a character that I keep leading to describe as a goofball. While exceptionally funny, Lukas’ charm and comedy reminds me of the confusion that comes with growth and maturity. As the only man around the fire, Lukas is refreshingly unashamed to admit when he is wrong, or when circumstances are in his favour. I was fortunate enough to see Bogler’s expressions in some scenes when he was talking face to face with other characters. I will say through his facial expressions alone, I was cracking up laughing. Words did not have to be spoken to make me chuckle. It seemed the audience members across the campfire from me were not fortunate enough to witness his antics.

Olivia Humphires, playing the role of Aidan, the older sister, and most senior camp counselor played the role to a tee. The connection to her and Maeve came as a big surprise, which is what any big sister would ever want; to not let others know she has a little sister. Every one of her entrances demanded my attention. Near the beginning, it was her call for order with the counselors. Throughout the play, her control over the camp slips more and more. While unfortunate for Aidan, her loss of control and sanity was a delight to witness while performed by Humphries.

It came as a shock to learn that The Grown-Ups was Poppy Ellenberger’s first performance with Ctrl-ART-Del. From Ellenberger’s entrance as Maeve, covered with stickers, Maeve is the leader of the group and is brimming with energy. Throughout love, loss, and relationship issues, Ellenberger knows how to show her uncertainties as a counselor, when to tug at your heart strings, and when to be downright obnoxious.

Lillian Ramsdale plays the bubbly Becca. A highly energetic and camper full of camp spirit. To an extensive degree, Becca is ride-or-die for Camp Indigo Woods, perhaps literally by the end of the play. With Ramsdale’s gigantic smile, you can see that her eyes are trying to hold back tears, steadfast by her own convictions of the camp.

I felt the most connected with Cassie, played by Jessica Mccready-Debruin. Just as the audience is new to Camp Indigo Woods, Cassie is a newcomer to the camp. While trying to make a name for herself as a counsellor, Cassie tries to shake things up by improving the way things are done. With subtle eye movements and maintaining a confident posture, Mccready-Debruin is excellent at hinting that she has a secret. Despite her external confidence, darkness lurks beneath. It would take the entire troupe of counselors and an oncoming apocalypse scenario to get the truth out of her.

I left The Grown-Ups instantly wanting to watch it again. Perhaps I wanted to go back to camp and relive my childhood.

Imagine my dismay to see that the show had a limited run, only three days.

If this show were to return, it would be a disservice not to perform it at one of the local camps, around an actual firepit.

Congratulations to Ctrl-ART-Del for the wonderful production and to the cast and crew.

Through all factors of the set design, the performance by the actors, and even the woman sitting in front of me who could name every bird from the calls played over the speakers, I was truly taken aback to my youth at summer camp.

Bravo.