Our summer day camp program wrapped up last week here at home, but no summer would be complete without our camps away from home! PAC (Performing Arts Camp) and PAC Prep are our sleep-away summer camp programs currently underway on two of Montana’s picturesque lakefronts.
PAC Prep camp is for middle school-aged students (rising 6th-8th graders). For one week the campers sing, dance, act, and experience the beautiful Seely Lake. This year, their show is Making the Band. Though this performance is not open to the public, families and friends enjoy a filmed version of their final show performed on the campgrounds! This camp is all to prep young artists for the 9th-12th grade Performing Arts Camp, or “Big PAC” as we’ve nicknamed it.
The very first MCT Performing Arts Camp on Flathead Lake was in 1978. That year, there were 33 campers and 9 staff members. This year, PAC has 19 staffers and over 100 campers from all over the US and Canada joining us to enjoy two weeks of camp; about a week and a half at lovely Flathead Lake, then they’ll arrive back in Missoula to perfect their show and perform on our stage at the Missoula Children’s Theatre! This year these talented actors, singers, and dancers bring us We Will Rock You: young@part, a musical inspired by and featuring the music of QUEEN. After a day full of rehearsals and workshops, these hardworking teens spend their time relaxing on the water, playing classic theatre and camp games, and even having a fancy banquet evening to celebrate the seniors who are at their last PAC.
I got a chance to chat with a recent graduate of Big Sky High School, Eden Finlinson, about her time at PAC. This is both her first AND last year as a PAC camper, as she is now headed to college to study Aquatic Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana! Eden shared a little bit of her experience, including her favorite camp activity- spending time on the waterfront of Flathead Lake with her friends. She told me about a special tradition from this summer as a senior camper, the cabin that all the senior girls share is called “George”. She explained that there is a whole culture with traditions such as this at camp that are “silly in the best way”. Eden said, “All the seniors are so fun and welcoming. It’s been an absolute party sharing a cabin with all of them.” I asked Eden what one piece of advice she would give to future campers who may be nervous about coming to PAC. She said, “Honestly, going to camp for the first time is really hard. I was super nervous, and it took quite an adjustment period for me to start really enjoying myself. That being said, you will not regret coming to camp. If you lean into all the wild fun and just come as you are, I promise you will find a loving, supportive community and have a great time.”
Last, I wanted to get a little insider info about the show, so I asked Eden what her favorite part is. She said, “I love that We Will Rock You is so random and cheesy but is still a really fun show. I love dancing and singing to Queen. Plus, I’ve had some good laughs with friends rehearsing some of the cheesiest lines I’ve ever read.”
We Will Rock You: young@part performs August 7th and 8th at 7:30pm on Friday and 2pm and 7:30pm on Saturday. You’ll have to come see for yourself to choose your own favorite moment!