‘Funnery’ Shakespeare Camp Really Lives Up to Its Name

Last weekend, the "Get Thee to the Funnery!" youth Shakespeare program presented its rendition of "As You Like It," starring campers ages 10-16. "The Funnery" is now in its 11^th year, and its sixth in the Chelsea and Tunbridge area.

"I had no idea we had anything like this in our community," said one audience member who had seen the "Free Shakespeare" sign outside of the Tunbridge School last Saturday. "I’m hard of hearing, and I just can’t believe how these kids still get it all across."

Year after year, audiences young and old are amazed by the productions Funnery campers throw together in less than two weeks.

"That’s fewer than 10 days to learn about 50 pages of 407-year-old Elizabethan English," said Kailie Larkin, one of the three directors.

"And try doing it with a retainer!" added 14-year-old Marissa Achee of Sharon.

The camp runs for the middle two weeks of July every summer and is part of a vibrant youth Shakespeare network across Vermont, including Funnery programs in Brattleboro, at the Governor’s Institute, and in Craftsbury, where you can catch "Twelfth Night" August 12 & 13.

Each camp day is divided among yoga, voice and body work, improvisation, rehearsing scenes, and of course, a pinch of martial arts and dance—and yet, the campers are the first to say that the "Funnery" truly lives up to its name.

One secret to the Funnery’s success is taking the time to make sure each camper understands each word of the play, which they do by using two to three of their precious days to read the entire script together. The Funnery also owes its existence in part to donations that go to scholarships for campers who might otherwise not be able to attend.

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