"Theater Camp" features an ensemble cast that includes Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Ben Platt, Owen Thiele, and Jimmy Tatro who bring their lovable and quirky characters to life as the staff at a youth theater camp nestled in upstate New York. Their hilarious performances authentically portray the chaos, self-seriousness, and high stakes of real-life theater camp experiences.
Tony Award winner, Platt who plays acting coach Amos Klobuchar, expresses his excitement in an interview with On The Red Carpet. "Well, it was sort of like a final destination for me," Platt said. "Nothing beats the excitement of youth theater and the stakes of youth theater, but this came pretty close."
According to Galvin, who plays production manager Glenn Winthrop, the film successfully portrays the genuine elements that make up the experience of a theater camp. "There's a self-seriousness and chaos that exists at these places and I think that we captured those stakes and captured the sort of chaotic energies that inhabit these places with love and with you know a little bit of skewering," Galvin explains.
Directors Nick Lieberman and Gordon worked alongside the talented cast to create a captivating and improvisational environment, blending comic moments with authentic real-life situations. "I'm working with like some of my favorite actors in the world who I wrote it with and that kind of actor-driven improv-led comic kind of environment where we were really free to try things," Lieberman explains. "I think you know there's no world that we knew better where the bodies were buried than youth theater."
"I think I slept for about 24 hours in a row because we had edited this movie in such a short amount of time and we shot it like a documentary so some of our takes were you know an hour long," Gordon who plays Rebecca-Diane adds. "We had this electric night when the movie sold. We all stayed up waiting to know if we sold the move and it was one of my favorite nights of my entire life and I can't believe we all got to be together."
Actor Thiele as Gigi Charbonier can't get over the comedic brilliance of the cast. "I couldn't stop laughing when I was off-screen. I was just watching all of these hilarious people act and it was truly the funniest thing in the world," Thiele said. "I'm excited for you to see that little outtake reel."
When asked if he would sneak into a theater to watch the film, Tatro who plays Troy Rubinsky, expresses, "I don't think the experience at Sundance... is gonna get much better than that. I would love to see it again. I think they made some changes since then."
Prompted by Tatro's remark, Gordon playfully responds, "Jimmy, you're not in anymore. You were cut from the film."
"Theater Camp" is set to release July 14 in theaters.