The Welkin
by Lucy Kirkwood
"We don't know how to make this better right now, and we may never get to, because there are people coming to maybe kill us. And all we have to defend ourselves, all we're good at are the things we've always done, and the way we've always done them, and clearly, that's not enough, and never was."
"What's gonna happen now is I'm gonna ask you some questions, and all you have to do is answer them in a way that feels true to you."
The campers are all finally asleep, and the lake is getting quiet. Have a beer; make a s’more; tell a scary story. Figure out what you’re going to have to do in the morning to keep camp fun and safe without letting the kids find out about... well, you’ve seen the news.
I just got a notification – they’re getting closer.
Following a group of camp counselors trying to mold the leaders of tomorrow when tomorrow is looking bleaker and bleaker, The Grown-Ups explores the traditions that change us, what it takes for us to change them, and how to change yourself when you’re hopelessly, tragically not prepared for this.
"It is hard to tell what is scarier; the monsters that lurk at camp, or the monsters that lurk politically."
- Thomas Smith, The Haliburton County Echo
The Team
Cast
Judith Brewer – Catherine Andress
Sarah Smith – Gwen Atkinson
Sarah Hollis – Kate Butler
Elizabeth Luke – Christine Carr
Mary Middleton – Taliah Dumas-Stephenson
Peg Carter – Poppy Ellenberger-March
Emma Jenkins – Olivia Humphries
Ann Lavender – Lindsay Jowett
Helen Ludlow – Hannah Klose
Fred Poppy – Alexander Kocot
The Justice – Glenn Koe
Hannah Rusted – April Kovacs
Dr. Willis – Jordan Kovacs
William Coombes – Greg Landry
Sally Poppy – Ella Leis Nicholson
Katy Luke/Alice Wax – Ruby Mansfield
Charlotte Cary – Sandy Milne
Kitty Givens – Robyn Nicholson
Additional Child Voices:
Klara Marie Groh
Leo Wallace Groh
Gavin Rinaldo
Talia Rinaldo
Creative Team
Co-Directors – Christine Carr, Hannah Klose
Playwright – Lucy Kirkwood
Artistic Director – Tim Nicholson
Set Design – Tim Nicholson
Costume Design – Ella Leis Nicholson
Fight Director – Tim Nicholson
Stage Management Consultant – Rebecca Kidd
Stage Manager – Spencer Zumpano
Board Op – Arthur McLeod
Stage Crew – Rebecca Kidd, Alexander Kocot, Jordan Kovacs
Photography – Danielle Meredith Photography
Season Sponsor – Up River Trading Co
Front of House – Brody Bolger, Lillian Ramsdale
Props – Christine Carr, Amy Klose,
Hannah Klose, Olivia Humphries, Ella Leis Nicholson, Spencer Zumpano
Piecers & Stitchers – Christine Carr,
Sadie Kelly, Amy Klose, Hannah Klose, April Kovacs, Ella Leis Nicholson, Ann MacDonald, Robyn Nicholson, Spencer Zumpano
Special Thanks to Castle Antiques & the Haliburton Highlands Museum for providing additional props.
Use of music licensed by ReSound.
THE WELKIN was premiered at the National Theatre, London in January 2020.
What did people think of The Welkin?
Great performance! They do not merely perform; this ensemble breathes as a singular, deeply gifted creative force.
Very ambitious to put this play with this large cast on in this improvised stage. And an exceedingly energetic performance.
Every member of this ensemble brings an inspiring wealth of talent, passion, and artistic mastery.
Such an intriguing show. The performances were captivating! I felt as though I was sitting at the campfire navigating the drama with them as it unfolded.
“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.”
“I left The Grown-Ups instantly wanting to watch it again. Perhaps I wanted to go back to camp and relive my childhood.”
“Through [Bolger’s] facial expressions alone, I was cracking up laughing. Words did not have to be spoken to make me chuckle.”
“With subtle eye movements and maintaining a confident posture, Nicholson 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.”
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.
“Olivia Humphires, playing the role of Aidan, the older sister, and most senior camp counselor, played the role to a tee.”
“[Aidan’s] 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-March’s first performance with Ctrl-ART-Del.”
"Ellenberger knows how to show her uncertainties as a counselor, when to tug at your heart strings, and when to be downright obnoxious.”
“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.”
