‘Theater Camp’ Hilariously Brings the Theater Kid Experience to the Silver Screen

It’s time to relive your budding thespian experience at Theater Camp.

On Thursday, production company Searchlight Pictures released the first trailer to Theater Camp and it’s equal parts nostalgia and zany comedy. Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen), Ayo Edibiri (The Bear), Noah Galvin (The Good Doctor), Patti Harrison (She Hulk: Attorney at Law), Amy Sedaris (The Mandolorian), Jimmy Tatro (American Vandal), Nathan Lee Graham (Zoolander 2), and co-director Molly Gordon (The Bear) star in this mockumentary of the inner workings of a theater camp in upstate New York called AdirondACTS. 

Joan (Sedaris) is the founder of this scrappy theater camp that brings kids and slightly unhinged characters to its location every summer. But when she falls into a coma, her clueless son Troy (Tatro) must take the reins to ensure that the camp survives financial ruin. He collaborates with camp counselors Amos (Platt), Rebecca-Diane (Gordon), Clive (Graham), Glenn (Galvin), and Janet (Edibiri) to ensure that everything runs smoothly before their theater production’s opening night. 

The trailer alone shows that with these giant personalities, pulling off a kid’s theater production will be no easy feat, but it will be one that’s full of laughs and campy shenanigans.

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Theater Camp marks the directorial debut of both Gordon and Nick Lieberman. The upcoming film is an adaptation of a short film of the same name. Theater Camp had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where it received two standing ovations. 

“It literally came out of us just wanting to make something with our friends,” said Gordon during a Q&A at Sundance, “We just always wanted to make something as a collective, and we’re so inspired by all these people that just made things with their friends and brought in a greater community.”

Before Theater Camp premieres in theaters on July 14, check out these first-look photos below.

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