Camp Siegfried is a play by Bess Wohl. Its setting is the real Camp Siegfried where American children of German descent were taught Nazi ideology.
Plot The play follows two American teenagers in 1938 attending a German-American summer camp, Camp Siegfried in Yaphank, New York ahead of World War II, where they're taught Nazi ideology. The two, separated by gender at camp, fall in love. The play is inspired by the real-life camp in the United States during this era, dealing with themes of anti-semitism and fascism.
Background Playwright Wohl had rented a house in Bellport, Long Island, and had researched the nearby town of Yaphank. She discovered the town had hosted a camp for German-American youth, and felt it had the makings of a drama.
Productions Camp Siegfried premiered at The Old Vic theatre in London, in a production starring Patsy Ferran as Her and Luke Thallon as Him. The production played a limited run from 7 September 2021 to 30 October.
A production opened off-Broadway at the Tony Kiser Theatre on 15 November 2022 and ran through 4 December 2022, following previews from 25 October. The cast featured Johnny Berchtold (originally cast to Sawyer Barth) as Him and Lily McInerny as Her. The production was directed by David Cromer.https://www.theatermania.com/news/johnny-berchtold-replaces-sawyer-barth-in-camp-siegfried_94345/&ved=2ahUKEwj3sfPU28WDAxWALEQIHd18CakQFnoECBAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1fXBeHhvfuWEB1IPBT1d6S
Critical reception In his 5 star review for The Independent, Paul Taylor described Camp Siegfried as "an insightful piece about the frightening appeal of fascism". In her 3 star review for The Guardian, Arifa Akbar states that "while Wohl’s dialogue is good at teen neurosis, it contains an offputtingly self-conscious tone, carefully crafted for cuteness".
Awards and nominations 2021 West End production YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.2022Evening Standard Theatre Awards Promising PlaywrightBess WohlBroadwayWorld UK AwardsBest Leading Performer in a New Production of a PlayPatsy FerranWhatsOnStage AwardsBest Performer In A Female Identifying Role In A Play
See also Camp Siegfried
References