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Theater Geek: The Real Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor
B efore there was Glee or American Idol, there was Stagedoor Manor, a theater camp in the Catskills where big-time Hollywood casting directors came to find the next generation of stars. It’s where Natalie Portman, Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Braff, Mandy Moore, Lea Michele, and many others got their start as kids. At age thirty-one, Mickey Rapkin, a senior editor at GQ and self-proclaimed theater geek, was lucky enough to go, too, when he followed three determined teen actors through the rivalries, heartbreak, and triumphs of a summer at Stagedoor Manor.
Every summer since 1975, a new crop of campers has entered Stagedoor Manor to begin an intense, often wrenching introduction to professional theater. The offspring of Hollywood players like Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, and Bruce Willis work alongside kids on scholarship. Some campers have agents, others are just beginning. The faculty—all seasoned professionals—demand adult-size dedication and performances from the kids. Add in talent scouts from Disney and Paradigm and you have an intense, exciting environment where some thrive and others fail. Eye-opening, funny, and full of drama and heart, Theater Geek offers an illuminating romp through the world of serious child actors.
Every summer since 1975, a new crop of campers has entered Stagedoor Manor to begin an intense, often wrenching introduction to professional theater. The offspring of Hollywood players like Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, and Bruce Willis work alongside kids on scholarship. Some campers have agents, others are just beginning. The faculty—all seasoned professionals—demand adult-size dedication and performances from the kids. Add in talent scouts from Disney and Paradigm and you have an intense, exciting environment where some thrive and others fail. Eye-opening, funny, and full of drama and heart, Theater Geek offers an illuminating romp through the world of serious child actors.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
June 20, 2010
I really wanted to like this book as it's always been my "when I grow up" dream to be an actor AND to go to summer camp. But the author didn't bring it alive for me. He was too present and name dropped too often and didn't make me feel that I was there. I felt neither wistful for an experience I never had nor relieved to have avoided it. I don't feel like I got to actually know the kids he centered the book around. It was meh. I am disappointed.
Want to read
March 23, 2011I can't believe that someone wrote this book. I'm still trying to get it to read. I was there. I went to this camp as a real theatre geek when I wanted to be an actress. Until my mother told me I had no talent that is. I was there and it was great. Jack Romano, if he's even mentioned here, was a great acting teacher who studied with Fellini. He was so great, he died in the 90s. I don't know how, but I'll never forget him. He wanted me to be a comic, I wanted to be a great actress. He was probably more right than I was. What an unforgettable time and to have the lives of famous people who went there, chronicled makes it that much more special. I'd tell you who I met up there, but what happened at Stagedoor Manor, stays at Stagedoor Manor as far as I'm concerned.
October 3, 2010
I picked this up since I am an unabashed theater geek and have always had a bit of an obsession with Stagedoor Manor. (Or more like I've always had a weird crush on the place, if you know what that feels like). While the book doesn't reveal much about the camp that isn't already known (I kinda get the feeling that he just really, really wanted to spend the summer there, and figured that this was the best way to do it), Rapkin does a truly fantastic job of capturing the moment of this colorful, musical, and kinda scary world. My favorite part, by far, is the chapter in which he gives up on writing a narrative, and simply starts listing snippits of overheard cconversations. Listening to the brief rants of exhausted directors and the banter between precocious campers, I absolutely felt like I was right there with them.
The book would have been near perfection had Rapkin allowed for a few more genunine moments like these; at times I wished he hadn't chosen to focus on only three campers, since it forced the book to take the more predictable, cliche-filled route, in which kids-grow-and-shine-and-learn-new-things-about-themselves-before-venturing-out-into-the-world. Furthermore, the three subjects never really read like real people and we never really get to know them outside of their theatrical resumes. (At times we do get brief moments of personality, especially with Harry, but Rapkin simply doesn't invest enough time in his subjects to make us care about them as people. Like, I was rooting for Rachel as Mrs. Lovett with all my heart, but I could not care a bit about what happens to her beyond that.)
(And hey, if the non-musical drama kids are such second-class citizens, it might have been nice to hear from one of them occasionally. Why focus on only the stars in the Our Time Cabaret... way to criticize the elitism in the camp, and then to feed right into it...)
Still, its a breezy read that I really could not put down, and I highly recommend it to both theater geeks and people who actually have lives.
The book would have been near perfection had Rapkin allowed for a few more genunine moments like these; at times I wished he hadn't chosen to focus on only three campers, since it forced the book to take the more predictable, cliche-filled route, in which kids-grow-and-shine-and-learn-new-things-about-themselves-before-venturing-out-into-the-world. Furthermore, the three subjects never really read like real people and we never really get to know them outside of their theatrical resumes. (At times we do get brief moments of personality, especially with Harry, but Rapkin simply doesn't invest enough time in his subjects to make us care about them as people. Like, I was rooting for Rachel as Mrs. Lovett with all my heart, but I could not care a bit about what happens to her beyond that.)
(And hey, if the non-musical drama kids are such second-class citizens, it might have been nice to hear from one of them occasionally. Why focus on only the stars in the Our Time Cabaret... way to criticize the elitism in the camp, and then to feed right into it...)
Still, its a breezy read that I really could not put down, and I highly recommend it to both theater geeks and people who actually have lives.
May 23, 2011
I'd love to be able to split my review into two ratings - 4 1/2 stars for part of it, 2 stars for the other. The part that is about the camp, the productions, the day-to-day is great. It's exactly what I wanted from this book. The idea - a guy going in and spending one session at Stage Door and telling us what goes on, laced w/camp history, is what the whole book should have been. Though, I would have liked if he'd followed more than just the 3 kids. The "thesis" part of the book, where the author talks about what it all means, is not only less interesting, but repetitive. He clearly ran out of things to say, and that's ok - but then he kept saying it. Also, the book ended rather abruptly. On the kindle, I was only 66% through, when it just ended (the rest was an appendix and index). I would have liked more of an epilogue on the kids we'd followed. Still, the part I loved really appealed to the theatre geek in me (btw - the title should have been TheatRe geek, not TheatEr).
August 25, 2010
Having been to Interlochen myself for marching band camp, I expected to enjoy this book more. Unfortunately it was too much name-dropping, "omg" type reactions, and a little too caught up in "look at me!" kind of writing.
I did enjoy the descriptions and histories, and following the individuals themselves through their personal histories and along their journey.
Perhaps if I was more into the inner workings of the theater industry, I'd have enjoyed this more. Still, I don't regret reading it!
I did enjoy the descriptions and histories, and following the individuals themselves through their personal histories and along their journey.
Perhaps if I was more into the inner workings of the theater industry, I'd have enjoyed this more. Still, I don't regret reading it!
September 30, 2015
This was just sort of "meh" for me. The author took forever to get to the meat of the story. It didn't feel properly edited to me. It felt as if it jumped around.
I read "Theater Geek" after having read Jon Cryer's very entertaining book about his life, in which he mentions reading it. I appreciated Cryer's personal descriptions of Stagedoor Manor much more than in this particular book.
Parts were interesting, but this was definitely a "skim" read.
I read "Theater Geek" after having read Jon Cryer's very entertaining book about his life, in which he mentions reading it. I appreciated Cryer's personal descriptions of Stagedoor Manor much more than in this particular book.
Parts were interesting, but this was definitely a "skim" read.
May 8, 2011
I only wish that they had adult theater camp. This fun account of one summer at the famed Stagedoor manor brings you back to those awkward teenage years when you just want to fit in. Luckily for these kids, each summer, they find a home where that special kind of geek, known as the theater geek, lives on top of the pile.
October 9, 2016
This book really needed an editor. The story had lots of potential, but having to stop and deal with all the name dropping every other sentence was too much. Since this book is based on interviews footnoting would have been much more effective.
July 4, 2024
This book, like so much material from 2010, has aged like milk. It was an era where political correctness was enough of a popular conversation that queerness was becoming mainstream, but where the pop cultural sense of humor had not quite learned that punching down isn’t funny. This book was written smack in the middle of it, and it’s about theatre kids, which arguably makes it twice as bad.
The book does what it sets out to do, which is inspire a healthy level of wistful jealousy in the reader. You wish you could experience this camp. But for every magical description of camp culture, there’s a horror story. Much of the book is dedicated to immortalizing important figures in the camp’s history: figures who verbally and physically abused kids in the name of getting good performances. It was a different time, and the book even acknowledges how much things have changed— but things have changed even more SINCE THE BOOK WAS PUBLISHED, and the result is something that is both oddly up to and out of date. The book cavalierly mentions grooming of campers and drug use by campers. It describes child actors ad-libbing intimate and sexual contact with scene partners. It waves this all away with a sort of “isn’t that crazy?” wink and chuckle. When I read this book 10 years ago, it made sense. Reading it now… oh boy!
Unfortunately, this book is now so outdated that it’s just hard to enjoy. I find myself a bit too concerned about the things the author seemingly isn’t concerned about at all. But by god, he manages to paint a romantic picture. When it works, it works. If you can close your eyes and LA-LA-LA your way through what doesn’t, the result is interesting and fun enough.
The book does what it sets out to do, which is inspire a healthy level of wistful jealousy in the reader. You wish you could experience this camp. But for every magical description of camp culture, there’s a horror story. Much of the book is dedicated to immortalizing important figures in the camp’s history: figures who verbally and physically abused kids in the name of getting good performances. It was a different time, and the book even acknowledges how much things have changed— but things have changed even more SINCE THE BOOK WAS PUBLISHED, and the result is something that is both oddly up to and out of date. The book cavalierly mentions grooming of campers and drug use by campers. It describes child actors ad-libbing intimate and sexual contact with scene partners. It waves this all away with a sort of “isn’t that crazy?” wink and chuckle. When I read this book 10 years ago, it made sense. Reading it now… oh boy!
Unfortunately, this book is now so outdated that it’s just hard to enjoy. I find myself a bit too concerned about the things the author seemingly isn’t concerned about at all. But by god, he manages to paint a romantic picture. When it works, it works. If you can close your eyes and LA-LA-LA your way through what doesn’t, the result is interesting and fun enough.
May 17, 2025
I don't read a lot of non-fiction but this one caught my eye since when I was in high school I was in a theater class, loved it, but never wanted to go to camp for it. Maybe I'm living vicariously through this book and the actors--famous and non-famous. I wouldn't call myself a geek but loved going to the theater, local and sometimes to Broadway to see incredible plays way back when. I may not be a connoisseur of theater but I've know a lot of these plays that these kids are putting on.
It's not just about the kids and the show but also about the directors, choreographers and all that is put in to make these shows. It also mentions other theater camps.
The theater is an old hotel in the Catskills of New York. The kids range from 10-18 years old who put on 13 plays in three short weeks and spend a fortunate (even back then when he wrote this book in 2011 and visited in 2010).
I thought I thought I'd be interested in reading this book but after a while it got tedious to me. Another dnf.
It's not just about the kids and the show but also about the directors, choreographers and all that is put in to make these shows. It also mentions other theater camps.
The theater is an old hotel in the Catskills of New York. The kids range from 10-18 years old who put on 13 plays in three short weeks and spend a fortunate (even back then when he wrote this book in 2011 and visited in 2010).
I thought I thought I'd be interested in reading this book but after a while it got tedious to me. Another dnf.
September 8, 2023
I was delighted while reading Rapkin's Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory. My kind of book. Only, I am a theatre guy. Who cannot sing.
So, when I found this book last week, I knew I had to read it.
As with any strong performer, Rapkin left me wanting more. I received 200 pages and a year's worth of stories. Other decades were touched upon as he delved into the Stagedoor's history. But c'mon. You could be a fly on the wall and soak up all the drama and all the teenage angst.
Fun, eyeroll-inducing, amusing, and satisfying. Teenagers trying to be stars. Always potent ingredients for entertainment.
So, when I found this book last week, I knew I had to read it.
As with any strong performer, Rapkin left me wanting more. I received 200 pages and a year's worth of stories. Other decades were touched upon as he delved into the Stagedoor's history. But c'mon. You could be a fly on the wall and soak up all the drama and all the teenage angst.
Fun, eyeroll-inducing, amusing, and satisfying. Teenagers trying to be stars. Always potent ingredients for entertainment.
February 14, 2022
I had heard about Stagedoor Manor for years and had downloaded this book a long time ago and finally read it. I enjoyed the recap of the one summer the author spent there and thought it was smart to follow the day to day activities of three campers who were spending their last session at Stagedoor. It may have been more interesting to follow a new camper as well. I see a lot of comments that the author was name dropping, but that was not unexpected as the reason I had heard of this camp was due to all of the famous alumni. I enjoyed hearing the stories from some of these actors (although some, like Tommy Hilfiger's daughter, seemed pointless). Having been written a while ago now it was fun to search for the campers that were mentioned to see if they continued in the performing arts.
July 26, 2017
This is an entertaining account of one of the better (and pricier) musical theater camps in the country, Stagedoor Manor in the Catskills. It has two focuses, the history of the camp with an emphasis on a couple of the founders and the famous people who have attended, and a report on the ups and downs of one session at the camp with three experienced, talented campers, taking on challenging roles.
I don't know that there's great insight to be found here, but to me it reflected the good and bad of the obsession that many of us have with theater.
I don't know that there's great insight to be found here, but to me it reflected the good and bad of the obsession that many of us have with theater.
July 24, 2018
As entertaining as a Stagedoor production...and as frustrating as life therein. I would love to have seen this go so much more indepth and focus some more on the dramatic as opposed to just the musical side of things. But the author seems enthralled with the latter and I suppose that's okay. It didn't keep me from enjoying the book, though it could have been so much more. That said, this 56 year old unabashed theater geek can thoroughly recommend it, and wishes he'd had the chance to experience Stagedoor. Maybe in my next lifetime...
May 28, 2023
What a disappointment! Stagedoor, all summer camps and frankly ANY subject matter deserves a better and more structured treatment. It seems that the author put all anecdotes, personalities and musicals into a Yahtzee cup, shook it, dumped it, and then chose at random how to order things. I DNFed at 50% because it was just making me angry.
July 21, 2023
A look at the real-life drama of a famous performing arts camp, the Stagedoor Manor in the Catskills. Alumni include those who have achieved success and many who did not. Whatever group the kids ended up in, however, most all of them shared, at their best, such pure joy at being able to act, sing and dance – and that was fun to see.
Read
July 11, 2025Had this book for a while and eventually got around to reading it when I ran out of other options. I don't remember it having a huge effect on me, although maybe if I'd read it when I was in high school and did more theatre, I would have felt differently. Reminded me hugely of The Interestings and how much I loved it. Also some fun directorial revelations about various Sondheim shows.
December 5, 2019
To be honest, I was reading this book because Natalie Walker is featured in it, but it was massively readable and highly entertaining. I'm left wondering where all the campers are today (well, aside from Natalie. I know where she is.)
March 6, 2023
I'm familiar with Stagedoor Manor (have a relative that went there), so it was fun to read about the history, inner workings, and personal stories of this theater camp. Definitely worth reading if you're a theater geek!
November 22, 2024
A truly fascinating read blending history with contemporary drama so well. Before specialty camps were everywhere, there was Stagedoor Manor, a summer haven for its residents and staff, featuring some very modern stars as alumni.
May 12, 2017
A fun, quick read, great for theatre geeks.
May 31, 2017
I would have liked more anecdotes about past campers who are now professionals.
July 9, 2017
Really enjoyed this!
December 27, 2018
It kinda felt like it was stretching for material. Half of it felt pointless.
May 2, 2019
More. Natalie. Walker!
July 17, 2019
It was really interesting reading about the camp the film Camp is based on. I loved all of the musical references, and the obvious enthusiasm of all involved for the subject.
May 29, 2022
that made me kind of emotional, lol. will be back this year!
November 22, 2016
Val Calderone
Mrs. Zucker
English 9 Period 8
23 November 2016
Theater Geek, The Real Life Drama Of A Summer At Stagedoor Manor
Before there was Glee or American Idol, there was Stagedoor Manor, a theater camp in the Catskills where big-time Hollywood casting directors came to find the next generation of stars. It’s where Natalie Portman, Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Braff, Mandy Moore, Lea Michele, and many others got their start as kids. At age thirty-one, Mickey Rapkin, a senior editor at GQ and self-proclaimed theater geek, was lucky enough to go, too, when he followed three determined teen actors through the rivalries, heartbreak, and triumphs of a summer at Stagedoor Manor. Every summer since 1975, a new crop of campers has entered Stagedoor Manor to begin an intense, often wrenching introduction to professional theater. The offspring of Hollywood players like Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, and Bruce Willis work alongside kids on scholarship.
Some campers have agents, others are just beginning. The faculty-all professionals-demand adult-size dedication and performances from the kids. Add in talent scouts from Disney and Paradigm and you have an intense, exciting environment where some thrive and others fail. Eye-opening, funny, and full of drama and heart, Theater Geek offers an illuminating romp through the world of serious child actors.
Theater Geek demonstrates to kids how to become stars. It shows that anyone can be a star if they just put their mind to it. A lot of famous names that we know have gone to Stagedoor Manor and have now succeeded and have done great things with their lives. Many kids who have gone to Stagedoor Manor are now in hit tv shows, big movies and on smash hits on broadway. Stagedoor is the camp that every kid who loves to perform dreams of going to and goes every year from the start.
As a performer myself I dream of growing up to be on broadway just like all these kids did. Stagedoor gave them the opportunity to do what they love for a living. All kinds of agents come to Stagedoor’s performances and pluck the kids out who they think have the potential to make it big. Whether it’s in movies, on tv shows, on broadway it doesn’t matter. If an agent picks you after a performance, you’re going places.
Stagedoor Manor can get anyone noticed, no matter what age, “At the tender age of five, Harry saw his first show, a 1995 production of A Little Night Music starring Dame Judi Dench” (59). Most schools don’t even start producing plays until middle school, nevermind five year olds being in productions. I watch a show called “This Is Us” and one of the main protagonists is Mandy Moore. I was not aware that she went to Stagedoor Manor with so many other stars that I know. I feel like knowing that she went there just makes me really believe that this is a real camp. Stagedoor Manor is a great place to go if a child is interested in theatre. The type of children that go there are very serious about theatre and want to pursue it as a living.
Mrs. Zucker
English 9 Period 8
23 November 2016
Theater Geek, The Real Life Drama Of A Summer At Stagedoor Manor
Before there was Glee or American Idol, there was Stagedoor Manor, a theater camp in the Catskills where big-time Hollywood casting directors came to find the next generation of stars. It’s where Natalie Portman, Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Braff, Mandy Moore, Lea Michele, and many others got their start as kids. At age thirty-one, Mickey Rapkin, a senior editor at GQ and self-proclaimed theater geek, was lucky enough to go, too, when he followed three determined teen actors through the rivalries, heartbreak, and triumphs of a summer at Stagedoor Manor. Every summer since 1975, a new crop of campers has entered Stagedoor Manor to begin an intense, often wrenching introduction to professional theater. The offspring of Hollywood players like Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, and Bruce Willis work alongside kids on scholarship.
Some campers have agents, others are just beginning. The faculty-all professionals-demand adult-size dedication and performances from the kids. Add in talent scouts from Disney and Paradigm and you have an intense, exciting environment where some thrive and others fail. Eye-opening, funny, and full of drama and heart, Theater Geek offers an illuminating romp through the world of serious child actors.
Theater Geek demonstrates to kids how to become stars. It shows that anyone can be a star if they just put their mind to it. A lot of famous names that we know have gone to Stagedoor Manor and have now succeeded and have done great things with their lives. Many kids who have gone to Stagedoor Manor are now in hit tv shows, big movies and on smash hits on broadway. Stagedoor is the camp that every kid who loves to perform dreams of going to and goes every year from the start.
As a performer myself I dream of growing up to be on broadway just like all these kids did. Stagedoor gave them the opportunity to do what they love for a living. All kinds of agents come to Stagedoor’s performances and pluck the kids out who they think have the potential to make it big. Whether it’s in movies, on tv shows, on broadway it doesn’t matter. If an agent picks you after a performance, you’re going places.
Stagedoor Manor can get anyone noticed, no matter what age, “At the tender age of five, Harry saw his first show, a 1995 production of A Little Night Music starring Dame Judi Dench” (59). Most schools don’t even start producing plays until middle school, nevermind five year olds being in productions. I watch a show called “This Is Us” and one of the main protagonists is Mandy Moore. I was not aware that she went to Stagedoor Manor with so many other stars that I know. I feel like knowing that she went there just makes me really believe that this is a real camp. Stagedoor Manor is a great place to go if a child is interested in theatre. The type of children that go there are very serious about theatre and want to pursue it as a living.
October 26, 2011
A really lovely read. "Theater Geek" is a loving profile of Stagedoor Manor, one of the most famed performing arts camps in the world. Nestled in the Catskills, it nurtures a few hundred non-auditioned teenagers for three to nine weeks each summer, as they prepare thirteen high-quality productions of plays and musicals (often including the 'highschool premiere' of newer works, and challenging or forgotten musicals that rarely see non-professional performances). Rapkin tells two stories: the first is that of Stagedoor, from its humble beginnings in the 1970s, through conflict, corruption and controversy to its present state as a high-demand camp in a country full of fame-hungry children. The second is the more personal story of three seniors, each cast in a lead role in a Sondheim show in the summer of 2009. Rapkin chronicles both the vicissitudes of the rehearsal process, and the pain and pleasure that combine in the life of any teenage performer: the heightened drama, the insecurities, the comfort that Stagedoor gives to these kids whose 'real life' often involves difference and isolation. Most interestingly, though, he chronicles the pain of that divide. For many of these kids, spending two months doing something so professional, only to retreat back to their real life (in most cases, of course, 'real life' will consume them for the remainder of their existence), and the change can be quite jarring.
"Theater Geek" is written like a magazine article, but I mean that in a good way - - a high-quality magazine article, 'New Yorker' style. It's a slim and easy read, but one that captures the magic of rehearsal and performance, and the fascinating changes in America's attitude to performers over a forty-year period. Beyond this, the precociousness of the teenagers is enough to intrigue, delight, and make envious the rest of us theatre geeks out there. I grew up in theatre, but never did I have an experience anywhere near as challenging, adult or... integrated as these kids. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing - well that's part of the joy of reading the book.
"Theater Geek" is written like a magazine article, but I mean that in a good way - - a high-quality magazine article, 'New Yorker' style. It's a slim and easy read, but one that captures the magic of rehearsal and performance, and the fascinating changes in America's attitude to performers over a forty-year period. Beyond this, the precociousness of the teenagers is enough to intrigue, delight, and make envious the rest of us theatre geeks out there. I grew up in theatre, but never did I have an experience anywhere near as challenging, adult or... integrated as these kids. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing - well that's part of the joy of reading the book.
February 18, 2017
This was definitely interesting. At times it felt a little disorganized, but never so that it was distracting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews