A-Camp 6.0 Recamps Part Three: Queers, Queers, We’re Everywhere!

Female Gayze Comedy Night

Dannielle (photo by Robin)

Dannielle (photo by Robin)

Riese: Carly and Brittani made a video! It was so funny! We had multi-media!

Carly: As I mentioned a few minutes ago, I put together our Awkward Moments at A-Camp Video earlier that day. Which is why there was a weird error at the end of the video and we couldn’t watch the part with Jenny and I was super sad but that’s what happens when you PROCRASTINATE also we can all enjoy the video in its entirety here.

Whitney: Carly and Brittani’s “Awkward Moments at A-Camp” video was amazing. Any time anyone is like “What is A-Camp like, but super awkward?” I want to show them this video.

Jenny: Carly & Brittani’s video!

Carly: I was so proud of everyone! Brittani put on a spectacular show — not that that is a surprise — and I got to see B & Kimber do improv, which was a treat.

KaeLyn: Brittani I honestly could not hear because I was in the cheap seats, but there was a lot of laughter, so I’m assuming that she was very funny.

Brittani and Kimber (photo by Robin)

Brittani and Kimber (photo by Robin)

Carmen: Everything Brittani Nichols touches turns to gold, so of course I snagged a front-floor seat to comedy night. It was everything I wanted and more, especially when it started off with the quiet shout of “fisting!” as a prompt for her and Kimber.

Riese: Brittani BROUGHT A GUEST to be in her improv comedy show! Like I brought a box of index cards to my activity and Brittani brought an entire human.

Liz: I always love comedy night but the lineup this year was extra awesome. And Brittani hosting was pretty much the best thing ever. I mean sketch, improv, AND stand-up?? Is there anything she can’t do?! Other than whistle…Brittani can’t whistle, so there’s that.

Robin: The Comedy Night was one of my favorite events at camp. I have a lot of feelings. Brittani was hilarious, as advertised. B and Kimber’s improv was really really impressive. B also juggled doing stand-up sets, writing and acting in a special video segment all while hosting! There isn’t much B can’t do.

Elicia: Brittani was great. Kimber was great.

Jenny: Also let us not forget that this is night upon which Brittani confirmed rumors that she is my & Kristin’s erotic third.

Brittani being Hilarious (photo by Robin)

Brittani being Hilarious (photo by Robin)

Elicia: Omigod, I LOVE performing at A-Camp SO MUCH! It’s basically my favorite venue of all time. The comedy show was great.

KaeLyn: Elicia was in her goddamn element and she shined bright like a diamond. A snarky, badass, hilarious diamond.

Mey: Oh my gosh, the comedians were so freaking funny. I can’t stand how hilarious and weird and amazing Elicia’s stories and jokes are. I could watch her tell stories about her childhood for hours and hours.

Stef: Every once in a while I still think about fourth grade Elicia transforming into a werewolf and burst out laughing in public.

Trent: Elicia makes me laugh so hard I could burst into a thousand pieces of burger and glitter. And if you’re thinking, “I understand glitter, but why burger?” Just go on youtube and type in “piece of burger.”

Dannielle: Fucking. Elicia is the funniest person who has ever been in the world. I can’t even handle it.

Jenny: Y’ALL. ELICIA. Y’ALL. Y’ALL. I CAN’T.

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Elicia Sanchez (photo by Robin)

Carolyn W: Elicia is everything. That is all.

Kai: Let’s just be real. Elicia slayed all of us with her magic funny words.

Heather: I have never in my life laughed as hard as I did when Elicia talked about letting her sister’s boyfriend use her bedroom window to sneak into see her sister, if he brought McDonalad’s for her. I’m still laughing about it, months later, as I type this.

Robin: I want to meet little Elicia as a child and just hug her for hours and listen to her weird stories because she sounds like an AMAZING kid and obviously has become an insanely awesome and funny adult. A-Camper Olivia killed her stand-up set and won our hearts. I’m so happy we can see her perform now in Los Angeles. DeAnne came back!!!! And we were so blessed to have her crack us up all over again.

Kristin: We are still quoting Elicia. Remember how she got the picture of the popular girl and then the popular girl found her burying it outside in the dirt?? Remember how she stole so much rice from her mom so she could ward off all of the demons at high school?? SHE WOULD THROW THE RICE AT THEM. ELICIA PLS MARRY ME.

Morgan: Elicia killed as well because she is a murderer. A murderer of unhappiness. She shines rays of joyous light onto our mortal lives with comedic stylings.

Gigler: Elicia is definitely my favorite person to bump into at the smokers circle. Especially when her and Viv and Gabby and I are swapping family stories. But being able to just sit there and witness her in all her fourth grade werewolf glory was an unparalleled blessing. My strongest memory of comedy night was laughing my ass off and bouncing off Carmen like a weeble-wobble and hearing sweet bubbly giggly Becca guffawing behind me louder than I think I’ve ever heard her be in life.

Elicia: My cabin-mates Mary and Alex pretending to be my security team getting me through the crowd to my seat behind Carly was one of the funniest things that happened that wasn’t in the show.

Alex: I would just like to take this time to say that I was the luckiest because Elicia was my cabin-mate and literally everything she says is the best thing.

Laura M: So it turns out that DeAnne Smith and I share the same life philosophy. My cheeks hurt from smiling after she got off the stage.

Stef: I just love DeAnne Smith so much. I hope we never have camp without her. I will hold her hostage if I have to. I’m willing to make it weird.

Liz: Finding out I was DeAnne’s girlfriend was also a highlight for me. We broke up on instagram the week after camp…but it was sweet while it lasted.

Carly: I was so excited for DeAnne and Liz and now I am sad.

Laneia: Ughhhh I laughed so hard I cried and made my throat sore. WORTH IT.

Jenny: Also Deanne! Ah!!!

Riese: I think I always want to sit near Monique at Comedy Night because she is not afraid to engage.

Elicia: DeAnne is just everything ever. My friend Ash sat behind me and provided me whiskey from her flask because she is super great.

Deanne Smith (photo by Robin)

Deanne Smith (photo by Robin)

KaeLyn: Everyone was ah-mazing, but I’m just going to say it. Camper and surprise guest, Olivia Haidar, stole the show. Still laughing. She went there. And she has great hair.

Morgan: I was just with Olivia the other night telling her what a great human she is and how that show was something that she stole and that I was giggling and squealing and peddling my legs excitedly near the stage while some people looked at each other wondering if they were allowed to laugh at the excellent, smart, dark place she took us to with her routine that night.

Carly: Olivia’s standup was hilarious, and DeAnne and Elicia both made me laugh so hard I cried.

Elicia: Special guest performer Olivia, SO great.

Olivia (photo by Robin)

Olivia (photo by Robin)

Alex: THE CAMPERS LIP-SYNCING THO.

Riese: The lip-syncing was so amazing! I can’t believe they arranged that whole thing so fast!

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Carly: I set a few goals for myself at camp this year, and one of them was to produce a really fun, different comedy night. So I told Brittani to put together a comedy show, and then I told Kristin and Dannielle to put together a variety/talk show. Kristin and Dannielle probably thought all my emails were insane, because they didn’t really know me yet, but they CAME THROUGH with a wildly entertaining show.

Kristin: When it was time for The Late Late Show With Kristin and Dannielle I lost all sense of reality from having only eaten quinoa for three days and danced for like ten minutes before we even began the show. Jenny said I looked like a windshield wiper.

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photo by Robin Roemer

KaeLyn: The Late Late Show With Dannielle and Kristin (and Jasika and Julia and Deanne and Jenny) was HILARIOUS. I liked the part where they couldn’t figure out the rules to the game they were trying to orchestrate.

Elicia: Danielle and Kristin’s show was just SO SO SO hilarious. I almost peed my pants. For real. And I wasn’t even wearing pants, I think I was in shorts and tights so that would have been an unfortunate turn of events, but it seriously almost happened. Plus Jenny, Jasika and DeAnne as the guests for the gaming questions added to the possibility of peeing myself. Danielle is the most hilarious human being, by the way. And Jenny being forced to do the beetle impression again (WHICH IS COMEDY GOLD) was perfection.

KaeLyn: Jasika’s impression of a startled bug crossing the threshold of a cabin!

Rachel: I’m still thinking about Jasika impersonating a beetle as part of the late late show. Sometimes it comes back to me in quiet moments — waiting for the coffee to brew, or for someone to answer a text — and I’m reminded of how lucky we all are that on this dumb spinning rock in space we once got to watch Jasika impersonate that beetle. It’s heady stuff.

photo by Robin Roemer

photo by Robin Roemer

Jenny: It was so special to be a party of Kristin & Dannielle’s late show… especially the part where I got to do my impression of a beetle who just wants to be a part of things. Wow.

Carly: Jenny’s beetle impression is the best thing in the world that is all.

Kristin: Oh, and I hula-hooped while Dannielle made it rain (fake dollar bills that we had earlier made in the craft room shout out to paper cutters). Everything was completely out of control and it was my favorite thing of all time. Oh, and this was the night that we officially became a #throuple with Brittani and I had to explain to Jenny what being an “erotic third” meant. CAMPCAMPCAMP.

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photo by Robin Roemer

Carly: Shout-outs to Jasika, Jenny, Julia and DeAnne for getting on stage knowing virtually nothing of what would be asked of them.

Robin: It was so fun. I would like very much for this to be an actual television show. How do we make this happen?


Club Wolf Pop-up

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Riese: So, Klub Deer began as an underground dance club founded by Cee, Carrie and Meredydd at the second A-Camp. Stef was supposed to host karaoke in Deer but they convinced her to let them turn Deer into a dance club instead. It was not planned. It was not sanctioned by camp leadership. It just happened. Fliers were made — again, independently of camp leadership — the word was spread, the party began, and it never stopped raving. However… ever since the launch of Klub Deer, Taylor Hatmaker has wanted desperately to convince campers that there is ANOTHER underground Klub, even more underground and much better than Klub Deer. I believe her first initiative was Club Bluebird, and then there was Club Falcon, and then there was Club Wolf. At times, Taylor has made fliers herself for this imaginary club and done under-underground promotional campaigns.

Cee: When I saw the schedule had Deer closed the second-to-last night for State Fair prep, meaning we couldn’t host Klub Deer that night, I emailed Marni asking if she would be willing to let us move the prep to Falcon or Eagle or anywhere else and I got no reply.

Riese: When we realized we’d have to shut down Klub Deer for State Fair prep, we knew it was time to let Taylor’s dream become a reality.

Marni: Three weeks before camp I sent Taylor an email that was just a subjectliner that said “need to talk to you re top secret club wolf business #underground” and Taylor pretty much took it from there.

Cee: Taylor and I hang out a lot, and for the few weeks leading up to camp she was kinda MIA and kept doing camp prep stuff without me. I thought she was somehow mad at me or something, and I got a little paranoid. I had NO idea she was secretly planning the actual Wolf takeover the whole time, and had Marni, Kip and Robin in on it.

Riese: I mean, she was getting hats printed.

Cee: I finally was initiated into the Wolf Pack. I tried to get into my cabin but it was locked. However I knew people were inside because of the pounding bass of Daft Punk. The door was unlocked and inside was a wolf themed rave. I was crowned with a wolf hat, handed a shot of tequila, and finally everything made sense

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Kip: Tuesday night was the night. A few of us had been planning Club Wolf to happen in a big way for a month or two. We wanted it to be a surprise, but my concern was that it was going to be TOO much of a surprise. Like that no one would show up. Basically up until the room was packed with people I did not have faith. No faith. We had been leaving little hints around that it would happen. Several staff members sported a “Wolf” snapback the day of. Also, random howling. But then it happened! And Deanne wore the wolf onesie, glowsticks were everywhere, people danced their sexy butts off, and Cecelia KILLED IT as Wolf’s first official DJ.

Ali: It’s just hilarious to see Taylor’s three-camps-running joke become a reality—and it was a complete surprise, which is awesome. Club Wolf!

Stef: I know Taylor’s been saying it for years, but it turns out Club Wolf really is the best club on the whole mountain. I’m impressed she was able to keep it underground for as long as she did. I hope it doesn’t become overrun with the bridge and tunnel crowd now that the word’s out.

Mey: I was lucky enough to be at Club Wolf when Arrow, the husky, made a surprise wolf celeb guest appearance!

Carmen: I think my favorite part of Club Wolf, aside from how much ass it kicked, was that Deanne was wearing an animal onesie THE WHOLE TIME and went on a mission with me to rescue campers who were too drunk and walk them home. Deanne Smith, you’re my entire heart.

Kai: I used this night to try and get Mal Blum’s attention. I’d legit go up to them and say, “Mal, are you busy?” And they’d be like, “Ha, actually yes.” Because I’m ridiculous I did it again. I think I asked Mal if they were busy ~7 times. They were just really busy. Like really busy. Then the next day Mal came up to me and said, “Kai, are you busy?” with the cutest smirk and I could’ve died right there. Now I have an insider with Mal Blum, you guys. Is it still inside if everyone knows it? Doesn’t matter. Mal, if you’re reading this we’re besties now.

Gigler: So Club Wolf had a vibe all its own. I should have been dead ass draggin by this point, but for some combination of good fortune, I was Wide Awake. I don’t know if it was the light scheme, Cecilia’s music, or just some third or fourth wind but everyone was geekin. Vega did her Robyn bit, Brittani was showing genuine enthusiasm, Taylor was popping up all over the place being adorable. A solid pop up. The wolf hat. It was a whole other world in there; suddenly I was 15 and in a warehouse again, and I’m pretty sure I glow-sticked with the bracelets and everything else that lit up. I won’t be shamed.

Alex: Club Wolf was really fucking impressive you guys seriously. Deanne was running around in a wolf onsie, Jasika was throwing it down on the dance floor (and is seriously the best dancer btw), people wearing glowy things, Arrow The Dog running around lookin’ like a wolf and shit, Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston, Robyn. Thank you, Club Wolf. Thank you for everything.

Cecelia: Kip and Taylor and Cee actually did a phenomenal job of keeping Club Wolf on the down-low, I in fact volunteered to be the DJ for Club Wolf a solid hour and a half before the club opened. So my playlist was hastily constructed partially on good faith for AT&T data to pull through on the mountain and partially on finding razzle dazzle songs to make everyone feel good. Kip and Cee had the great vision to start us off with Daft Punk, which did a great job of welcoming everyone to the glow light spectacle. The crowd made me feel like the Gay DJ version of Lizzie McGuire yelling “This is What Dreams Are Made Of.” Shoutout to my cabin, The Witchblades, for being in full attendance and dancing super hard with me next to the DJ booth. Also I had seen every piece of television where a lady DJ puts headphones on another lady and magically becomes The Hottest, but I wasn’t expected to be personally handed so many half-filled solo cups of straight tequila. So many of you said afterwards that the music inspired you to make out on the dance floor, and that might be the proudest accomplishment of my life so, no, Thank YOU.

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Kristin: Everyone suddenly had hats that said Wolf and DeAnne was walking around with a giant metal arrow with lights, pointing at people and shouting, DO SOMETHING FUN.

Rachel: I can’t talk about Club Wolf, it makes me too emotional to be reminded that I’m not there right now.

Elicia: I spent the majority of Klub Wolf in the smoker’s circle except for the one time I heard Robyn and got up and then it was gone so I went back to smoking. At some point Rory and I decided to go check out what Yvonne told me was a cabin party at the BeeHive, but we weren’t sure which cabin was in fact the BeeHive so instead used our really good investigative skills to listen for loud noises as we walked around a cluster of cabins. Once we saw some lights on and heard Gabby’s voice, we figured we’d found it, but then as I was hesitating to knock, Rory pulled the door open and hid behind it with just me there awkwardly staring at everyone inside. The party had died down, but everyone was in the midst of some good conversations and Rory and I were invited in to listen and share. At first I was afraid this was going to be awkward, but it was one of my favorite experiences at camp. Thank you BeeHive for letting me be a part of your scene, if only for a night!

Julia Nunes is the sleepiest! (photo by @dannielleor)

Julia Nunes is the sleepiest! (photo by dannielleor)


Next Time: The State Fair and saying goodbye!

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Riese

Riese is the 41-year-old Co-Founder of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in nine books, magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. She's Jewish and has a cute dog named Carol. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 3164 articles for us.

25 Comments

  1. @emmapet introduced herself to our cabin and our cousin cabin as ‘My name is Emma and I’m excited to smell the trees’ and it wasn’t until this hike that we realised she wasn’t joking. I’d thought it was an unusual first impression :P
    So we made it our mission to make everyone on the hike smell the tree one by one.

    • Thanks to Emma I have plans to spend part of camp sitting by the tree and convincing random passers by to trust me and sniff it. It really is a lovely vanilla.

  2. I slept through Club Wolf (#SleepCrew), but I distinctly remember waking around 2am-ish to a very boisterous sing/yell-along to Tegan and Sara’s “Closer,” that I can only imagine was coming from Wolf.

  3. Yooooo when Elicia walked into the Beehive I privately lost my shit. We had JUST been talking about how all of us were now in love with her and then THERE SHE WAS.

    It was the best.

  4. “I often think of that one camper who was moving to LA and wonder how things panned out.”

    That was me! I was moving to be with my girlfriend. I can report that she dumped me shortly thereafter, before I even had a chance to move :-P Which sucked but honestly was for the best, long-term. I think I knew it wouldn’t work, which is why I was nervous enough to ask for advice.

    But y’all did give excellent advice! (The best advice, it turns out, would have been “dump her immediately, this is not working,” but that would have been a little drastic under the circumstances.)

    • oh wow!! that was an unexpected turn. well i’m happy you’re (hopefully) both in better places now and that you love whatever city you live in!

      • Thank you! I can’t speak for her, but I like where I live, and am doing quite well. In retrospect there were a lot of signs it was a terrible idea, but we’re all allowed 1 (or 2, 3, or 10) “What was I THINKING?!” episodes, right?

  5. I genuinely wanted to compare notes with DeAnne regarding our respective Amsterdam sex show experiences! I have now learned that the middle of a comedian’s set is probably not the best time to do it. (No, actually, I have not learned. I would do it again and I probably will.)

    A quick google search just informed me that the vanilla-y tree in question is a Jeffrey pine!! (http://moonshineink.com/mountain-life/which-tree-which) Unfortunately, despite my source’s domain name, the website contains no information on how to turn a Jeffrey pine into vanilla scented moonshine.

  6. Loved comedy night! So good! Club wolf was everything.

    I really enjoyed the podcast recording.

    I still love my wrist band! Liz was so kind and patient during that workshop when a huge amount of people showed up!

  7. It always takes me like 20x to read a re-camp to digest and mostly remember what I was doing that day?! I just wanna say COngrats to everyone who made it to breakfast everyday! I know you guys were nursing hangovers and trying to fit in sleep and function without coffee. I SEE YOU.

  8. I just realized I STILL don’t really remember what I did this day. The mountain air got to me you guys. I think I went to stylish of center in the morning..and I don’t remember much else after OMG.

  9. Love this! That lip-sync performance with Kristen and Dannielle was probably one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.

    I picked up a week at a temp job that I absolutely HATE to pay for half of camp but I just plan on reading these re-camps every day while I’m there to make it worth it ??

  10. Legit tears right now. This is one of the nicest things I’ve ever read. Everything about Camp was so special but performing on Comedy Night is still a high point not just of Camp, but of my entire comedy career. Thank you all!!!!

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