The Grown-Ups

By Skylar Fox and Simon Henriques
Directed and co-designed by Skylar Fox
Nightdrive, in a secret location in North Brooklyn, 2021

On Tour:

  • Constellation Stage & Screen, Bloomington, IN (2022)

  • Theater with a View, Pottstown. PA (2022)

Technical Director/Rain Designer: Adam Wyron
Lighting Designer: Christopher Annas-Lee
Producer: Chloe Ivanson
Costume Designer: Abby Melick
Props Designer: Emily Garrison
Dramaturg: Jared Bellot
Associate Director/Original Stage Manager: Cristina Villalobos
Stage Managers: Gabrielle Boone & Sophia Aranda

Performed by Emily Garrison, Simon Henriques, Chloe Ivanson, Abby Melick, & Justin Phillips, with Carrie Adams, Raka Dey, Skylar Fox, Zachary Segel, and Jessie Kenner Tidball

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 push 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.

“The Grown-Ups is the coolest new play you probably can’t see… Fox and Henriques weave their plot lines skillfully and suspensefully as they investigate questions of progress, perspective and responsibility; the world of the camp is rich with precise detail, and the cast maintains an impressive degree of naturalism even from just a few feet away from the spectators, who are invited to join them in consuming cold beers and fire-toasted snacks.” -Time Out New York ★★★★, “Top Ten Shows of 2021”

“This superlative production, directed by co-writer Fox, keeps the balance between humor, suspense, nostalgia, and possibility just right. To make matters better, I can’t remember a stronger ensemble…Inhale the smell of DEET, warm yourself by the campfire, and experience the thrill of seeing some of the most exciting theatre around.” The Broad Street Review

“The Grown-Ups is also one of the darkest and wittiest scripts I have experienced in the immersive world, which in turn leads to some of the finest performances by an ensemble I have ever seen. Scary stories, summer flings, problematic histories, arts and crafts, privilege, high school debate teams, racism, teen influencers, puberty… it all comes up in this satirical tale. And, refreshingly, the cleverly written script is also incredibly funny, with blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em lines sparking out into the night sky at a breakneck pace… Each actor brings a level of heartbreaking flawed relatability, such that it is impossible to not be drawn into the story…I would eagerly sign up for another session at camp with this ingenious team of creators. That is, if camp is even still standing this time, next year.” -No Proscenium