What I Wanna Be

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026

RAINBOW THEATER circa 11:07am—The sun waxes in the mid morning sky, glinting around the edges of the oak canopy that shields the Rainbow Theater’s seating area. Performance Coordinator Momo Calfe-Smith sits in the shadow of the large metal rainbow that frames the stage, inking second period class options on a large whiteboard while Duper (see: Supervisor) Lexi Takaki sweeps stage dust with a green-bristled pushbroom. The air smells like dust.

Here in the Theater sound of tipi groups discussing amongst each other can be heard in all directions. During a time that will typically be first period classes, tipi groups have been afforded this hour to form social agreements such as “right to pass” and “no put-downs”. Counselors have spread out, taking their respective tipi groups to the various peripheral shady areas of Downtown Camp, leaving the Rainbow Theater quite empty.

Dance Instructor Yeshi Gusfield emerges and agrees to give me a rundown of last night’s program, Tipi Skit Night.

“It’s the quintessential name game, wrapped up in an inside joke, and topped off with a pun on the tipi’s name,” she explains. “For example—and I hadn’t heard this one before—one tipi made a skit around ‘in da flow’, and then at the end they were Indigo Tipi. Very clever!”

The goal of Tipi Skit Night is to get every camper to introduce themselves on stage. For many kids, it’s their first experience of public speaking, let alone stagecraft. Counselors are tasked with creating these skits with very limited prep time.

“In order to make a good skit you ask the most hyper kid what their weirdest idea is,” continues Yeshi. “It’s the night you hear everyone’s voice, no matter how small. It can make impressions that last a lifetime.”

The conch is blown, beckoning campers back to the Rainbow Theater. Dust fills the air as people shuffle in. “Pick up your feet! Pick up your feet! Dust is the worst thing you could ever eat!” goes the familiar chant. As the theater fills, Momo takes center stage.

“I know I can…” shouts Momo, inviting the crowd to repeat along with the Nas classic.
“I know I can…”
“Be what I wanna be…”
“Be what I wanna be…”
“If I work hard at it…”
“If I work hard at it…”
“I’ll be where I wanna be!”
“I’ll be where I wanna be!”

“Who’s ready for some classes?” exclaims Momo to a chorus of ‘woo’s. The circus element of Camp Winnarainbow has finally commenced. The teachers begin their announcements…

STREETER CREEK circa 2:59pm—Our large group of streamwalkers has paused at a wide and shady bend to frolic in the waist-deep water. Us counselors having recently prohibited splashing, the campers have resorted to scraping clay from the streambed and smearing their faces like warpaint. The afternoon breeze rustles the foliage.

“I took improv and it was really fun,” says Rory, 10, of his first day of classes. “You have to do lots of quick thinking, and I feel like I can think of random stuff even quicker now.”

“I took poetry; it was nice to express my emotions,” says Sophia, 11. “You can literally write about anything and you don’t have to show people if you don’t want to.”

“The students were very engaged and energetic,” reports Improv Instructor Mars Francis. “We made up a story about Lebron James slaying dragons with a magical wand.”

“I’ve been taking improv for a while,” claims Dom, 9. “The way to where I can think in my mind, it’s fun and funny at the same time. Mars is fun as a teacher, like 82 out of 100. And 82% fun is really good. Most grown-ups are like 35-40% fun.”

Stay hydrated,

—J. Payseno, Editor