GAY CAMP Set for FringeNYC, 8/10-26

Following a sold-out premiere at the Peoples Improv Theater in 2011, Gay Camp is now set to play FringeNYC this coming August, directed by Phillip Fazio.

In the wake of a recent rash of gay teen suicides, states reexamining their marriage laws, and church protests at the funerals of gay members of the military, Gay Camp tackles these issues head on – with humor.

With three actors playing a dozen different zany characters, Gay Camp follows the stories of several young campers at a gay reform camp. They have been sent away by their parents to be ‘fixed’. Instead, they learn how to love – themselves and one another.

Co-authors Philip Mutz and Susan-Kate Heaney leave no (comedy) stone unturned. While successfully dissecting stereotypes and sending a powerful message about tolerance and acceptance, Mutz and Heaney still find a way to inject every moment with humor.

Start with a deliciously evil headmaster and a closeted lesbian guidance counselor, throw in a few electrified fences, disco balls, boy-boy love, girl-girl love, gay Twister, Rick Santorum surprises, slow-motion fantasies, whips, handcuffs, flannel, and more innuendos than you can shake a dildo at, and you've got Gay Camp. Gay Camp is fast, funny, and not pulling its punches as it takes on the anti-gay morons in America.

THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL runs AUGUST 10th-26th, 2012. Tickets $15 in Advance, $18 at Door. For more information, visit www.FringeNYC.org. For more information on Gay Camp, contact Philip Mutz at GayCampThePlay@gmail.com or visit the show's website at www.gaycamptheplay.com.

Phillip Fazio graduated from The Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Musical Theatre and Directing. Immediately upon graduating, Phillip began a three-year contract as an Artist in Residence at Phoenix Theatre. Now in it’s 92nd Season, Phoenix Theatre is the oldest arts organization in the state of Arizona. Regional Directing credits include Proof, Rent, Ragtime, Grey Gardens, Hidden in this Picture, West Side Story, Macbeth, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and Almost Maine. Assistant Director credits include the Center Theatre Group/Deaf West revival of Pippin (Directed by Tony Award Nominee Jeff Calhoun) at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and the New England Premiere of Take Me Out at Speakeasy Stage Company in Boston. New York City directing credits include Ben and Leslie Save the World and Super Ben for The Think Theater Project and The Real Life with The Identity Theatre Company. Producing credits include the Arizona premiere of The Last Five Years, Rocket Man and Cabaret at The Boston Conservatory, and the world premiere of Faces on Milk Boxes. Phillip is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab and Actors’ Equity Association.

Philip Mutz is a writer and actor in New York City. His latest play The Real Life recently had a staged reading with the Identity Theater Company in NYC. His play Gay Camp played to sold-out audiences at the PIT (People’s Improv Theatre) in 2011. He is currently head writer for the hilarious new web series The Reality Whores (webisodes can be viewed at www.therealitywhores.com). His children’s play about bullying SuperBen! just finished a sold-out run at the ArtHouse in Provincetown, MA and can be seen this spring touring to elementary schools, alongside his environment-themed children’s play Leslie and Ben Save the World! His dark comedy Kidnapping Laura Linney played to sold-out audiences in the Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival, where it was nominated for 5 MITF awards including one for "Outstanding Playwriting". Upcoming writing projects include the pilot episode for a television version of The Reality Whores. Philip holds a B.F.A. in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has trained in sketch writing and improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade. He is currently performing in Comedy of Errors at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

More Articles by This Author...