Another Summer

Escapism is a common defense mechanism, especially for people who are coming of age. Humans run when they feel they cannot handle the weight of their struggle, when the sting of their internalized emotions builds dangerously high and they are left to choose fight or to choose flight. Non-confrontational people will almost always choose the latter. The consequences of facing a problem directly may feel enormous, even world ending, to a young mind with little to no experience navigating adulthood. Through the lens of young adults who flee to summer camp to hide from their strenuous home lives this creative thesis aims to assess what happens after a person chooses flight over fight. These characters must learn that escape is not really possible. Memory will haunt. Internalized emotions will push at the mind and heart mercilessly, painfully, until the person loses control over them. Other conflicts, some bigger than they have ever had to face before, will arise and threaten their hopes and dreams. While these camp counselors may find solace and comfort at their home away from home, it cannot provide the total diversion they seek. I chose to tell this story in the form of a rock musical because it is the only world in which these characters can exist. These young adults leave for camp in order to flee from pain that boils inside of them, pain that they can never truly get away from. In need of an outlet for emotions that are impossible to understand, they are able only to express themselves through song. Music only is capable of building to the same burning intensity as their feelings. Music is able to punch, to kick, to hug, and to kiss, at the intensity that these characters need it to. Music is their release. Additionally, music is used in this show to unite characters through repetition of melody and lyrics, proving that even those who feel like outcasts are not as alone as they may think. Music is also used to carry the plot in a unique and captivating way, so that the importance of certain moments or feelings is obvious and unforgettable. Another Summer is a rock musical that tells the story of lost teenagers who want more than anything to gain a sense of control.