“We are the best-kept secret in Brooklyn,” said Performing Arts Department Chair and Director of the Poly Prep Performing Arts Summer Camp Ashley Hacker. “What we do here is special, and nobody else has been able to recreate it.” The PAC creates an environment for its staff and campers that emulates Poly’s values of community while combining performing arts with a typical camp experience.
Hacker believes the camp is unique with its comprehensive performing arts curriculum. “Where it shines is that it prioritizes the whole performing arts experience through vocal, instrumental, drama, dance, and delving into what it means to be a performing artist,” she said. The program was founded by Sonya Baehr in 1966 with initially 127 campers, according to the Poly website. Baehr ran the camp for the next 25 years until it was taken over by drama teacher Cynthia Babak. In 2023, Hacker, a performing arts faculty member since 2012, became the director.
The camp runs from June 30 to August 1, and campers are divided into three groups: Junior Theater Makers (Grades 3-4), Theater Makers (Grades 5-7), and Musical Theater (Grades 8-9). The program runs from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to the Brooklyn Paper’s Summer Camp Guide. Campers begin the program with a collaborative approach, creating a storyline. By mid-program, they begin to work with costume and set design, bringing their visions to life. “One thing unique about the program for the younger kids is that they devise their own plays,” said Hacker when describing the Junior Theater Makers program, which closely focuses on all aspects of creative storytelling. “They are working to develop a storyline, develop their scripts, write songs, and write dances. It’s very original.” Theater Makers and Musical Theater campers, however, do a scripted vexrsion of a previously written play. “They look forward to being part of a Broadway Junior musical,” said Director of Auxiliary Programs Carrie Quigley. The culmination of campers’ work is showcased at the end of the summer when each group performs their shows. “By the time they walk out of here, they have created relationships and been part of a process that is meaningful to them,” said Hacker. “They feel like they have been heard, listened to, and contributed to this larger project.”
PAC is unique in its fusion of a typical summer camp experience with the performing arts. This includes sports activities and participation in Poly Summer Camp events, which Hacker believes facilitates students’ creativity. “It’s okay to get your inspiration from other things that are occurring.” She believes it’s good to ask: “How can you derive energy from other places? You don’t have to just love one thing; you can love a lot of things. We’re here to support your love in different capacities and different functions.”
Unfortunately, COVID-19 substantially impacted the program, causing it to shut down in 2020. However, in the summer of 2021, the camp resumed on the Dyker Heights campus. To abide by COVID regulations, PAC transitioned to the Lower School location in Park Slope for Summer 2022 and 2023. But this new location comes with one detriment: it is significantly smaller and lacks the Upper School’s performing arts facilities. According to Quigley, Dyker Heights offers 25-30 percent more space than the Lower School. Hacker, however, recognizes some of the benefits of the lower school’s location, especially for families from Manhattan. “It felt a little bit more accessible,” she shared, acknowledging that this is a double-edged sword. “You do not want to be far from the places you commute from, but if we weren’t so far, we wouldn’t have the beautiful spaces that we have.”
Additionally, in January 2024, Poly renovated 9500 sq ft of its Performing Arts Center utilizing a $12 million budget, , according to Sage and Coombe Architects. These renovations enhance the Performing Arts Camp, as it is now “more self-contained, [since] the whole Performing Arts Building is the home of the Performing Arts Camp,” said Quigley. This consolidation has also deepened the sense of belonging and community. “There’s an ownership of those spaces that afforded us an opportunity,” said Hacker.
Enrollment for PAC Summer 2024 had 83 campers, and 87 are registered for 2025, which is higher than prior years, according to Hacker. She believes this may be due in part to the addition of Junior Theater Makers, which was added in 2023, and expands the program to younger kids. An increase in enrollment is also attributed to the loyalty of PAC families and staff, many of whom continuously return each summer. Hacker added that the camp has also improved on self-promotion initiatives such as Encore Week, where campers showcase their talents to the community.
Although an increase in enrollment is good for profit and community building, Quigley recognizes that it has a limit. “We intentionally keep the groups small so the kids can work well together and get the attention they need,” she said. “However, it would be hard to make the program much larger even if we had the demand because we do not have the space to make that happen. said Quigley. “I think if we grew the program too large, it would lose its quality,” she added.
A hallmark quality of the program is the community built between staff and campers, while fostering a safe space for creative expression. “I found myself there, and I felt very comfortable. It was a safe environment where I was able to try new things and be free,” said former camper and current Counselor Adrianna Lam. “PAC is not just a job. To me, it’s really my home over the summer.”
