Playtime Is Not Just for Kids

Camp counselors Doug (Lucas Connelly) and Sally (Grace De Morgan)

Remember when you were a kid, and the world was your playground? You had no fears and no inhibitions. Having fun was not an option, it was a necessity, and lets face it, your biggest worry was whether there was going to be fairy bread at the upcoming party.

Well at Camp Super Happy Sunshine Fun, camp counselors Doug (Lucas Connelly) and Sally (Grace De Morgan) wind the clock all the way back. Set in the Newtown Neighborhood Centre as part of the 2013 Sydney Fringe Festival, they aim to restore your childhood memories and experiences by recreating an outdoor camp scene (fake bonfire and all) where adults of all ages immerse themselves in activities that they took part in when they were kids.

Camp founder and director, Maya Sebestyen, got the idea to start this “adults only summer camp” whilst she was working as a camp counselor in the US.

“All the other camp counselors were really childlike. The kids would go to bed and we would be like thank God they have gone to bed, but then we would be like so dodge ball?”

Camp Super Happy Sunshine Fun runs for one and a half hours. During this time all of the participants take part in various games and activities that you would have done at summer camp including dodge ball (with marsh mellows rather than big heavy balls), tunnel ball, pirate hat making, potato Olympics and of course reciting camp cheers and chants around the bonfire. And yes, at the very end there is an honorary medal ceremony rewarding those who performed exceptionally well.

“I guess I thought that we stop doing this stuff when we are kids but it never actually stops being fun, Sebestyen says. “I think it is those teenage years where you try to grow up as fast as you can, and then you are grown up and you forget what it is like to actually be a kid.”

Kevin Acquard, a 25 year-old camper admits that when he initially realised what he was in for at Camp Super Happy Sunshine Fun, he was displeased and on the brink of turning around and heading out to the nearest bar instead.

“I was dragged to come and at the beginning I was thinking to myself what was I doing here. I just wanted to leave and go drink next door. But as soon as it all started I really got into it. The team structure of the games made them really fun and competitive and I found myself lost in them because I wanted to win. I forgot how fun they were. I had not played for years.”

There has been much sociological research on the importance of childlike play for adults, especially in today’s fast paced world.

“Our society tends to dismiss play for adults,” says psychologist and associate editor of The Importance of Play for Adults, Margarita Tartakovsky M.S. “Play is perceived as unproductive, petty or even a guilty pleasure. The notion is that once we reach adulthood, it’s time to get serious. And between personal and professional responsibilities, there’s no time to play. But play is just as pivotal for adults as it is for kids. Play brings joy. And it’s vital for problem solving, creativity and relationships.”

“It is really fun to play and I think it is really important,” continues Sebestyen. It comes really naturally to me but I know it does not come as naturally to other people but I think if you put people in this kind of environment they latch on really quickly. Even Kevin (Acquard) was like what is this, but once he got in there he was in the zone and it all totally comes back to you.”

Caroline Geroyan