Theatre / Play / Community / Fantasy
Imagine a world where heroes and villains engage in a never-ending battle between good and evil, where the laughter of faeries is echoed by the roar of dragons, where powers exist that can raise the dead, heal the wounded, and harm the living, where oracles prophesize and rogues slip quietly into the night...Now imagine yourself, within this world, able to choose where to go, who to help, who to fight, and who to save. You are the hero of your own unique story and the success of your quest depends entirely on you...You have entered the Wayfinder Experience.
The Wayfinder Experience is a completely unique program, and provides one of the most exciting, fun, healthy and positive experiences available for children ages 6 and up. Using our improvisational theatre curriculum, non-competitive combat system and imagination we create an interactive fantasy world where children develop characters with unique personalities and complex relationships and then assume their identity within this universe. This live-action role play allows them to explore aspects of their own personality by assuming a completely new one, providing an incredible opportunity for self-exploration and personal insight. It also happens to be unbelievably exciting and entertaining.
We call this transformational program The Adventure Game, and it provides
the foundation for our diverse offering of workshops and activities. Please
select a topic on the index above to learn more about how the different aspects
of Wayfinder work.
Return to Top
Theatre (Improvisation)
The theatre element of The Wayfinder Experience focuses on improvisation. Improvisational Theatre is a method of acting with no script, no censorship, and lots of surprises. Wayfinder teaches this method through a series of exercises similar to those seen in professional improvisational shows and popular television programs like "Who's Line is it Anyway?" While the 'improv' skills we teach play a huge role in The Adventure Game, we also explore topics that apply to every-day life. Our workshops on Status provide a new understanding on how people relate to each other based on body language, appearances, and social standing. Our Give and Take workshop encourages participants to respect others while they have the focus in a situation, and how to properly take it and pass it along, and so on. Since 'improv' is completely spontaneous, the results are often hilarious. Kids feel comfortable in this casual environment and just let go, lower their defenses and feel accepted. They also gain coping skills for uncomfortable social situations and become less shy, reinforced by positive peer feedback and staff encouragement.
Return to Top
Play (Non-Competitive, Cooperative)
We teach participants how to have fun and play in a healthy, non-competitive way with a curriculum of games geared towards cooperation, trust, and entertainment. These workshops improve communication skills, show how to build a supportive team and create a productive community environment where everyone is heard and works together. A participant at a Wayfinder New Games workshop will experience trust falls, the human knot and other traditional teambuilding games, as well as a few WFE originals that get kids working together and having the time of their lives. This non-competitive philosophy continues in our discussion of the combat system we use in the Adventure Game. In these workshops we teach participants how to use our play-safe, soft foam boffer weapons. We've designed and constructed swords, axes, spears and even bows and arrows - all play-tested for safe use. These weapons serve as a simulation of medieval armaments and help create an immersive fantasy universe. These workshops are a lesson in honor and honesty, as our combat system is all about trust and safety. Honoring the block, making your partner look good, pulling your blows…these skills teach respect for one another and create a cooperative feel to the play-fighting. Traditional Capture the Flag takes on a new element of excitement when honorable duels take the place of tagging. We also add mages, clerics, alchemists and necromancers into the mix using our patented magic system. Participants can prepare for The Adventure Game and test their combat skills in a safe environment. In addition to our original games, we offer a slew of traditional sports activities like Ultimate Frisbee, Touch Football, Wiffleball, Kickball, and our soccer-and-swords hybrid - Bloodrush.
Return to Top
Community (Respect and Responsibility)
The Wayfinder Experience, above all things, is a community. The moment a camper arrives at one of our events, we establish the guidelines required for healthy community living. Our number one rule - respect others and their feelings - fosters an environment of trust and accountability where the participants and staff are on equal footing. Group activities like our Bardic circle, a fire circle where kids and parents alike can share their talents and stories, create unbreakable ties of friendship and instill core values of sharing and openness.
Return to Top
Fantasy (Imagination and Creativity)
It's hard to describe the Adventure Game to someone who hasn't played it. In basic terms, we use all of the techniques of improvisational theatre, the tenets of non-competitive play and the trust of the community to play a vast, interactive game of pretend together. The setting could be an ancient castle filled with elves and faeries, or perhaps a war-torn kingdom riddled with vicious monsters, or a shining city protected by armored knights. A participant could be a lowly beggar with an epic destiny, a brave princess with a secret quest, or the king himself. It all depends on what character they chose to create. All of the action in the game is based off of their decisions, with a loose structure of events (called a 'flow') ensuring that all disbelief is suspended; the fantasy environment becomes a reality.
An Adventure Game lasts for several hours and is often played in different parts. The camp facilities are transformed into theatrical sets (a dining hall becomes the tavern, the common room a palace). Wayfinder staff play different parts to encourage conflict, resolutions and general action as the story progresses. When the climax is reached we say, "Game!" and excitedly chat about everyone's experience. The next day we process what occurred in story and closing circles.
Return to Top
