Review of Stagedoor (2006) by Ryanaldo B — 04 Jan 2012

I love documentaries about the world of theater and I had such high hopes for this one seeing as how it focused on the famous Stagedoor Manor. Unfortunately, this documentary just barely scratched the surface and was rather superficial in its portrayal of the world of theater.

Their choice to follow five performers could have really let us into the mind of child actors and how the world of theater can be quite brutal, yet for some reason each of their story lines were abandoned and they focused on the entire camp but with boring results.

I didn't care for a single individual in this documentary or with the camp staff. I guess I only scored this film three stars for sentimental and emotional reasons. Growing up as a theater nerd, I understand completely what these kids go through being made fun of and not feeling like they fit in.

Also, it kinda made me wish I had pursued this more when I was younger. If you appreciate theater then this may be worth a viewing otherwise I recommend other documentaries about the world of theater (Every Little Step and Life After Tomorrow being excellent ones).