Shoppers are heading to the theatre this Pride as Camping, a new intimate play by Victoria Lynne Barclay and Adrienne Campbell-Holt, opens Off‑Off Broadway , a small, powerful story of women in love set in a single, tender tent that makes longing feel tactile and urgent.

Essential Takeaways

  • Intimate setting: The entire play unfolds in a tent, giving performances a close, hushed feel that pulls the audience into private moments.
  • Strong leads: Alice Kremelberg and Colby Minifie, former classmates with easy chemistry, play Brit and Ari, two best friends holding back desire.
  • Creative team: Directed by Adrienne Campbell‑Holt and written by Scottish playwright Victoria Lynne Barclay, the production balances restraint with emotional depth.
  • Community programming: Multiple post‑show conversations across Pride month bring activists, writers and intimacy professionals into the discussion.
  • Accessible tickets: Performances run through July 11 at HERE Arts Center with general admission from £/USD-equivalent $31.50, and discounted access tickets available.

A tent, two women, and a thousand unsaid things

The image of a single tent promises a theatrical hush , the sort of small, close‑quarters stagecraft that makes breath and a look carry weight. That’s exactly the effect Camping aims for, with sensory detail that feels almost tactile: fabric walls, muffled outdoor noises, the quiet scrape of hands. The setting transforms everyday gestures into loaded moments, and you leave feeling you’ve peered into something private.

The production’s compactness isn’t a gimmick. It’s a design choice that foregrounds interior life over spectacle, and puts the actors’ chemistry under a magnifying glass. Audiences have responded to that intensity, especially during Pride when conversations around queer intimacy and representation are louder than usual.

Two performers who know how to listen

Alice Kremelberg and Colby Minifie bring a lived familiarity to their roles , they trained together at The Professional Performing Arts High School, and that shared past shows up in their relaxed trust on stage. They play Brit and Ari as working‑class, affectionate, and quietly suffocated by the expectations around them.

The play doesn’t trade on big romantic gestures or melodrama; instead, it makes small acts matter. Their performances are conversational but charged, the kind of acting that rewards close attention. For viewers who prefer emotional realism over theatrical fireworks, this is a satisfying, understated portrait.

Not just a lesbian Brokeback Mountain , a different cadence

It’s tempting to compare any story of two women in love living “straight” lives to the familiar Brokeback Mountain template, but Camping pulses to its own rhythm. Where Ang Lee’s film was marked by rugged landscapes and long silences, Barclay’s play is claustrophobic and verbal, a study in repressed desire rather than overt tragedy.

Victoria Lynne Barclay’s writing leans into class, gender and the pressure to perform a straight life. The result is a queer drama that resists easy comparisons and asks the audience to sit with discomfort. If you’re coming expecting melodrama, be prepared to be surprised by the play’s quiet intensity.

Post‑show talks that keep the conversation going

The creative team has paired the run with several conversations that broaden the piece’s themes beyond the stage. Events have included a discussion with psychotherapist and pleasure activist Kimmy Wu alongside intimacy coordinator Safwa Ozair, and appearances by podcast host Dubbs Weinblatt and writer Maybe Burke.

These post‑show talks make Camping feel like a community project as much as a production. They’re practical, too: if the play leaves you with questions about queer intimacy, consent, or representation, the panel events offer direct, thoughtful answers.

Practical bits , tickets, venue and what to expect

Camping plays in the Dorothy B. Williams Theatre at HERE Arts Center, on 6th Avenue in Manhattan, through July 11. General admission starts at $31.50, and Colt Coeur has set aside $10.50 access tickets for people who need financial help. It’s a small theatre experience, so arrive early if you like a good sightline.

If you’re wondering who will love this show: anyone who appreciates finely tuned acting, intimate staging, and plays that linger in the mind after you leave. It’s not a popcorn night , it’s a slow, thoughtful chew.

It's a small change to your theatre routine that can make every hush in the tent stick with you.

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