About Warwick, Packing List, & More
Dear friends,
Session 1 begins in just under three weeks! This email is lengthy and full of information — please read carefully for a number of important updates. Read below for information about our new home at Mountain Lake Park, a staff packing list, a forms checklist, and more.
Keep your questions coming — we're always happy to connect and chat about anything on your mind.
Next week you can expect: final staff training reminders, travel confirmations, and pickup information for those arriving at Newark and in Suffern.
With love,
The Ghostlight Team
🏞️ Mountain Lake Park
We're so excited to welcome you to Ghostlight's new home in Warwick, NY. The campus at Mountain Lake Park is a beautiful and inspiring place to create theater and form community. (And for fans of the movie Theater Camp, it's great fun to spot all the locations where scenes were filmed!)
We have a website page answering some FAQs about the new location, and we wanted to highlight some of those answers and share some more details as well here.
The town of Warwick, about ten minutes' drive, is friendly and picturesque, and we can't wait to introduce you to our favorite spots and discover some new ones with you. We're also right up the road from Pennings Orchard and Cidery, which is across from the Warwick drive-in movie theater, and a short drive from Bellvale Creamery (strong contender for best local ice cream).
Some of the lakefront areas of the Mountain Lake Park campus are open to the public for hiking and fishing during specific daytime hours. The pickleball courts and pool area are membership-only, and will also be available for Ghostlight staff to use! In the evening and overnight, the campus is closed to everyone except Ghostlight staff and campers. When there are non-Ghostlight members using some of the campus facilities, such as the pool or pickleball courts, there are always staff from Mountain Lake Park present to support. The campus has security measures in place, such as 24/7 camera coverage, secure gates, and a regular patrol from local law enforcement, that will support our work keeping the campus safe. Several other programs have also run in the past few summers at Mountain Lake Park, and the Mountain Lake Park staff have communicated with us about how they’ve successfully supported those programs.
This summer, staff housing will be able to be locked, and staff will have keys for private housing. Staff will also wear our nametags on lanyards whenever we're outdoors to identify ourselves as Ghostlight staff.
The road to the pickleball courts and pool runs by the cabins on its way to the exit. There are "SLOW" signs posted, but we and the MLP staff will strictly enforce road safety, and model good road behavior for our campers.
While Ghostlight is the primary user of the space this summer, there are a couple of other programs that we'll see around the campus. The Hudson Highlands Nature Center is located at the front of the campus, and they'll be running a day camp for kids aged 3-7 during the summer. There's also a local technology arts club that will meet a couple mornings a week in the Arts Building, a local dance group that will use the Dance Studio on two Sunday mornings, and a local police department graduation luncheon. We've been in communication with MLP staff about how the spaces will be shared, and we're confident that these events won't disrupt our campers' experience of camp.
There are also two larger events at the campus this summer while we're running: during Session One, there will be a Food Truck Festival; during Session Two, there will be a wedding. These events will coincide with our trip days, so campers will be off camp for the event, and we'll share more details during staff training about how we're supporting campers and staff during these events on camp. (As non-cabin staff know, most of the non-cabin staff will move into different housing for the two nights of the wedding. We're excited for the brides — they met at this campsite, back when it was Camp Kutz!)
This will feel different for returning campers and staff, and may feel strange or unexpected even for new campers and staff. While we’ve communicated this information to our families in numerous ways, we know that not all the facts may have reached the campers. We personally feel excited to be surrounded and supported by the local community — everyone we’ve interacted with in Warwick has made it clear that they are thrilled we’re running at MLP now, and we're looking forward to being welcomed as members of the community.
As always, we'd love to hear from you if you have any questions! Let us know if there's anything else you're particularly curious about relating to the space before we arrive.
🧳 Packing List
A staff packing list is attched to this email. Your bed will be 2026 Sheet Size. One set of sheets will be provided by Mountain Lake Park, but we recommend bringing your own if you'd like to make sure you're extra cozy!
Session-2-Only Staff who are coming for Staff Training: you may have a different housing assignment during training than you will during Session 2. We will follow up by email to confirm your bedding.
📦 Mailing Packages to Camp
Staff are welcome to mail packages to camp. Please list your address as follows:
Your Name
Ghostlight Theater Camp
46 Bowen Road
Warwick, NY 10990
🪩 Dance Themes
Each evening, our campers participate in an Evening Activity led by our Activities and Trips Coordinator, Liz! Each session, there will be a camp dance, and we're excited to share the themes with you in case you'd like to bring any costume items. Dances at Ghostlight are fun and low-key — there's no pressure to wear a certain thing, purchase costume items/accessories, or, for campers, invite someone to the dance. They're all about being together for a festive evening!
Session 1: Space Ball
Session 2: Halloween Beach Bash
📋 Pre-Camp Checklist
Thank you for working on your Ghostlight forms — your forms help us prepare for a great summer together! Please see below — any items marked "No" still need your attention! Forms can be completed or edited on the Staff Dashboard.
| General Forms |
Signed Contract: 2026 > Signed Contract Upload: Submitted? Photo Upload: Photo (upload here): Submitted? Disclosure Statement and Background Check: 2026 > Disclosure Statement and Background Check: Submitted? Staff T-Shirt Size: 2026 > Staff T-Shirt Size: Submitted? Staff Travel Confirmation: 2026 > Staff Travel Confirmation: Submitted? Immunization Record: Immunization Record Instructions (upload here): Submitted? |
| Medical Forms |
General Health History: 2026 > General Health History: Submitted? Allergies and Dietary Information: 2026 > Allergies and Dietary Information: Submitted? Health Care Providers & Insurance Information: 2026 > Health Care Providers & Insurance Information: Submitted? Emergency Contacts: 2026 > Emergency Contacts: Submitted? Authorization for Care: 2026 > Medications and Authorization for Care: Submitted? |
| Pre-Camp Training |
Staff members are required to complete pre-camp training modules located here. If "No" is listed for your respective training modules (new vs. returning), please return back to the page to ensure you've completed the required elements. All staff must upload their mandated reporter certificate and take All Eyes on You and All Eyes on the Road (if applicable). New staff must complete all elements, including the accompanying quizzes. New Staff Training Modules: First Year Training Returning Staff Modules: Returning Staff Modules |
| Paychex |
New Staff or Pre-2024 Staff: You should have received an email invitation from Paychex to fill out tax and direct deposit information. Please create your account and fill out all necessary information by the end of this week. Check your spam folder, just in case!
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🗂️ Message Archive
Just joining? You can easily find all our previous emails on the Messages and Updates page here.