Eating Out: Drama Camp 2011

Filmmaker Jason (Garikayi Mutambirwa) is behind the camera, shaping a movie that centers on Zack and his world, as he shoots a scene featuring the charming Benji. When the crew learns of a drama camp run by Dick Dickey, they pack their bags and enroll alongside Casey, hoping the experience might spark real chemistry for their project. The squad arrives at the camp, where they meet a vibrant, sometimes chaotic mix of young performers and counselors: a charismatic camper Beau with a knack for mischief, the sweet and ambitious Penny who dreams of acting, and Lilly, a headstrong trans woman fighting to find her footing. Also present is Genieveve, a wealthy but unpolished actress who has her eye on [Benji], adding a tangle of attraction and ego to the mix. Nearby, the quiet presence of Quiet Girl and the camp’s other personalities begin to shape the drama outside the on-stage spotlight.

From the start, Dick Dickey imposes a strict no-sex rule at the camp, a rule that surprisingly stems from his own long drought—seven and a half years without sex. The tension between personal desire and policy becomes a running thread as the campers grapple with authenticity, boundaries, and the pressure to perform. Jason pushes forward with his plan, but the tension rises when [Zack] finds himself drawn to [Benji], even as Benji tries to insist he isn’t what he appears. Their bond starts to creep into class moments, especially during a workshop led by the sharp-witted Tiffani, where Zack and Benji share a kiss that deepens the rift between Zack and [Casey], who is beginning to suspect Benji’s true nature.

[Casey] sees a fault line in his relationship with [Zack] and turns to [Penny] for help, hoping to uncover the truth behind Benji’s sexuality. A risky plan unfolds as the pair stumble upon Conor in a compromising moment with another camper and try to use the incident to expose Benji. The scheme falters, leaving the group to confront the messy, human side of desire rather than simply exposing it. Amid the growing drama, Jason begins staging his own theatrical production of The Taming of the Shrew, casting [Zack] and [Benji] in the leads, with Lilly taking the lead female role. The collaboration intensifies the on- and off-stage chemistry, and Lilly finds herself receiving mixed signals about Jason’s personal feelings for her, fueling a cycle of ambition, pride, and vulnerability.

As rehearsals progress, Casey’s dissatisfaction with his own relationship intensifies. A tense moment arises when Penny secretly administers a poison oak rubbing to Zack to prevent his rehearsal, a drastic move born of desperation to reshape the cast’s dynamics. In a surprising turn, Casey steps into Zack’s place, and he discovers that Benji becomes sexually aroused during their kiss. The moment forces Casey to reevaluate his own choices: he decides that Zack and he were not meant to be, encouraging Zack to pursue a connection with Benji instead. Yet the revelation before Zack changes everything when Benji finally admits he had been concealing his sexuality from the start, leaving Zack reeling and unsure about what the future holds for them.

The night of the show arrives with high stakes and fragile trust. Lilly confronts Jason, demanding honesty about his feelings, and after a tense chase, he finally confesses that he does like her—only to have the moment interrupted by the onstage kiss between Zack and Benji. Casey, eager to fix things, supports the duo as they begin to explore their relationship, while offstage Beaux—Beau—emerges as a potential rebound for Casey. The camp’s tension erupts into chaos when Dick discovers the kiss and ejects Zack and Benji from the performance, threatening to derail the entire production. In a bold, late-night gambit, Casey and Penny enlist Conor for one last, anarchic effort: Conor has sex with Dick in his office, drawing the entire camp’s attention and publicly exposing the power dynamics at play. The ruse succeeds in breaking the rule’s grip, and Dick reluctantly allows Zack and Benji to perform.

The show goes on, and the resulting performance is a chaotic but heartfelt culmination of the week’s tensions. Lilly breaks character to pry Jason for a truth he finally gives: he does harbor feelings for her, and the confession triggers a cascade of real emotions on stage. Zack and Benji’s relationship is allowed to unfold, and the two share a quiet, intimate moment that cements their connection. Offstage, Casey finds his own path forward, and the group—now a tangle of newly formed couples—reconnects with one another as the curtain rises. The final applause is warm but tempered by the knowledge that real life, with its messy truths and shifting loyalties, has touched them all. The camp closes with Dick presenting a prize for the evening’s best show and a vacation reward, while the new couples drift away, each carrying the lessons learned from a week of art, risk, and discovery.