When Kumbaya Meets Hollywood: Celebrities at Summer Camp—Before They Were Stars

Zach Braff is best known for his work as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian on TV’s Scrubs. He’s also made a name for himself in film, acting in and directing Garden State, where he enlisted fellow Stagedoor alum Natalie Portman for his leading lady. Here we see Zach Braff at Stagedoor Manor in Once upon a Mattress in 1997. He most recently appeared in TV’s Cougar Town and directed the upcoming Wish I Was Here.

Here we see Sebastian Stan performing at Stagedoor Manor in 2000. The actor has appeared in films such as Rachel Getting Married, The Education of Charlie Banks, Black Swan, and Hot Tub Time Machine. He’s also made a name for himself on TV’s Gossip Girl and Once upon a Time. Stan has most recently been seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Stagedoor Manor must have been a breeding ground for future Oscar-winning Marvel Comics movie heroes. Here we see Robert Downey Jr. and his sly smile poised for stardom at the summer camp in 1976. As a young actor in the 1980s and early 1990s, he appeared in films such as Less Than Zero, Soapdish, and Chaplin, for which he received an Oscar nod. After a derailment to drugs, a clean-and-sober Downey Jr. returned triumphantly to Hollywood. He has appeared in independent films such as Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus and Hollywood blockbusters like Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, and The Avengers.

Here we see a sassy Natalie Portman performing in 1996 at Stagedoor Manor as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Before Portman was an Oscar winner for Black Swan in 2011, she was regal Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels, quirky Sam in Garden State, vengeful Evey in V for Vendetta, and unfortunate Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl. The actress reprised her role as brilliant scientist Jane Foster in Thor 2.

Here we see Josh Charles making his Stagedoor Manor debut in 1988. Charles went on to roles in iconic films such as Dead Poets Society and TV shows like Sports Night and In Treatment. Today, the thespian appeared on TV’s The Good Wife as Will Gardner. He had roles in 2013’s Bird People and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. He recently had a hilarious guest spot on Inside Amy Schumer.

Before he was part of Two and a Half Men, Jon Cryer was a young thespian onstage in 1981 at Stagedoor Manor. He went on to the iconic role of Duckie in Pretty in Pink and performed on Broadway in Torch Song Trilogy opposite Harvey Fierstein. He continues today in his role as Alan Harper on the Emmy-winning Two and a Half Men.

Before she was the Lady in the Water, she was a bright-eyed camper at Stagedoor Manor in 1996. Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Oscar winner Ron Howard, has appeared in The Village, Spider-Man 3, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Hereafter, and Terminator Salvation. She was most recently seen in The Help and 50/50.