CAMP IT UP.

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Author: Abel, OliviaDyball, RenniePerry, BethTriggs, CharlotteBaker, K. C.Benet, LorenzoBorzillo-Vrenna, Car

At upstate New York's 31-year-old Stagedoor Manor theater camp (the subject of a recent documentary, Stagedoor, by director Alexandra Shiva), pint-sized theater geeks come to perform-and many wind up on much larger stages:

NATALIE PORTMAN, 1996 Two years after her turn in The Professional, 15-year-old Portman (with Bryce Dallas Howard, who will costar in Spider-Man 3) was "absolutely petrified" to sing in Cabaret, says Stagedoor's production director Konnie Kittrell. "She was just another kid here."

ZACH BRAFF, 1988 "Always a 1,000-watt light bulb," Kittrell says of the Scrubs star (who played Judas in Godspell). "He had that mischievous little smile." Most days, anyway. "One year his mother called to say his hamster died. He was very upset."

ROBERT DOWNEY JR., 1976 "People loved him but he was a terror," says Downey's former counselor Todd Graff. "He was always missing when you needed him, impossible to get to bed … a lot of bouncing off the walls. And he was girl crazy!"

MANDY MOORE, 1996 "She was a quiet, sweet girl," says Kittrell. "Big voice." The future pop star (now dating fellow camp veteran Braff) often snagged solos. But, the director adds, "she wasn't a spotlight seeker."

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Scoop Contributors Olivia Abel; Rennie Dyball; Beth Perry; Charlotte Triggs; K. C. Baker; Lorenzo Benet; Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna; Shannon Bradley; Alexis Chiu; Michael Fleeman; Deirdre Gallagher; Liza Hamm; Caroline Howard; Marisa Laudadio; Lycia Naff; Gail Nussbaum; Simon Perry; Courtney Rubin and Brooke Bizzell Stachyra