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The puppet master at work perhaps? Though who is really in charge?? Come find out this summer!! #flemingonfire #SelznickSizzles #HechtHeckles #PoppenghulPeanuts #GetTickets #MoonlightAndMagnolias #Summer www.nemasketriverproductions.com

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Poor James is being attacked! But that's what you get when you whack Judy Garland. Even if it is just once!! Confused? Guess you have to come see the show then! #RehearsalStories #GetTickets #MoonlightAndMagnolias #Week2 www.nemasketriverproductions.com (at Middleboro, Massachusetts)

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50 Thoughts I Had Watching Gone With The Wind

By: Malorie Savran

It's been a while since I've been able to post, but I am back!!  I've started stage managing a new show with NRP...Moonlight and Magnolias!!  Aside from an amazing cast and director, the show is just downright hilarious and I highly recommend everyone come and see it.

So. As part of preparing for the run, it became clear that a bunch of cast members, as well as myself, have never seen Gone With the Wind. Which, for this show is somewhat essential.  I don't want to spoil the plot for you too much, but basically this play is about the writing of the movie. Which a bunch of us haven't seen. For any of you familiar with the play you may find this highly amusing. Anyways, we decided we should all get together on a rehearsal day and watch the movie.  We all headed to Plymouth to our director's house, snacks in hand, and hunkered down to watch the monolith that is this movie.  And here are some thoughts I had while watching the Civil War epic. Enjoy!  Spoilers are below, read at your own risk.

1. This movie is how long?!? 2. No. Just no. I'm going to fall asleep. 3. Must get caffeine. I will not stay conscious. 4. These people owned slaves and I'm supposed to root for them? No. 5. Ooh pretty silhouettes! 6. Who is that? 7. Wait, who is that now? 8. God, Vivian Leigh is gorgeous. 9. Those eyebrows though. 10. Omg the clothes! 11. How long are we into it?? That's it??  I'm going to hate this movie. 12. Anyone who thought to make a movie this long was insane. 13. Whoa Prissy, take it down an octave. 14. More silhouettes, they do those well. 15. Ha! Those shadows don't match do they... 16. Whoa what a bitch. 17. What a bitch!!! 18. This is the most unsympathetic character ever. Why on earth am I supposed to care about her? 19. Okay she's a crafty bitch. I can get on board with that. 20. Ugh whiny bitch stop. 21. Which dude is that again? Ugh all these white dudes are exactly the same I can't keep anyone straight except Clark Gable. Mostly because his mustache is pretty fab. 22. This Melanie chick, what is her deal already? Is she really that clueless?? 23. Oh famous line, never hungry again. Got it, I feel so pop culture informed now. 24. Wait, intermission?!?! That wasn't the end????  How could there possibly be more??? 25. Though it strangely didn't feel like it was dragging on. 26. Whoa she shot the sheriff...hehe 27. I want her eyebrows so bad. So much eyebrow envy. 28. Does she look a little like Lucille Ball? 29. Okay this is dragging a bit. 30. Oooh yay, Rhett and Scarlett!  They are so perfect together haha! 31. Seriously, a 20" waist is too big?  I can't even handle that. That's like my thigh. 32. That red dress is to die for, seriously I want it. Drop dead gorgeous. Just ugh. 33. EYEBROWS!!! 34. Whoa this got dark. 35. Don't tell me she loses the...yup. She did. 36. Okay whoa very dark. 37. Omg I'm not crying you're crying! 38. The acting in this movie is pretty damn good. 39. Ugh Mel stop being so you hon. You are too good. 40. Something is gonna happen to that damn kid. 41. Yea called that. 42. Oh Mellie no!!! 43. Oh yay she loves Rhett!! 44. Daaaaammmnnn Rhett. 45. Wow Scarlett. You a badass.  I kinda love you girl. 46. Oh it's over. 47. That wasn't so bad. 48. Did I like it? 49. No. I mean I get why it's considered such a good movie but I didn't like it. 50. But I kinda did...I kinda really really liked it.

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Table read! #LostInYonkers

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Theater People Can Be So...Dramatic

By Malorie Savran

Yes its true, theater people can be dramatic, myself included. The story I’m about to go in to, I’ve told many times, so if you’ve heard it already I do apologize. And if you know me well, you’re already aware I tell the same stories over and over again, thus it really should not be a surprise.

It was 11 years ago (I think?) and I’d been going along enjoying all my exploits on the stage, either in high school musicals or at camp (Buck’s Rock, the best place ever) and was on the precipice of the next major choice in my life: college. Egads! At the time, I had no motivation to even think about college, but when you are looking at the end of your high school career it’s expected. In all reality, I had no clue what I wanted. But I did love being on stage so before I became the very reasonable, always aiming for financial stability, woman you read before you I went along with applying to be an acting major.

Fast forward about a year and in enters the fall freshman semester in a B.F.A. program at my 4th choice school. Perhaps not the best start, but I went in with a fresh face, mildly good attitude and was ready to work. When it came to school, for the most part I put in a good amount of effort unless it was a subject that didn’t tickle my fancy. Junior year American history was particularly a drag for me, the battle of Bunker Hill just wasn’t cutting it; but I digress.

So there I am, ready to delve in to this acting program with classmates that were going to be with me for the next four years, classes I could not understand (movement class…we explored our spirit animals…it was not for me), and a rule that freshman were not allowed to perform. I repeat, freshmen were not allowed to perform. They had to break all of our bad habits first.

EXCUSE ME?!?! The whole point of being acting major was to act in front of people!!!

Obviously I was less than pleased, but this was how the program worked, so I went with it. However, I was clearly disappointed.

Subsequently I went on to the next best thing…stage managing (to clarify this is not second to acting IMHO, but at the time performing would have been my preference). I was going to work on a production even if it killed me, which it nearly did seeing as I had a full class load, this production counted as a work study. I ended up needing special permission to take 21 credits my first semester of college.

At this point, I was not very friendly with my classmates and the actual program classes were less than inspiring. Very quickly I was debating whether or not to leave the major. Spoiler alert: I dropped out.

Here was the turning point. I was sitting with my acting professor, who was also my academic advisor, who was also the director of the show I was stage managing. She turned to me and said “You know Malorie, its so refreshing to meet someone as nice as you in this industry.” Insert confused face emoji here. I’m refreshing?? I’m nice?? That sentence terrified me and I knew in that moment, I was never going to make it as an actor. I wasn’t aggressive enough, I hated competition, networking took my pretty mild social anxiety and turned it on its head. I was already unhappy with the program, I hadn’t made any real friends and now if I’m refreshing, I’m done for. So, by early November I announced I was withdrawing my spot in the program.

That semester was my last experience with theater for almost 10 years, except as an enthusiastic audience member.

Three majors and a bachelor’s degree later, I moved to Boston without knowing a single person, got a very stable job and settled in to a simple and relatively comfortable life. Of course the truth was that I missed the theater world terribly, I missed my “people.” I was no longer surrounded by those friends who would join in if I started belting out Defying Gravity at the lunch table. My coworkers (who are amazing and I love them dearly) frequently look at my like I’ve lost a few marbles, though it only inspires me to annoy them so it all works out. But still, I missed my “people.” And then after some hours of using the Google I found a small local theater (take a guess at which one…Nemasket River!) and that was that. I was back in the game!! I’ve auditioned here and there but for the most part I’ve stuck with stage managing, I do it well and I get to be involved with all aspects of the production.

After several productions over the last couple of years, here is what I know: I’m perhaps not as refreshing as my acting professor/advisor/director told me I was. There are some amazing, generous, kind people out there. On the other hand she wasn’t wrong either, as there are also just as many difficult, rude, and all around bitchy individuals who don’t realize their negativity is infectious or they just don’t care.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that a smile and a positive attitude goes such a long way, a lot farther than I would have thought possible. It is very easy as a stage manager to get frustrated and just want to yell at people all the time (though for the record it is absolutely one of the perks and can be loads of fun when done in good conscience and everyone is getting along anyways). However, killing people with kindness can have a similar outcome, though not necessarily as effective.

Here’s the takeaway. Once we’ve settled into jobs and routines, life can get monotonous and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But a little drama can make it all a lot more entertaining.

www.nemasketrivetproductions.com

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It's a winter wonderland out there! Drive safe everyone! #SnowDay #WinterWonderland #WarmAndCozy #NRP

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Musicals vs. Plays

-By Malorie Savran

So while NRP’s season has been on hiatus (but is starting again with Lost In Yonkers with auditions on January 31 and February 1) I’ve been keeping myself busy. And by that I mean I’ve been swamped because…insert drum roll here…I’ve been stage managing a musical!

I’ve been in musicals before but only as a performer and it’s been quite a while. Probably 10 years or somewhere around there. What a difference! Apparently when I agreed to do a musical I just figured it would be more rehearsal time but most of the same. And I knew I would be calling cues (which I’ve done before but not in ages) however my hubris and experience over the last couple of years left me feeling pretty confident about ability my to handle the job.

I wouldn’t say I was horribly wrong. Underprepared might be a more apt description. Up until this point I had only ever stage managed from back stage with the light board operator running cues themselves because they are on point (maybe 20 or 30 of them, mostly lights up and out with some other fun stuff) a cast no more than 17, and a pretty stable set where the only moving pieces are some furniture and props.

Enter the musical: almost 30 cast members, cues upwards of 300, enormous set pieces that require multiple people to move, a musical director, choreographer, assistant stage managers, actual set crew. And those are just the initial differences.

It’s a much bigger show and you end up working with exceedingly talented people. The scale of everything is quadrupled so working with individuals who know what they are doing is key. And if it’s the right group the results are phenomenal.

Also, I get help!! I’ve never had help back stage (not that I’m complaining and I’ve never really needed it) but wow was I spoiled. Two assistant stage managers, a headset that works and actually stays on my head (most of the time…don’t ask), a light board operator on my left, two spot operators, etc. I’ve been spoiled rotten!!

On the flip side, it’s a lot more work. There are longer rehearsals, far more coordination with different parties, opinions flying everywhere, blocking is more choreography than actual blocking so how do you write all of that in the book, sooooo many light cues (which are totally worth the payoff but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was flipping out the beginning of tech week), and being in charge of more people and having to make concrete decisions how things are going to work. Again I reiterate I usually don’t have help, it’s all on me. But now I’ve got all this help looking to me for instructions and I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t actually do and control everything.

The biggest difference, at least the one that stands out to me the most, is the size of the cast. Not because more people is more difficult to manage or keep track of (which it is). But with a small cast of 2 or 4 or 10, over the course of very few rehearsals, you get to know everyone so quickly and so well. I helped on another show where I only started during tech week and was there for the run but because of the relatively small cast, I still got to know everyone very quickly. It's been slower this time around and it could definitely be attributed to my not joining the show until two weeks into rehearsals. Leave it to tech week to bring everyone together though. It never fails to create solidarity!

Oh yea, one more thing. The songs never get out of your head. Ever. I've legit woken up in the middle of the night singing some song or other. And the thing is, I don't actually know any of it in full. I just know some of the tune and half phrases which means I can't even sing the whole thing through to myself!

Overall it's been a pretty amazing experience and I've learned a lot. And as with all shows, I will have to say goodbye to these wonderful people that I've had the pleasure to spend all my free time with over the last couple of months, which is the one thing show to show that never changes.

www.nemasketriverproductions.com

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New Season!

-By Malorie Savran

Hello out there social media universe!! We had a very productive meeting the other day with our #MediaMavens about all the outreach on social media and in the community. So now that #NRP’s 2016 season is on its way, I thought I would get back to blogging and talk about what is in store!!

Let’s start with the blog. This one. Right here. That you are reading. Now. Right now. Where? Here! (Okay so I’m having a bit of a #Spaceballs moment. Sue me).

Not only am I on the board of advisors for NRP but I will be stage managing our next show, Lost In Yonkers, directed by the other half of my dynamic duo, the lovable Mike Pevzner. We are having a production meeting in a couple of weeks which I will then blog about! Oh and get ready for some live tweeting, because come auditions, I’m gonna try to make that happen (assuming cell service behaves!).

I’m going to be blogging about rehearsals, sharing photos, videos, all kinds of fun things. I will be interviewing our actors, director, production team, board members, and former cast members and directors.

Oh and one more thing. YOU!! Do you have an idea for an interview? What about submitting something for the blog? Anything about theater from your experiences, to shows you love, to taking about shows you’ve seen with us. We want your input and we want to share what you have to say!!

Thanks for reading and stay warm out there!

www.nemasketriverproductions.com

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40 Random Thoughts I Have During Opening Night

-By Malorie Savran

In light of Table Manners’ opening weekend last week, I decided to make a list of some thoughts that have gone through my mind during the first night of a show.

1. Thank goodness dress rehearsal is over. 2. Maybe we could have used another dress rehearsal. 3. Where the hell is everybody?? 4. Where the hell are my damn notes?! 5. Found my notes, everyone stop looking! 6. I need a head set. 7. I need a drink. 8. How many people are here? 9. Where the hell is this friggin prop? 10. Why are you talking to me do I look like I can chat right now?! 11. Okay an hour til curtain. Everything is done. I’m bored. 12. Places!! 13. Just kidding, people are still loitering. Stupid people. 14. Okay seriously places now. No seriously places! 15. Okay lights are up. This is good. Wait, what’s my cue? WHAT’S MY CUE?? 16. Did he forget that line? He forgot that line. We really needed another dress. 17. Okay first scene change coming up, where the hell is that prop!! Wait, it’s onstage. I knew that. 18. Scene change is done. What’s that? I left the sofa cushion up? Okay running back out, don’t bring the lights back up. DON’T BRING THE LIGH…you brought the lights back up. I’m sure that looked fabulous. 19. Did they laugh at that joke? That was a good line I thought. 20. Why did they think that was funny? Did something happen? What am I missing?! 21. Oh no, they skipped a page. Did they? I’m pretty sure they skipped a page. We needed another dress rehearsal. 22. Hallelujah, intermission. 23. What did they do to this stage, it’s a mess! 24. Oh for goodness sakes, the door is broken. We needed another night to fix the set. 25. Okay back up, places. 26. Stop dancing, time for places!! 27. Hello? Is my headset working! 28. **Drop’s headset** Damn should have worn different pants. 29. Seems to be going great now! 30. Was that a glass breaking? Please no one bleed on the costumes, please no one bleed on the costumes. 31. Where the hell are we? 32. What are they laughing at?? 33. Oh, I finally get that joke now. That’s hilarious. 34. Who is that guy who keeps coughing? 35. Is someone sleeping out there?! 36. Hooray, final scene!! 37. Why can’t I hear any dialogue? Why is NO ONE SPEAKING?! We seriously needed another dress rehearsal. 38. Curtain, we did it!! 39. Everyone did so great, we definitely didn’t need any extra rehearsals. 40. How many spills do I have to clean up? F$&% www.nemasketriverproductions.com

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5 Best/Worst Things About Production Week

-By Malorie Savran

This is the week Table Manners goes into production at the Alley Theatre in Middleboro. The set was installed on Sunday and the tech and dress rehearsals will go on every night until opening night on Friday. Tech week, production week, hell week, or whatever fun nickname you have for it is a stressful and exciting week during the run of a show.

And this week got me thinking about all the shows I’ve worked on over the years as a kid, then in college and now as an adult. So here is my list of the 5 best and 5 worst things about production week.

BEST:

1. The show finally comes together! So this doesn’t happen on the first day, it happens over the course of the week. But it is the most fascinating part of production week. Rehearsals, typically not even on the actual stage where the show will eventually be, can only take you so far. The true feel and flow of the show doesn’t make its mark until you are on that stage in the real space. The show unfolds before you with each passing day and somehow all just comes together. Its exciting and always fun to watch.

2. The all nighters… This isn’t necessarily true for all shows, but for many, rehearsals go very late into the evening. I worked on many stage productions during my time as a counselor at an arts camp in CT (shout out to any Buck’s Rockers out there!) as well as in college, and there were plenty of late night and all night tech productions. And it was a combination of stressful, tiring work. But it was some of the most fun I’ve had. There we all are, we are exhausted to the point of delirium, but we are all there together. Its a unique shared experience that only theater people get. There are plenty out there that hate those all nighters and find them unnecessary but I love it! I’m probably a masochist that way, but I’m good with it.

3. The crew, the dear sweet crew! I’m probably tooting my own horn here, as I am usually on the crew but looking beyond that, crew is what tech week is about. Before this point its been the director and the actors working on blocking and lines. The director has consulted with the crew about costumes, lights, sounds, props, set, and so on. But this is the week all the crew comes together and gives the actors the stage. Its their time to show off their skills and make the actors shine, to coordinate the elegant dance that happens behind the scenes so that the audience has a seamless show to enjoy. The tech crew is the glue that holds a show together and this is their week.

4. Working out the details As a frequent stage manager (and a slightly neurotic one at that), before actually setting everything up in the theater, the logistics of where everything has to go to be organized and efficient, not to mention choreographing scene changes, stresses me out a bit. Okay it stresses me out a lot. So one of my favorite parts of this week is figuring all of those details out, where every prop has to go, what order each object has to be moved for the scene changes, getting all the timing right, etc. And of course getting the actors used to me bossing them around is a particular favorite of mine! IMHO, the stage manager basically takes over during tech week and runs the show so being able to boss people around certainly has its perks!

5. Its all finally worth it. Finally. So its the dress rehearsal and after a week of hard work, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. Yes this sound a lot like #1 but its a bit different. This is about the magic that unfolds (insert cheesy eye roll here). This is about weeks of prep and the last and only chance to work out all the kinks before opening night. And you know somehow that it will all work out.

WORST:

1. HOLD!! Hold please! Quiet on stage please! Hold people! I asked for quiet!! Go back please!! And so on… I’ve been on almost all sides of this one. I’ve been the actor on stage melting under hot lights, feet aching from standing in the same spot for ages rarely moving from one spot to another. And I’ve been the stage manager screaming from the audience begging everyone to be quiet, or to go back, or leave the stage, or get back on the stage. I’ve been the director frustrated with everyone for not doing things the way I’ve asked. And although I’ve not personally done lights or sound, I’ve been side by side with those lovely folks as they climb up ladders to readjust focus and change gels to accommodate the director’s vision, or the color choices on the set and costumes. The novelty of the power bestowed upon those special people who are capable of saying “hold” with authority wears off very quickly. Your voice goes hoarse and frustration rises with every iteration of the word.

2. Speaking of frustration… Everyone is tired, everyone is cranky, everyone wants to go home. Aggravation is at an all time high during this week. No one listens, the director changes her mind fifteen times while everyone is standing around, the actors are being dramatic, and not in the good kind of acting way, but in the whiny, unnecessary way. I’ve been an actor so I do include myself in the whiny category (in case you thought I was being snarky). No one knows what is going on, or if the show will ever come together. Its basically a mishmash of disaster swirling together with everyone yelling at each other. Another reason it is so affectionately called hell week.

3. Don’t touch my props! This one kills me as a stage manager. I can’t say how many times I’ve had to tell actors to stop touching the props, or better yet, not to eat them as the case may be. I spend hours and hours setting up the prop table, marking everything out by scene or character, getting the room organized and situated so every little thing is in its rightful place. And then someone tosses their script on top of it and just leaves it there, knocking something over. Or when they go to get it, rearranges things when picking it up. Then there are the water bottles all over my table sweating and leaving little rings of water everywhere that could damage something. And then of course the food. I have two, just two bags of chips to use for the whole week. And they are gone by the third night of tech week because the actors are snacking on them. Don’t touch or eat the props. Just don’t.

4. Costume changes I had to put this one in here because this is another one that drives me up a wall. And for the record, I’ve never actually been a costumer. There are plenty of actors out there who “get it” and know how it works back stage. But then you have the ones that don’t have a clue or have been way too spoiled. These are the ones that turn a 30 second scene change to 2 whole minutes because they can’t get their pants off! Or the girl who is incapable of even dressing herself between scenes. Or the guy who spends his costume change looking for a prop instead of changing at all. And then of course the ones who just dump their clothes on the ground and never pick them back up. Speaking from a stage manager’s perspective, I have enough to do without having to clean up after people who treat the floor as a shelf. Clean up after yourself people, make my life easier!

5. Doubt, doubt and more doubt. There are some shows that seem to go so well during production week its frightening. And then there are the shows where every night is a complete and total disaster. Actors are still calling for lines during dress rehearsal, inexperienced actors stop the entire production during a final dress rehearsal because someone was late on their entrance (yes that really happened), the set dresser doesn’t show up at all until two days before opening, none of the sound effects work properly, and so on and so forth. Basically its disaster after disaster and there is that nagging feeling in your gut that says this is going to fall apart and be a complete and total train wreck.

But then something amazing happens. Its opening night and the show doesn’t fall apart. I used to say that if the dress rehearsal is a disaster, opening night is great. This thought gets me through those long rehearsals where everything seems to be going wrong. But I’ll take the good with the bad, because I’m a theater girl for life!

www.nemasketriverproductions.com

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The Struggles of a Small Theater

-By Malorie Savran

I have been with NRP in Middleboro for a couple of years now and I’ve learned a few things.  One of which is that when you get together a group of very talented and passionate people, magic can happen on the stage.  Another is that when you are part of a small theater, getting an audience in the seats can be difficult.  

Theater provides a unique format and experience to pull in an audience that no movie or youtube video can do.  Its live for starters, so anything can happen.  I myself have dropped many a prop while changing scenes over and lets be honest, that’s part of the fun.   And I’ve been fortunate enough to see a performance or two that draws me in personally, and connects me to the action that is happening right before my eyes.  Each performance brings a different layer to whatever the director is trying to accomplish or the actor is trying to portray.  Its a unique and lovely experience that happens when people come together, in person, and share an evening.  

So when you are a small theater, how do you get people to come to your shows?  How do you get your name out?  How do you convince your target audience that sitting in a theater and watching a show is worth spending a few bucks and a little bit of time away from the ease of technology and the pleasure of Netflix binging?  

For starters, we have to tell people who we are!  We’ve started some exciting new things such as our new social media outlets, including this very blog.  

Myself and others will be blogging about all sorts of topics.  We will be talking about our current productions, about the different people involved in our theater and about ourselves and our personal experiences with the stage.  

So help our little theater.  Tell your friends, tell your family, share our posts, but most importantly, come and see us!  

www.nemasketriverproductions.com