Technically Speaking

The Trials and Tribulations of the “Sound and Light Guys”

by Audrey Dubois

With each production, there are a select few who have the privilege of watching every single performance of the show for free. They sit on a lofty precipice, high above the rest of the audience, comfortable in their superiority. These few, these elite, are known simply as the tech crew.

At first blush the life of a technician does not sound extremely appealing. There is a lot of pressure to pay attention to cues, and a patient demeanor is a must. In my experience, the technicians have been more familiar with the script that most of the actors by the end of the torture of Tech Week. And while the actors and actresses take their bows and absorb the applause, the light crew is left in the back frantically reminding the lead characters to turn in their wireless microphones without tangling the cord.

But with all this responsibility comes prestige and power. The lighting and sound technicians are probably the most important part of the show. Imagine arriving at a play where you could neither see nor hear the actors. Unless it was an entirely scent-based production, there would be little value in such a show. The tech crew holds in their hands the success of the performance.

Tech has a stigma of being the division of rejected actors. Like most stereotypes, this is unfounded and untrue. Being a technician requires a lot of skill, dexterity, and responsibility. The tech crew is an amalgam of personalities. Many of them are seasoned actors; others would rather be behind the scenes than in front of them. What they all share is a commitment to their work and a desire to help, and deserve so much more respect than they usually receive. The sound and light crew is a friendly reminder that you don’t have to be under the spotlight to shine.

If you would like to learn tech for Swamp Meadow, please contact our membership coordinator Leslie Carter at email hidden; JavaScript is required

Growing through Theatre

How Swamp Meadow Shaped My Life

by Emma Capron

When I auditioned for my first role at Swamp Meadow Community Theatre, I was a gawky girl of eleven. The show was Matthias of Redwall. After my audition, I was cast as the role of Methuselah, a wizened old mouse. That summer I learned not only my part, but also many essential tools for acting. I grew greatly as an actress, but I grew even more as a person. After that show, I continued to be an active part of Swamp Meadow. Each time I participated in a show, I found myself growing into an even better actress. My character also continued to grow, and I built lasting friendships along the way. In so many ways, being a part of Swamp Meadow has changed me and shaped me into the person I am today.

I have often asked myself how a community theatre could mold my character in the transformative way it has. There wasn’t just one way Swamp Meadow has changed me; it was a combination of so many things. It’s a complex circle of characteristics that have helped me to grow and change myself.

First of all, there were the shows themselves. The script of every show in which I have ever participated at Swamp Meadow has taught me a valuable lesson. In shows like Matthias of Redwall and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I learned about honor, and how good will always overcome evil. I learned how to be a good friend from Charlotte’s Web. Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights taught me that stories are powerful, and sometimes the best weapon you can have is your mind. I learned from The Wizard of Oz that family is extremely important, and there really is no place like home. All these shows taught me how to navigate life through their themes and characters. However, that’s just one of the many puzzle pieces in the complex jigsaw of my relationship with community theatre.

Teamwork is another factor of Swamp Meadow that has helped to turn me into a better person. The core of the entire theatre is teamwork. Whenever a show is put on, no one person is responsible for making the show a success or failure. From leading players to lighting assistants to the people who add a last minute adjustment to a costume, everyone plays a role in a show’s success. Everything runs like a finely-tuned machine because the people at Swamp Meadow know how to work together. Being a part of Swamp Meadow taught me that everyone is a part of the process, and to succeed, one must be willing to be a team player.

Perhaps one of the most important ways that Swamp Meadow has been able to change me has come through the participants. Never in my life have I ever met so many wonderful people in one place. Everyone who I have met at Swamp Meadow has in some way been a force of good in my life. The volunteers who participate in the theatre are good-hearted people, who work hard to produce something wonderful. They are thoughtful, encouraging, and dedicated. The directors of each show always organize a cast party in which every member of the entire cast and crew is recognized and thanked for their part. This unconditional gratitude is something I have only ever experienced at Swamp Meadow. I have been able to join Swamp Meadow’s productions on and off throughout the years, and there are perpetually people who care about me regardless of how long it’s been. The people at Swamp Meadow are like a family, and they’ve shared their love and goodness with me.

Humility is a lesson I have learned from Swamp Meadow that has helped to shape me. I learned early on that everyone in a show is important, and no one member of a team is better than another. In every show I have been a part of, starring roles and the parts with no lines at all are treated with equal importance. Also, no one is guaranteed a starring role just because they’ve had one before. Casting is based on who fits a role best. Anyone can come in and have a chance to any part. Being a part of this community has constantly reminded me that no one is better than anyone else. Life is about being the best you can be, not simply “the best.”

Lastly, I believe that Swamp Meadow has made me a truly better person because of the hard work it has taught me. Throughout the course of my time at Swamp Meadow, I have had to work very hard whenever I am a part of a show. There are long hours of rehearsals, lines to learn, and improvements to be made. Tech week requires the team to run the play constantly, in addition to hours dedicated at home. So much work goes in to making each play a success. Slacking off is not permitted. From participating in these productions, I learned that the best way to succeed at something is dedication.

I am sure that if I continued to muse over how Swamp Meadow has made me into a better person, I could come up with an even longer list. There are so many things about Swamp Meadow that have made it a strong and positive force in my life. It has been years since I was that gawky little girl who auditioned for Matthias of Redwall, a hyperactive child who was looking for a fun summer activity. I did get my fun experience, but that summer, I began my time with a theatre that would influence who I would ultimately become.

Putting the “Fun” in Funeral

A review by Audrey Dubois

After attending rehearsal for Swamp Meadow Community Theatre’s Finnegan’s Farewell, I found myself crying. It wasn’t because the story took place at a funeral, or that I was surrounded by great actors who brought to life the sadness they felt for this fictitious character. I cried because I was laughing so hard.

Finnegan’s Farewell is directed by Liz Goulet Dubois, a Swamp Meadow member for six years and veteran director of her original comedy Get Merry. After achieving maximum hilarity on the mainstage, she decided to conquer the dinner theatre with humour as well. This play takes place at the funeral of Irish mailman Paddy Finnegan, but don’t expect a lifeless affair. It’s a fast-paced comedy laden to the brim with over-the-top Irish accents, mail-order puns, and relatable sibling rivalry. The talented cast features Paddy’s wife and four children, as well as a hilarious reverend, a wacky lawyer, a rollicking Irish band, and many acquaintances that may only be there to hear their name in Paddy’s will. And let’s not forget that the audience is in attendance as well! The show is interactive, and the audience members might be asked to sing, dance, share a toast, or simply clap along. No matter what happens, Finnegan’s Farewell is a memorial service you won’t soon forget.

Finnegan’s Farewell will be performed at the South Foster Fire Station on March 8th at 6 pm and March 9th at 1 pm. Tickets are $28 each. As a dinner theatre, a meal is included with the cost of the ticket. Paid reservations are due by March 2nd.  In good Irish tradition, 21-and-overs are invited to bring their own alcoholic beverages. This show is recommended for humans 12 and older for mature humour. Remember that March 9th is Daylights Savings time—you wouldn’t want to be fashionably late to this get-together!

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A Theatrical Part for an Aching Heart

As I sat there at the Crucible cast party, surrounded by a group of people I absolutely adored, I found myself thinking, “What would I be without Swamp Meadow Community Theatre?” But sitting there in that plastic chair, so content with my life and the way the world had been treating me, I realized that, amazingly, I knew the answer to that question.

I like to think that music taught me how to live, and that theatre taught me how to be happy. I wouldn’t know how to live without song. I have been a guitarist nearly as long as I can remember, a vocalist even longer than that. But I only started acting around a year ago, and it wasn’t until then that I truly learned how to be (and stay) happy.

I know exactly what my life would be without SMCT because I can still clearly remember what life was like before. I’d wake up each morning wondering what I was doing with my life and why I even bothered getting out of bed. I found myself crying all the time, wishing I knew why I was so upset or what could possibly fill this void I felt, deep in my heart. And the uncertainty would only kindle the fire—the fire that became my depression. It’s kind of ironic, actually, the way I used to claim ownership of my depression with the possessive pronoun. As if I had any amount of control over it. In reality, depression had completely conquered me; it had become part of my definition of my identity.

Of course, redemption didn’t come over night. Happiness was a trade that I had to re-learn rather tediously, to be honest. When I auditioned for my first role in Jesus Christ Superstar, I was almost compelled to introduce myself with the information that I was indeed depressed; it was as much a part of me as my own name. At some rehearsals early on, I would run to those elementary school bathrooms, stare at myself in the mirror, and try to let out whatever the emotion it was that I was feeling, only to have no clue what it was. It had to be some combination of self-hatred and pure misery, and for what? Nothing. Not a single reason. I spent hours—every free moment of my time—trying to figure out what was bothering me so much. And boy, the inability to understand the cause of my depression aggravated me. Frankly, it still does.

And yet, theatre (more specifically, Swamp Meadow) has become the therapist I wish I’d met much sooner. It has literally taken the place of my therapy sessions, as play practices have become numerous and weekly appointments have slowly become obsolete. Being a part of Swamp Meadow has given me a clear, prominent purpose to strive for and goals to which I can continually look forward. I’ve gained an emotional outlet and the challenge of a new art form to take on. I’ve learned to dream bigger, to take risks, to speak out with confidence, to empathize, and plenty more than that. But the most important thing I gained when I became a “swamper” was a family. A close-knit group that I quickly learned was not going anywhere. Theatre acquainted me with people who were not perfect, but as a whole, were exactly what I needed. People are what make life worth living, and no amount of trying to “figure out” my depression could bring me to that realization quicker than SMCT did. The cast, band, and crew of Superstar became the training wheels I needed, whether they knew it or not, and I could never thank them enough for that. Thanks to Sara, I learned that not all teenagers bite and, thanks to Izzi and Molly, I learned how to have fun, let go for a while, and realize that it’s alright for me to act my age. Thanks to Preston, I learned how much something as simple as a hug every now and then can do for a troubled heart. And thanks to Bob, I learned that it’s all right for me to love myself, too. I could certainly go on. Everyone I’ve met through Swamp Meadow has impacted my life tremendously (and I cannot stress that enough), both individually and as part of this loving community. I’ve met role models and friends that I would never have met otherwise, all because I said “Why not?” to an ad in The Foster Journal. And although I could have discovered SMCT sooner, I’m actually kind of grateful that it took so long, because the gratification was so much greater. Depression gave me one gift I’ll surely cherish forever: the ability to comprehend just how blessed I am.

I’ve never been fond of voyaging back to the most troubling seas of my past, but something inside told me that this was a story worth sharing. I apologize for perhaps being too blunt at times, but Swamp Meadow has a really good thing going, and to that this letter is my testimony.

Adapting The Three Musketeers

An Article by Emma Capron

In the very near future, auditions will be held for Swamp Meadow’s production of The Three Musketeers. This play, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, was adapted for the stage by the Swamp Meadow’s own Heather Christie. Christie has been involved in  the theatre since the very beginning on all sides, from acting and directing to writing and working backstage. I was able to get her thoughts on her recent involvement in writing this new adaptation of The Three Musketeers.

When I asked Christie about why she chose this novel for stage adaptation, she had a simple answer. “I wanted to do a production of The Three Musketeers,” she said, “but I couldn’t find any satisfactory adaptations.” Christie therefore decided  to tackle the project for herself. She stated that The Three Musketeers is “easily my favorite novel,” so the project was not too difficult for her.

Christie’s connection to this particular novel caused her to seriously consider how to convey the story’s themes and complex storyline, while staying within a reasonable timeframe. Christie wanted to remain true to Dumas’ intentions, telling me that many other adaptations “turn the musketeers into characters akin to the Three Stooges, which loses an immense part of the story. Other adaptations add characters or scenes or switch around the events of the book, at which I honestly shudder and cringe.” Christie wanted to avoid this kind of alteration in her writing. “Dumas wrote the book the way he wanted it, and he told the story he felt should be told,” she eloquently stated.

While discussing her thoughts regarding the content of the new adaptation, Christie told me how she actually wrote the script. “You start with the main theme of the scene, what happens, who says things that are important, etc. Then you try to visualize it onstage,” she said. Christie’s process was focused on turning her vision into a unified play that would convey Dumas’ ideas. Instead of consulting outside plays or films, she chose to rely on the magic of Dumas’ original words. Christie took two or three months to write her adaptation of the novel, telling me that she simply went through her “well-thumbed” copy of the novel, and wrote scenes based off important dialogue and storylines. “Really, I went through the book page by page and wrote the adaptation that way,” as Christie phrased it. While writing the adaptation, though, Christie did have to make some difficult decisions about how much to cut. For Christie, “The biggest blow was the stories of Aramis and Porthos.” These important characters have a great deal of interaction with the play’s antagonist, Milady de Winter. To preserve crucial plot twists between other characters and the villain, much of the two characters’ backstories had to be edited out, but overall Christie did her best to “remain true to the story.”

I also was able to find out what Christie’s involvement in the actual production would be. “I approached Swamp Meadow before even adapting the play,” she said. Originally, Christie wanted to direct the production she authored. Then she “was accepted into a graduate program  in Scotland, and [is] now in Glasgow studying for a master’s degree.” She expects that her involvement will be one of “hearing progress as rehearsals go and offering advice or suggestions where needed.” She also will be unable to see any of the performances but trusts that “SMCT can send me a copy of pictures and a video tape!” While she cannot be physically present with the people who will be bringing her play to life, Christie positively stated “I will certainly be there in spirit every step of the way!”

It is exciting whenever someone in the Swamp Meadow family steps forward to write a new adaptation. It promises to be a thrilling experience, and this writer can personally attest that Christie’s adaptations are an absolute treat in which to be involved. She is a very talented and dedicated young woman who has been a very helpful and fun member of Swamp Meadow for years. Her new adaptation promises to delight and thrill audiences, as well as the cast and crew.

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