Players’ Ring preparing for Oct. 2 opening
The Players' Ring announced it would resume live shows with "Mary and Me," a one-woman show beginning Oct. 2. Since, there's been a lot of scurrying behind the scenes prepping for it, with the installation of new air quality gizmos, and arrangements for online viewing.
The Ring largely focuses on original work, Board of Trustee member Joel Plagenz says. That's proven a major help as it looks to secure rights for online viewing of its productions.
"So far, it looks promising," Plagenz says. "So many of the shows are original premiers and the producers are directly in touch with the playwrights and can just ask for permission. ... It's much less complicated."
"But even for a published play like 'Savannah Sipping Society' (Oct. 23 to Nov. 1), we found the publisher is very flexible in letting us play a recording on the same days as the live performances are happening."
A play will be taped the first weekend of its run, made available by the second weekend. Ticket prices are the same for live and online viewing.
The Ring is looking for volunteers to work the cameras. If interested, contact Production Manager M. Giacobbi at margherita@playersring.org.
And then there's the new gizmos. The Ring has installed an Infinity air purifier, and iWave-C commercial air cleaner.
"We're considering it part of the HVAC fund," Plagenz says. "So, we'll be continuing to raise money for the air conditioner. ... That will come."
Seacoast director wins film festival award
Painter and filmmaker-cameraman Flynn Donovan's "Down River" took Best Director in Short Documentaries at the Amsterdam Global Film Festival.
Donovan directed "and did everything actually, but I wasn't the editor," he says, "The editor was Bill Rogers ... who won an award for editor."
This is hardly the film's first recognition, just the latest and "only the highest you can go in the competition," Donovan says. "Down River" has made the festival rounds, garnering numerous awards.
A 29-minute documentary, "Down River" explores 36 hours in the lives of five Amazon fishermen. It starts with "a bad catch," Donovan says.
"That changes to what I would call the master scene, where the boat is sinking into the water the catch is so fantastic."
The film took two years to film, two separate trips to Peru, and lots of fundraising.
The film exemplifies the type of story Donovan has tried to tell in all three of his documentaries.
"My previous films focused pretty much on the working man, ... workers that are pretty much invisible," Donovan says. "I think 'Down River' is probably the best example yet of the film I"m trying to make."
"Down River" also marks the first time Donovan collaborated with Rogers, a longtime friend, and "It was a great experience," Rogers says.
"What made it great was that we worked extremely comfortably together, a trainable amount of hours per session, and Flynn is both specific in terms of what footage he likes as well as flexible in looking at my input as the editor," Rogers says. "In the end, his approach brought out the best of our creative capabilities and the best of the amazing footage he brought back from the Amazon. It was about fishermen trying to bring back a full boat of fish, but Flynn brought back the equivalent in footage." (Trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptmWffJd0eA)
Donovan is already onto a new project, a short screenplay for a dramatic film, working title "Sea Lilies."
This time he'll tell the story of a Puerto Rican woman who makes peace with her father before his death.
As for his painting, that's not happening right now. "This has kind of gotten in the way," Donovan says. "But I'll get back at it."
Hosker-Bouley publishes first book
George Hosker-Bouley just released "Walking Until Dawn," his first book after penning 34-plus plays over the past few decades. The book hit the market Aug. 10, 16 years after he wrote its first draft. The books is available on Amazon.
Of course, there's a story behind its origin and lengthy gestation.
"Well, this is a two-part story," Hosker-Bouley says. "Initially I did the piece as a play at the Players' Ring. After it closed, I thought there was more of a story to tell.
"I did my first draft ... and thought 'I'll get right back to it.' Then life happened."
Fast forward 15 years and COVID happened, and Hosker-Bouley was furloughed from "every job I work!" With time on his hands, he revisited the story, worked it for three months and took it from its 200 to 500 pages.
Returning to such an early piece was a real eye-opener, he says.
"It informed me of what a better storyteller I've become. It was interesting to read something written 15 years ago - and think 'Wow, this isn't' that great,’" he says. "When you first write it, you think you're gifted."
"This time I got deeply involved with the characters," he adds. "I changed the emotional aspects. ... The story has really evolved."
Now, he's on a roll. Hosker-Bouley is currently working on a number of writing projects.
There's a new piece of fiction, another adaptation of "Crackers," an earlier play (1998), and "The Underbelly Book" based on the Underbelly project, which saw life as a play, the long-running Portsmouth Underbelly Tours, and performance pieces, all exploring scandalous, historical, Seacoast tales.
Finally, Hosker has forged a relationship with Big Dog Publishing, a script rental company.
"They've accepted my play 'Black Tuesday' for their 2020 catalogue and are looking at two more," Hosker says. "Yes, there's lots going on."
Pontine Theater to launch a virtual ’tour’
Pontine Theatre, which already announced its switch from live to livestream and taped performances, is taking that formula "on the road," Co Artistic Director Marguerite Mathews says.
Touring has always been a major player for Pontine - integral to its survival. Currently they visit as many as 50 New England communities each season.
"Touring has been the meat and potatoes of our company since it was founded, ... because our product is so niche market," Mathews says. "It's not broad-based/Broadway, so we always assumed we'd need to find our audience from a larger population, not just the Seacoast."
The virtual tour will include a live-streamed introduction, a half-hour of pre-recorded show excerpts, and a live, post-show Q & A.
"We'll also do some behind the scene things," Mathews says. "We have toy theater elements, a closeup look at different pieces and we'll let Greg (Gathers, Pontine’s Co-Artistic Director) talk about the art he's created to support the performance."
Pontine's 2020-2021season's tour starts with "Robert Frost's New Hampshire," on Sept. 29 (originally scheduled for May). They also plan to offer a December Christmas production, and a historically-based piece in the spring, the latter live or virtual, whatever the climate allows.
As for taking the season virtual, at least for now, they're OK with it. It even offers a few perks, Mathews says.
"We go way up in the state where not a lot of organizations serve. So, we're looking forward to not driving on the Kancamagus in the snow," she says. "It will be nice to be sitting in the schoolhouse (theater) having hot chocolate while doing it."
Jeanné McCartin keeps her eyes and ears open for gossip at maskmakernh@gmail.com.
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