Behind the Scenes: Robin Cust

Here at OHA, we’re big believers in arts integrated learning, so much so that we’ve made it the cornerstone of our educational partnerships. Thankfully, we’ve had OHA Education Associate Robin Cust leading the charge. This evening’s your chance to get to know a little more about this lovely lady.

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up just outside of Boone, a university town in the mountains of North Carolina, in one of the most idyllic and beautiful valleys on the planet. The worn and gently rolling mountains of the ancient Appalachian range provided an exquisite setting to commune with nature.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

That seems so long ago! If I can pull those days from the recesses of my memory, they were probably filled with creativity and humor. So yeah, I guess my classmates might most remember me for my having a creative leaning. I remember my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Taylor, giving me permission to excuse myself from the class work to “perfect” my painting of a horse…I scrubbed right through the paper in the pursuit of artistic perfection, and I’m still scrubbing today, only with different tools and materials.

I also remember laughing a lot with my closest friends at really ridiculous stuff …geez…who knows what was so funny. I surely can’t remember the details, but I’m sure it had to do with some bizarre imaginings.

3. Name four fictional characters with whom you’d be okay being stuck in an elevator. Why them?

John Steinbeck’s Junius Maltby would be a great companion and would find many things to be in awe of or to wonder about while being oblivious to the desperate situation. He would have us enthralled with some interesting flight of fancy for a very short time until The Forrester Family from Marjorie Kennan Rawlings The Yearling, who are constantly fighting and arguing with everyone over every little thing, would take matters into their own hands. They’re not the type of friends you want to invite to a dinner party: they’re loud, violent, wild and mean, and I actually have a soft spot in my heart for them. Guaranteed…we wouldn’t be stuck in that elevator for very long!

I know that’s more than four people…The Forrester Family is big in number and girth, but I also think Mary Call Luther from Where the Lilies Bloom would be an asset. Mary Call is an unflinching and determined young woman with enough grit to bear up under a load of difficulty that would be too much for most adults. She could keep the Forresters productively focused.

I’m not sure what it says about me that I would be willing to be stuck in an elevator with characters who are desperate, intense and completely out of touch!

4. If you were a cartoon character, what cartoon character would you be?

Pink Panther. He’s sly lanky and definitely cool. He doesn’t even need to speak to keep your attention, and even after he’s been through the wringer, he saunters off with that sideways glance and a wink…totally in control and ready for the next hair-raising escapade!

5. When did you fall in love with theater?

Probably shortly after the unfortunate family of raccoons were evicted from The Stonington Opera House. Prior to that I was mildly intrigued by theater, and thought I might someday like to participate.

Want to see OHA educational programming in action? Come down to the Opera House next Wednesday, the 25th, at 7pm for a reprise of The Living Room Project: Grapes of Wrath, starring CAB member Bob Burke and directed by Caitlin Shetterly. This performance is done as a follow up to Tuesday’s educational symposia with the Deer Isle Stonington High School.

Oh, and if you see Robin? Give her a high five!

Throwback Thursday

CAB member, Bob Burke in the 2014 Living Room Project performance of The Grapes of Wrath.

A reprise of this performance is being offered next Wednesday, March 25th at 7pm. This is being done as a follow up to Tuesday’s upcoming symposium with the high school. Want more information? Check out our Cue Sheets!

Behind the Scenes: Isaac Goss

Who is that man behind the curtain? Or, more accurately, up in the projection booth. OHA Projectionist Isaac Goss keeps our movies running smoothly each week. Here’s your chance to get to know him a little better!

1. Where did you grow up?

In Bolton Valley, Vermont.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

I would like to think fondly. Constantly reading or sketching or writing. One of the three or all of the above.

3. Name four fictional characters with whom you’d be okay being stuck in an elevator. Why them?

Captain William Lawrence (from Temeraire series by Naomi Novik)

Commander Sam Vimes (from Discworld, by Terri Pratchett)

Doctor Gordon Freeman (from Half-Life)

Chell (from Portal)

The first two would be interesting to talk to. The other two know how to keep quiet.

4. If you were a cartoon character, what cartoon character would you be?

Marvin the Martian

5. What drew you to working at the Opera House?

I knew the people who worked here and it seemed like it would be the place for me.

Isaac will once again be valiantly manning the projector at this weekend’s showing of Fifty Shades of Grey. Come, check out the movie that everyone’s talking about and admire his fine work! 

Want to know more about the inner workings for the Opera Hose? Read our other Behind the Scenes interviews!

Throwback Thursday

Local children explore the world from a new viewpoint at the 2003 Arts Camp. 

Interested in this year’s upcoming Arts Camp? Click here for more information. Registration begins next month!

Behind the Scenes: Judith Jerome

OHA founder Judith Jerome may have retired as Artistic Director last year, but she’s not done with the Opera House yet! Her role as OHA Artistic Consultant will be keeping her busy this summer, which means you may not be able to slow her down long enough to get the answers to all those burning questions you have. We decided to catch up with her before the mythical snow melt. Here’s what she had to say:

Judith, keeping the Opera House running smoothly.

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Oklahoma City, and then Dallas, TX, although my family was straight off the farm, new and awkward city dwellers.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

My Maple Lawn Elementary school classmates would remember me as a nerd, wicked proud of my straight 1’s, and a leader and performer. I loved to cook up neighborhood circuses, and class performances. A favorite was the Heffalump story from Winnie the Pooh, where Pooh gets his head stuck in the honey jar. And at the drop of a hat and for all school assemblies I would sing something from Oklahoma, the musical, but especially my favorites, “Kansas City” and “I’m just a Girl Who Can’t Say No.” The boys and some girls, notably Patty Duncan, would remember me as a fighter, full out.

3. Name four fictional characters with whom you’d be okay being stuck in an elevator. Why them?

Martha Quest, from Doris Lessing’s Children of Violence series, because she was smart and straightforward and on a devoted quest through her times. The Reverend John Ames and his wife, Lila, (from Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead) because it would be both a comfort and instructive to be in the presence of such patience with the world. Also because they would teach me to see through peoples’ defenses. That’s three. Grandpa Edwin Hoover, from Little Miss Sunshine, because he doesn’t believe in normal and he would make me laugh.

4. If you were a cartoon character, what cartoon character would you be?

Remy, the rat from Ratatouille, with that good a nose and taste for cooking

5. You’re the Artistic Consultant on The Seagull, which had auditions this past weekend. What’s your favorite part of the audition process?

My favorite part of the audition process is learning what the play you are casting really is about. You go into it thinking you know, but then here comes the brilliance of actors, who begin to *embody* the play, and it opens out in a whole new, shining way.

6. What are you most excited about with this summer’s production of The Seagull? 

Overturning the dour Chekhov myth and making people laugh. That and being outside!

Tickets are on sale for this summer’s production of The Seagull, to be directed by Board Member Peter Richards and performed outdoors at Ames Farm. The infamous work explores the lives of those on a rural, late nineteenth century Russian estate in a darkly comedic manner. In Chekhov’s world, the only thing you can count on is life not turning out the way it’s supposed to. 

Want to know more about the inner workings for the Opera Hose? Read our other Behind the Scenes interviews!

Throwback Thursday

CAB member Tinker Crouch making the walls of the Opera House a little bit sunnier in 2006. 

Looking forward to when the whole island is a little bit sunnier? Escape the cold at the movies! First, we’re heading down to balmy Alabama with Selma and then things will really be heating up next weekend with Fifty Shades of Grey.

Don’t forget that we “spring ahead” this Sunday! We’re losing an hour of sleep but gaining a step toward warmer weather.

Behind the Scenes: Nellie & Jack

A lot of woman/man-power goes in to every movie and show being produced on the Opera House stage, but here at OHA we don’t simply rely on humans to get things done. Since the beginning we’ve had an Opera House dog to help out with the day-to-day activities of the organization. As most of you know, we currently have two pups carrying the load of OHA’s canine responsibilities. However, while this pair is friendly, they’re not overly verbose – so while you know them, you may not knowthem.

Jack & Nellie spreading cheer in this endless winter.

1. Where did you grow up?

Jack – I was born into a pretty big family in Lincoln, Maine. We had some good times, but there comes a point where you’re just ready to strike out on your own – no matter how much you love your family. When Judith and Linda came along, it just seemed like the right fit. We had so many similar interests and I was ready to see more of the world.

Nellie – I moved around some growing up. Times weren’t always easy, but somehow I always knew there were big things in my future. I’d landed in Bath when I met Linda and Judith. They both seemed to know a lot of words, which appealed to me. I didn’t realize until later that I was becoming part of a family.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you? 

Jack – While I haven’t pursued any formalized educational experience, I think those who have known me would remember me as a student of the world. Oh, and a natural warmer if you happen to find yourself treading freezing water in the lake behind your house.

Nellie – This is a ridiculous question. I didn’t go to elementary school. But, fine, if I did, they’d remember me as a real wordsmith. I love words. I’d kill any vocabulary test. Seriously. Try me.

3. Name four fictional characters with whom you’d be okay being stuck in an elevator with. Why them?

Both –

Rin Tin Tin (from Rin Tin Tin) – Rin’s gotten through some pretty serious scrapes. He could definitely handle himself in a stuck elevator situation.

Toto (from The Wizard of Oz) – The books, not the movie, of course – where he could talk. He’s not overly chatty which is nice, but we don’t want to have to completely guess what he’s thinking. Plus, we need to know if he thinks the elevator issue has some kind of Wicked Witch connection.

Tock (from The Phantom Tollbooth) – Not only does he give great advice in dire situations, he’s also part clock. That’s going to make it a lot easier to know how long we’ve been stuck in that elevator.

While both Jack and Nellie were in pretty solid agreement up until this point, their opinion diverged in terms of the last member of their elevator quartet – though they both went in the superhuman direction.

Jack –

The Human Torch (from The Fantastic Four) – Those elevator floors can get pretty cold. If I’m going to be in there for awhile, it would be nice to have someone there to heat them up. And then perhaps melt some of this snow outside after we got out. That would be nice.

Nellie –

Wonder Woman (from Wonder Woman) – Diana Prince would have us out of that elevator in no time. Plus, who doesn’t love Amazons?

4. If you were a cartoon character, what cartoon character would you be?

Jack – I suppose I relate to Pinky – another non-human with the ability to communicate with people. Plus, I always admired his ability to thwart his friend’s less moral attempts under the guise of foolishness so as not to ruin the friendship. He was quite clever.

Nellie – Brain. Brain. Brain. Now, there was a guy who knew what had to be done. I’m telling you, give me a little more time and you’ll be looking at the new Producing Artistic Director.

5. When did you first fall in love with theater?

Jack – One of my first theater experiences was the staged reading of Peter Matthiessen’s Men’s Lives that was done at the Opera House in 2008. Having just moved to Deer Isle, the story of such a similar community really spoke to me. I was thrilled when OHA brought it back this past fall.

Nellie – When I heard there had been raccoons in the Opera House. I was actually pretty disappointed when I found out they weren’t living there anymore. I’d love to chase a good raccoon.

Come down to the Opera House and support all of Jack and Nellie’s hard work – plus, Academy Award Best Picture winner, Birdman, this weekend!