Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: The Interns

It's crazy to think that the summer season is almost at an end. We only have three shows left on the summer calendar - tomorrow's Jonathan Edwards concert, Peter Atkinson, and the Derrick Semler Band - and then it is officially fall at the Opera House.

There have been a lot of big shows this summer, sometimes multiple shows on a single night. And for those of us working down here there was really only one thing that kept everything running smoothly...the interns.

Whether they were behind concessions, creating amazing archival and engagement videos, painting and building sets, putting up flyers, working as stage crew, performing on stage, leading us in dance breaks, finding taxidermied seagulls, taking "selfies" of taxidermied seagulls, or any of the other million tasks they performed, OHA's 2015 interns were the tops.

In the words of Lily Felsenthal:

As Intern Coordinator this summer I had the pleasure of working closely with all of our fantastic interns. As a former OHA intern myself, I know how demanding the job can be-- there are always costumes to be sewn, sets to be painted, inventory to be stocked, lights to be hung, and a hundred other things. This year's interns took all of it in stride. They came in early and stayed late, they showed up to rehearse and strike sets and support the staff in the office, they made films and theater pieces and built props and sets. I was so floored by their willingness to jump in and help out wherever they were needed, as well as their eagerness to learn about things they didn't know how to do yet. It was an honor to work with such motivated, talented, creative young people, and I hope they know how valuable their work was and how much they will be missed.

It is very true. Having said good-bye to many of them earlier in the week, the space feels much emptier. But, we wish them absolutely all of the best in the new school year.

Most importantly, however, we send with them our profound gratitude for all their hard work, and the fun and joy they brought to that work. This season would not have been possible without you guys. Thank you!

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Bari Robinson

We're so happy to welcome Bari Robinson to the Opera House this summer as Bardolph and Dr. Caius in The Merry Wives of Windsor. It's been such a pleasure for us to get to know him and now it's your turn...

Where did you grow up? 

I grew up in Boston, MA, right in Dorchester.

How would your elementary school classmates remember you? 

I was the kid who always challenged people to a race on the playground. I was also the kid who laughed at every joke that was ever told to me.

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

Wall-E, because he could teach me how to focus on the little things and see the bright side.

Batman, because he's the greatest superhero of all time!

Stephen Colbert, because I'd want him to try to interview Batman and Wall-E

Dori from Finding Nemo, because at least we'd forget our troubles!

If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

I would definitely be Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or at least that's who I wanna be!). 

When did you fall in love with theater?

When I was in high school we did a production of Tartuffe in the commedia dell arte style. I got to play the son, Damis, and after that, I knew theater was the thing for me!

You still have THREE chances to see The Merry Wives of Windsor! Come down to the Opera House tonight at 7 pm, Saturday at 7 pm or Sunday at 2 pm to get in on the fun...

Behind the Scenes: Tommy Piper

Good morrow, folks! You're in luck today, as we have Tommy Piper visiting the blog. You've seen him on the Opera House stage over the years as Bottom, Touchstone and more...and this summer as Dorn in The Seagull over at Ames Farm. Now, you have the chance to watch him as the hilarious Sir John Falstaff in this summer's 80's-infused production of The Merry Wives of Windsor! But first, dear friends, take a moment to get to know Tommy a little bit better...

Where did you grow up?

Well- I was born in Chicago... The biggest baby ever born in Evanston Hospital, at 9 lbs 14oz.  That record, sadly, has since been shattered. However, I spent most of my childhood in St. Louis, MO, and then graduated high school in Atlanta, GA.

How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Devilishly handsome, wicked smart, incredibly talented, and one heck of an athlete.  Ohh... And a bit of a clown....

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

Dean Moriarty and Yossarian... Cause we could cause some trouble and tell some stories. Galadriel 'cause she's like Cate Blanchett with magical Elven powers (no brainer, right?) -- And then Schneider from One Day at a Time 'cause he could fix it.

Or maybe we want Schneider back in his apartment and that Chinese acrobat from Ocean's Eleven in the elevator so he can crawl out and go  tell Schneider to fix it.

If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

Racer X from Speed Racer.

When did you fall in love with theatre?

When I was a kid I went to a production of Showboat with Eddie Bracken at the Muny Opera in St. Louis. Bracken was the father of my Mom's best friend from college, so we got to go backstage after the show, meet the cast and see some of that 'behind the scenes' magic.  The next day Bracken came to our house, picked my pocket, stole my watch, and told stories.  Lots of stories. Stories about hitchhiking his way across the country at 16 to get to Hollywood, and Vaudeville, and how Carol Burnette daily bursts through his front door.

The seed was planted...

But I guess that's more like seeing the pretty girl at the other end of the bar, and feeling the butterflies in your belly while you work up the nerve to go strike up a conversation.  The love part comes later. 

And that's another story...a long one. 

And then there's the time Theatre and I got married, and then we moved into that house, and then we had lots and lots of little theatre rugrats running around, and then...and then...and then...

Join Tommy and other OHA favorites - Jeffrey Fracé, Melody Bates, and Matt Hurley - along with talented new faces and area residents all this weekend and next Thursday through Sunday at The Merry Wives of Windsor!

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Found Files

Folks! This is so exciting. We've been rummaging through the archives like mad and found another conversation between Mistress Ford and Mistress Page! It seems like they're might have been some things going on in between this and the first one we uncovered, but we'll have to wait until next Thursday to find out more about that. For now, we can get at least a little insight into their day on the town...

Brace yourselves, everyone...we found photos with this one! 

Our Merry Wives decided to take a nice day on the town, with a visit to the Touch Tank at the Downeast Fisheries Center and a little shopping at The Dry Dock. 
But they couldn't quite shake the Fat Knight....

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Found Files

Hello everyone! This is pretty exciting stuff. We were going through the archives and found this communique between Mistress Ford and Mistress Page (circa 1985) regarding a certain new guy in town...

We're going to keep looking through the files in the hopes of finding out what these ladies had in mind. But in the mean time, get ready to party like it's 1989 with the Merry Wives starting August 13!

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Ralitza Patcheva

We're very excited to continue Chamber at the Church next week with award-winning pianist Ralitza Patcheva. The Washington Post rightly calls her a "phenomenon," but does The Washington Post also know which cartoon character Ralitza feels most akin to? Because now we all do...

Where did you grow up?

In Sofia, which is the capital city of Bulgaria.

How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Well, I studied with the same group of people all the way until high school (this is how things worked in Bulgaria when I was in school). So, their memories of me might be fresher than elementary school.

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

If I had a choice, I would prefer it not to be an elevator, but...Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities, since I feel his story remains untold in this grand book. So, you know how elevators and train compartments make people tell things they would never otherwise think of telling? I think he is a great character and I wish to know more about him than the book has given me.

Someone resourceful like Emil of Loneberga (by Astrid Lindgren) would be fun, because he might actually come up with a way to get the elevator moving. When he gets locked up in the wood shed after doing something naughty he makes little people sculptures out of spare pieces of wood, so he is never bored (aka never boring).

Now leaving the world of fiction and going to the world of music, I would love to be stuck in an elevator with either Robert Schumann or J. S. Bach. Or Brahms. Or Mozart. Or Ravel. Or Liszt. Or...so many of those composers were so fascinating. It would definitely be time well spent. But definitely Schumann and Bach first.

If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

Curious George.

When did you fall in love with music?

It is hard to pinpoint this moment, as falling and being in love with music is an ever ongoing, expanding puzzle. But it must have started early on - my mom played a recording of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (another composer I would be happy to sit with in an elevator) when I was little, or even before I was born, and I love listening to this piece to this day. I sat through a live performance of Richard Strauss' opera Salome when I was four and do not remember being bored, so this must have gotten me interested in both music and theater, and, of course, opera. And I remember hearing for the first time in my life Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony (#6) when I was 7 or 8 yo, and although I do not have much of a memory of the quiet movements, I remember vividly the sense of absolute catharsis after hearing the Storm movement.

Don't miss Ralitza's A Room with a Symphony: Fascinated by Nature at the Burnt Cove Church next Tuesday, July 21, at 7 pm!

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Matt Hurley

We're thrilled to have Matt Hurley back in Stonington this summer! You may have seen him in last summer's Romeo & Juliet and R & J & Z, and you still have two weekends worth of performances to catch him in The Seagull before he transforms himself from an aspiring Russian playwright to a gentleman of 1980's Stonington in this summer's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. First, though, take some time to get to know Matt in all his cootie-purveying-cat/rabbit-hybrid-with-007-ambitions glory.....

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Bangor, actually.

How would you elementary school classmates remember you?

My elementary school classmates would probably remember me as trying to make the teachers laugh by making animal noises in the back of the room and trying to kiss the girls during recess to give them cooties.....clearly I haven't grown up much since!

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

Holden Caufield - the world's first hipster. 

Hamlet - Just to meet the man of my favorite play and to ask did he actually see the ghost?

Indiana Jones - He'd find a crazy way for us to escape the elevator and then take me on a rafting trip down the Ganges. 

James Bond - teach me the ways sir...teach me the ways....

If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

This is a tough one but I think I would be a mix somewhere between Garfield and Bugs Bunny.  Not quite as lazy but also not quite as witty.

When did you fall in love with theatre?

A complicated question for me to answer but I'll try.  It took me some time to embrace theater.  I liked being on stage and getting laughs and all that but I never truly "loved" it and realized the power of it untill much later in my career.  Unpopular to say, but its true.  I was in a production of Richard II in Los Angeles playing a "banner holder" and during the deposition scene where the king loses his crown, the actor playing the king, David Melville, looked at me with such conviction and loss and defeat and humor in his playing of it, that I burst into tears and then realized I absolutely love what I do and now know what can be possible on stage.

Don't miss out on either of Matt's performances this summer... and be sure to say hi if you see him around town!

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Bridgman|Packer Dance

Bridgman|Packer Dance is coming back to Stonington next week - July 16-19 - and they're bringing two fantastic productions with them. We asked them to talk a little about their new work...

We are excited to be returning to Opera House Arts, bringing Remembering What Never Happened and Truck, two works that we have created since we were at the Opera House in 2013. It is particularly exciting that Opera House Arts is a co-commissioner of Remembering What Never Happened through a National Performance Network Creation Fund Award. We so appreciate the support!

These two works are an expansion of our work integrating live performance and video technology. Remembering What Never Happened looks at the intersection of memory and imagination, at how our memories transform over time. In a departure from past work, our use of video on stage moves from photo realism to a more surreal palette. We interact with video projections of our images that morph and explode into digital re-interpretations of the human body, while scenes shot on location in the Mojave Desert transform into strange and unreal landscapes. Memory becomes a constantly shifting territory as we delve into the changeable nature of time, form, perception, and identity.

Our work Truck is also about transformation, this time of an environment. The work is designed to be performed in a 17 foot box truck, which evolves from an ordinary and utilitarian vehicle  into a re-imagined space. Altered use of a space has always interested us. We lived for years in a loft in NYC that used to be a factory, and we currently rehearse in a studio created in a barn. We are excited that performing in a truck also brings performance to unexpected locations. Truck can be performed anywhere that a truck can be parked. Besides being part of our evening performances at the Opera House, Truck will be presented at several other sites during the week that we are in Stonington. Look for us!

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Kathleen Turco Lyon

We are extremely excited to welcome Kathleen Turco-Lyon back to Stonington. You probably remember her from her visit back in 2011, when she took the stage as both Elizabeth I in Elizabeth Rex and Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Now you'll get to know her as Arkadina in this summer's seashore production of Chekhov's dark comedy The Seagull. But first, you really should get to know Kathleen as...well...Kathleen.

1. Where did you grow up?

The suburbs north of Philly, and of Richmond, VA.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Happy, always curious about people, willing to engage… and very good at finger painting! 

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

All at the same time?  Ok… Gertrude from Henry James’ novel The Europeans.  She’d keep me giggling.  Cerimon from Shakespeare’s Pericles.  She’s a magician, after all, and so intuitive — certainly the elevator wouldn’t be stuck for long.  Polixenes, the King of Bohemia in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale; he'd bring kindness, calm, and a breath of fresh air to cramped quarters, and  Wilma Flintstone— she’d give the elevator company what-for for getting us stuck in the first place, plus, she’d keep her sense of humor in a less-than-elegant situation… and ever notice what common sense she has?  (Especially with family matters.) And how organized and clean her house is?  Oh, I aspire! 

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

This is a tough one, but I probably have to say Caspar the Friendly Ghost.   I love that he helped everyone, and was kind about it. And he could fly!  And I bet he smells like marshmallows, which I love! 

5. When did you fall in love with theater?

Oh, that’s an easy one; I remember the exact moment: 15 years old.  In the parking lot of my high school getting ready to drive home (I had my learner’s permit) after a performance of Flowers For Algernon. (I played the sister, and had just ONE scene).  I had one foot on the gravel, and one foot in the car, and my body suddenly froze, and out loud I said "Oh, my GOD!"  Because in that moment, I KNEW.  It took my breath away just a little bit, because my next thought was “How can I be 15 and know this is what I want for the rest of my life?”  Truly, it was an unmistakable, unforgettable feeling.  And I knew my biggest love would be for drama. 

The Seagull opens next Friday at the breathtaking Ames Farm. You don't want to miss out on this amazing performance. Why? you ask. Because of everything director Peter Richards says here.  Seating is very limited, so get your tickets today!

Behind the Scenes at the Opera House: Matt Dane & Anastasia Antonacos

This summer’s 9-concert Chamber at the Church series continues this coming Tuesday, June 30 with the extremely talented Matt Dane and Anastasia Antonacos. But before you settle into the transcendent tunes, get to know them a bit better….

MATT DANE

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Bangor and Orono.

How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

I think that my elementary school classmates at Fruit St. School would remember me as fairly shy and a good speller, who liked to play wall-ball at recess.

When did you fall in love with music?

My first memory of the power of music was hearing the Bangor Symphony play Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. It scared me! I really began to love music when I got to know and play string quartets in junior high school.

ANASTASIA ANTONACOS

Where did you grow up?

Although I lived in Houston, London, Vermont, and Saudi Arabia as a young kid, I grew up in Saco from the age of 7 on.

How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Probably a mix of nerdy & a fun-loving kid who loved to be outside.

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

Aslan from Narnia (been reading through the Narnia series with my daughter), because he would make me feel ok about being stuck in an elevator; Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird for similar reasons; Liz Lemon from “30 Rock” because she’d keep me entertained; Jo from Little Women (semi-fictional) because she’d be fun to make up stories with & while away the time.

If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

Wonder Woman, of course!

When did you fall in love with music?

When I was 12, at a concert of young chamber musicians, who were all having so much fun and sounding great!  (Matt Dane may have actually been one of the teenagers in that concert.)

Matt and Anastasia will be at the Burnt Cove Church, Tuesday, June 30 at 7pm, performing Glimpses Beyond in celebration of the summer solstice. Get your tickets while you still can!

Behind the Scenes: Rachel Calter

So many things are happening here! Pretty much all the things. Chamber at the Church launched this week with a fantastic sold-out show from Max Treitler and Paul Sullivan, and this coming Wednesday is the season's first Live! for $5 with the extremely talented Saline Fiddlers. Rehearsals for exciting oceanside performances of Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Peter Richards, are about to kick off. Not to mention, Sunday is the first official day of summer. Are you all as excited as we are?

Well, things are about to get even better, because it's time to get to know this summer's Stage Manager, the lovely Rachel Calter.

1. Where did you grow up?

Actually, I lived in five states (Massachusetts, California, Virginia, New York, & Connecticut) before I was twelve, but my family resides mostly in Connecticut now.

 2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Oh, man. Where was I in elementary school? That’s the real question. I was definitely the leader of all the outdoor recess games. I was the kid always running around and convincing the other kids to play the games that I wanted to play. I saw the movie of Cats the Musical and made up a game about it that they all had to play, so they probably remember me for that. Also, my mom was a teacher at the school.

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

Albus Dumbledore (from Harry Potter) because I think he would have really great stories to tell me.

Antigone (from Antigone) because she would be a total badass and I would probably want to do a bunch of terrible plans if I was with her…but it would be interesting.

Poussey (from Orange is the New Black) because she is so sweet and cares so much about everyone and I kind of have a crush on her.

The parents from Spy Kids because it was my goal in life to be a spy from Spy Kids when I was younger and I could learn amazing things from them.

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

There are so many cartoon cats in the world and I don’t know which one I’d be, but I’d definitely be a cartoon cat. Maybe one of the kittens from the Aristocats....

 5. What are you most looking forward to about working at the Opera House?

I’m definitely looking forward to doing the site-specific Seagull. As a stage manager, I like new challenges and problem solving and this is a whole different kind of problem solving for me. I also love working with all the interns – really, all the people here, interns, staff, Equity actors. It’s such a great, interesting group.

Rachel and Assistant Stage Manager Emma Grace will be keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes of The Seagull. Come admire all their hard work, July 10 through July 26.

Behind the Scenes: Meet the Interns!

The summer season is officially off the ground! We saw a full house at this past Wednesday’s performance of My Mother’s Clothes Are Not My Mother and the Chamber at the Church series kicks off next Tuesday with Max Treitler and Paul Sullivan. Not to mention the special screening of Maine funny man Michael Miclon’sRichard3 next Wednesday! The sun is (finally) shining and OHA is rocking, rolling and very thankful for this summer’s amazing crop of interns…

CALLIE JACKS

1. Where did you grow up?
I have lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for most of my life, but I was born in North Carolina. Currently, I go boarding school in McLean, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., so that is where I spend most of the year.

2. What’s one word your friends would use to describe you?

Creative or energetic.

3. If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

I would probably be Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. She’s spunky, adventurous, and knows what she wants. She doesn’t let other people get in the way of her goals. Also, I am obsessed with her red hair bow.

4. What are you most excited to do during your OHA summer?
I am really excited to sort screws, a favorite job of the interns. No, I am really excited to work with a bunch of cool people to create amazing shows.

CAROLINE SANTILLI

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Haverford and Newtown Square, Pennsylvania but I spent every summer up in Little Deer Isle, Maine.

2. What’s one word your friends would use to describe you?

Passionate on a good day.

3. If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

I would definitely have to choose Eliza Thornberry because she can talk to animals.

4. What are you most excited to do during your OHA summer?

I am mostly excited to meet a lot of new people who share my interests and become a part of the art community of Deer Isle.

GWEN HIGGINS

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Sandy Point, Maine – a town so small that we don’t even really count as a town anymore. I previously went to school in Searsport, Maine.

2. What’s one word your friends would use to describe you?

I believe they might consider me witty, possibly even facetious at times.

3. If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

Pepper Ann. She was my childhood, and I can’t help but think she somehow influenced me to become the independent and free-minded young woman I am today, all with an underlying tone of 90s-grown feminism.

4. What are you most excited to do during your OHA summer?

I’m really looking forward to taking what I’ve learned at my university and applying it outside of the academic setting. Also getting to branch out from my usual, comfortable theatre settings is going to be an interesting experience.

JACK LAWLOR

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Salem, New Hampshire

2. What’s one word your friends would use to describe you?

Careful…

3. If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

I would definitely be Squidward. No doubt or hesitation there.

4. What are you most excited to do during your OHA summer?

I am excited to get further my tech skills, and work with all the lovely people at the Opera House for another wonderful summer!

JESSICA WALKER

1. Where did you grow up?

I’ve grown up in Orono, Maine, but have spent almost all of my summers in South Brooksville, which I consider to be my second home.

2. What’s one word your friends would use to describe you?

Effervescent!

3. If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

I would probably be Belle from Beauty and the Beast, because I love to read and find myself humming a tune everywhere I go!

4. What are you most excited to do during your OHA summer?

This summer I am super excited for the opportunity to work with such a creative and talented group of people! The work done at OHA is so incredible, and I am thrilled to be a part of it!

MARVIN MERRITT

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up on Deer Isle.

2. What’s one word your friends would use to describe you?

Loud.

3. If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be?

I would be Marvin the Martian, solely because we have the same name.

4. What are you most excited to do during your OHA summer?

I am excited to create new relationships with actors, as well as other interns; I am also eager to be a part of this transformative summer for not only the physical space, but also the people within the Opera House.

Behind the Scenes: Lily Felsenthal and Emma Grace

Regardless of our current sweater-clad days, summer is coming – and with it,exciting, busy days for the Opera House. Thankfully, we’ve called in some amazing reinforcements in the forms of Intern Coordinator extraordinaire Lily Felsenthal and Emma Grace Keenan, our magnificent Assistant Stage Manager.

Here’s what they had to say when faced with our hard-hitting questions…

LILY FELSENTHAL 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up just outside of Washington, D.C. in a town called Silver Spring, Maryland, whose claim to fame is that a road sign bearing its name inspired Stevie Nicks to write the seminal classic “Silver Springs” when she saw it while driving on the interstate with Lindsey Buckingham.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

I’m not sure if they would– I was a very shy and quiet child. I spent a lot of time crying about my feelings. At 12, I was cast as the evil villain in a summer theater camp production of an original play based on Hieronymous Bosch’s Haywain Triptych, which gave me a burst of weird confidence that helped me come into my own.

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

Dana Scully from The X Files, who I would trust my life with in any perilous situation.

Ferdinand the Bull because I respect his general chill attitude in stressful situations and I think that would be a good energy to have around when stuck in an elevator.

Han Solo would get us out of there for sure.

Titania, Queen of the Faeries because she’s rad and I’d like to ask her a few things, specifically about moths and constellations.

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

Definitely Tintin. I have blonde hair that often sticks up in funny ways and I like to write and wear sweaters. Also I’m scrappy.

5. What are you most looking forward to about working at the Opera House?

Being part of an incredible team in such a staggeringly beautiful place. Just kidding, it’s definitely the free popcorn.

EMMA GRACE KEENAN

1. Where did you grow up?

I was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts but spent most of my childhood until college in Holliston, Massachusetts. It’s quiet, suburban, and incidentally the hometown of Producing Artistic Director Meg Taintor, so it must be pretty cool.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Inseparable from Ellie, my beat-up stuffed security elephant that I clung to loyally because I was so painfully shy. They’ll probably also remember that I said sorry too much, although I guess that isn’t surprising! I was a tiny little blonde girl with a squeaky voice, and I went through a phase where I only wore black leggings, huge turtlenecks, and clogs. I loved to read and spell, competitively – I always wanted to be in the top spellers of the school and make my reading log be the longest, so I would practice inside during recess. When the teachers made me go outside, I would come up with elaborate games to make my friends play, and then write short stories about it. The one I remember the most was “Animal Rescuers,” where I made everyone cover their eyes while I hid stuffed animals around the playground and then gave them ten minutes to find them all before they became extinct. Another time I gave lessons in a gibberish language I made up.

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

Dr. Horrible (Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog) – he makes me laugh and he makes me cry and we could sing together and maybe come up with a ray of some sort to get us out of the elevator.

Scipio (The Book Thief) – I always thought of him as a kindred spirit, out on a quest for adventure and friends, and a lover of intrigue and taking care of those he cares about. I think he would just be interesting to talk to.

Clara (The Nutcracker) – she was my intro into theatre and dance and music and all of those good things. My birthday is near Christmas so every year I would ask for tickets to The Nutcracker and sit in the theatre in awe. And she showed me what a strong female lead could look like. I’d love to meet her and thank her for that.

Stormy Skye – from nothing, just a character I made up for my first short story, about a girl who lived in a cloud castle, had the singing voice of a bird, and could control the weather. She was me, only cooler, so we would have a lot in common and we could catch up on lost time.

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

DW Read (from the Arthur books) – we’re both sassy, independent, competitive, and very protective of our siblings. Plus we spend a lot of time in our imaginations, are stubborn, and are a little gullible – but we know what we like, and want to be in charge of every project we’re a part of!

5. What are you most looking forward to about working at the Opera House?

As ASM, I think I’m most looking forward to working with the amazing Rachel Calter and learning good leadership skills and the real inner workings of the theatre. And I’m thrilled to be back on the beautiful island, working with some of the smartest, kindest, cleverest, and hardest working creative people I know.


Lily and Emma Grace want to say hi! So, come down to the box office or give them a wave when you see them at shows this summer.

Behind the Scenes: Meg Taintor

As of this coming Monday morning, Meg Taintor is officially OHA’s Producing Artistic Director. While those of us down here at the Opera House, as well as the folks who came to March’s community potluck, have gotten the chance to get to know her a bit, there are still so many more questions to ask. Before we get started, allow us to assure you that we already know the most important of answers – yes, Meg likes dogs. Now we can move on to the next queries, though honestly, this picture may tell us everything we need to know…

Little Meg, clowning around…

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Holliston, MA, which is a suburb about 25 miles south-west of Boston: quiet town, picket fences – that sort of thing. I didn’t appreciate it when I was a teenager there – but I now I completely recognize it for the lovely New England town that it is.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Giggling. I used to (and still occasionally do) get stuck in the giggles – something would set me off and then I’d be helplessly laughing and trying to gasp out whatever it was that had set me off – which was never as funny as it had originally struck me.

Most recently this happened to me while I was trying to tell a story about my cat, Oscar, seeking escape from being cat-sit at my friend’s house by diving out the open window – only to be caught by his hind-paws by my lightning-reflexed friend. That one is as funny as I think it is….

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

Eliza Bennett (from Pride and Prejudice) – we could entertain each other with arch comments and witty banter.

Kvothe (from the King Killer Chronicles) – he could play soothing music for me and wax poetical. Also, never hurts to have a magician on hand, right?

Sydney Carton (from A Tale of Two Cities) – because I’ve been in love with him since I was 12 years old. Seriously. He’s dreamy.

Pi (from Life of Pi)- anyone who travels across the ocean with a Bengal tiger for company is good in my book. Also, he could spin amazing stories for us about our time in the elevator.

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

Lisa Simpson. I’m a proud, self-proclaimed nerd – pre-occupied with social and environmental justice – and I really really like things to be somewhat ordered. Lisa is also an artist (although I’m most definitely not a musician – I collect instruments believing I will learn to play them and then failing to do that) and an avid reader. And, as my hair is currently growing out from being buzzed, I do indeed have pointy, spiky, triangular hair.

(**Editorial Note: It’s a good sign when the new Producing Artistic Director’s animated alter-ego is in OHA colors.)

5. When did you fall in love with theater?

I’ve loved it most of my life – but when I was 13, I saw a production of Waiting for Godot at the American Repertory Theatre that changed my life. I knew that I wanted to learn how to do THAT. Then, a couple years later, I interned at the ART for their production of Long Day’s Journey into Night and that was when I knew that I was in the right place. Never looked back since.


You can get more information about Meg here and we hope to see you down at the OHA office saying hi next week!