A SIMPLE QUESTION: DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH TAPE? by Terri Miles - As I See It... - Amity Observer
12/1/2004 at 16:25
Welcome to Community Theater where anything, and I mean anything, can happen.
Recently the Bethany Playhouse presented its premiere performance with a female version of the Neal Simon play, "The Odd Couple."
Bethany residents Maria Douglas and Kathleen Schurman played the lead roles of Olive and Florence, patterned after their well-known male counterparts, Oscar and Felix.
The play ran for three consecutive nights, Nov. 18 to 20, at the Bethany Community School and attracted more than 120 people.
As with any live show you just never know what is going to happen. I heard Thursday’s show was not too bad as the actors got used to the feeling of butterflies in their stomachs and listened closely for their cues.
I attended the show on Friday night, and the performances were flawless. Everyone was "on," and there were a lot of laughs.
During Saturday night’s show there was a brief break-out of the giggles after someone flubbed a line, but hey, that’s live theater for you.
I had a role in Saturday’s show. Well, it was sort of behind the scenes.
Schurman asked me if I would videotape the show for the players and I couldn’t resist.
She and her husband, David Melina, had a brand new video camera, and I had a tripod. She called me around noon and said they had charged two batteries, and I would be all set.
Knowing that the show was rather long, I asked, "Do you have enough video tape?"
"Yes," she answered.
"Great, I’ll see you later," I said.
Saturday was hectic, and I thought I would be late for the show, but I made it just in time to place the tripod in a prime spot - my apologies to everyone who had to dodge it to go to the restrooms - and read a couple of pages in the instruction manual.
When the lights went out I was ready; or so I thought.
Time ticked away, the audience laughed at the funny stuff, and after a shaky start, I figured out how to control the zoom lever on the camera.
But something was amiss. The timer on the camera said 38 minutes. I looked at the wall clock and knew there was no way that 38 minutes yet had passed.
I reached for the manual to find out what it meant.
Uh-oh! There were 38 minutes of tape left and more than 90 minutes of play remaining.
I rifled through the camera bag for an extra tape, but alas, there was none.
I tried to think of where I could buy an extra videotape in Bethany on a Saturday night. Darn, I was in Bethany; there is no place in town that sells them.
I calculated the travel time from Bethany to the nearest store in Naugatuck...yes, I thought, I could make it. I told Melina to keep an eye on his camera, and that I would be back. "I’m going shopping," I said.
I backed the camera lens up so the entire stage could be seen and took off.
The ride to Naugatuck wasn’t bad. The fog cleared a little, and I got a great parking place. I thumbed through the manual on the way to the audio department, trying to figure out what kind of tape would fit in that camera. I didn’t see it anywhere.
Thankfully, I found a store employee who knew exactly what I needed. I chose a two-pack, walked right up to the cashier and was out of the store in less than five minutes.
The ride to Bethany took longer, but I arrived just as the intermission started.
There were three minutes of tape left in the camcorder when the first act ended.
I had time to change the tape and loosen up one of the stiffer controls on the tripod before the second act.
By the end of the show, there was again only three minutes left on the tape. Phew!
The great thing about Saturday night’s performance is that I captured on tape something that thrilled each and every member of the Bethany Playhouse cast - the Orange Players’ approval.
The Orange Players are the tops in celebrity status in the Amity area. Their reputation is stellar and something the Bethany Players aspire to.
Orange Player regulars Marianne Miller and Ken Lenz attended the show and gave it a thumbs-up. I videotaped Marianne saying, "It was wonderful." This was quite a boost to the fledgling group.
All in all it was a rewarding experience for these local actors and great fun for their audiences.
Stay tuned to the Observer for future audition notices and performance dates from this group. I hear they need someone to play a reporter in their upcoming murder mystery...
Hmm, I wonder who’ll get that role?
This column represents the opinion of Editor Terri Miles and does not necessarily reflect the views of Hometown Publications.
