Starting next weekend, local performers will bring the comedy play, “Over the River and Through the Woods,” written by Joe DiPietro, to the stage at the Brown County Playhouse.
Opening night is April 7, and the program will end the following weekend, on the 16th.
The play is set on the East Coast and tells the story of a young man yearning for growth and change, and his struggles with his grandparents, who want him to stay near the family.
One of the stars of the play, Connie Shakalis, said last week that she greatly enjoys the production, both as a performer and a viewer.
“This playwright is so good, and he gets the characters so well, and the dialogue so well,” she said.
“I mean, these people — and I know because I lived in New York for 30 years — this is how people speak.”
Shakalis currently lives in Bloomington, where she works as the arts reporter for the Herald Times.
She said that she first worked in the Playhouse in 2021 and wished to return for another production because of how much she enjoyed her time there.
“It was such a great experience,” she said.
“The Playhouse treats people so well.”
She participated in a workshop at the Playhouse last summer, which is where she met “Over the River” director Susan Rardin, who asked her to audition for a role.
That role is as one of the four grandparents of the main character, Nick. All four of Nick’s grandparents are first-generation Italian immigrants, who strongly value close family ties.
“It’s going to be very interesting to anyone who has been or has known anyone who first or second generation from another country,” Shakalis said.
“It shows the struggles and the disconnect between the generations.”
Rehearsals generally begin around six weeks before productions go on stage. Because the Playhouse offers so much programming in addition to the live plays, the first rehearsals are at the Brown County YMCA, then the cast and crew moves into the Playhouse space.
Before a set is built, tape markings are made on the floor for all the actors to memorize their places. Only the final week of rehearsal includes a constructed set.
Shakalis said that as opening night approaches, the cast and crew are doing very well.
“It’s going really, really well. Amazingly well. Sometimes I come home from rehearsal in other shows, you know, screaming and yelling and my poor husband has to hear everything — this is just going remarkably well,” she said.
“Everyone is learning their lines, their blocking and their cues. The director is good, the cast is good — I have nothing to complain about, which is unusual for me.”
During rehearsals, performers and crew continue COVID-safe practices, including sanitization and wearing facemasks.
“We are having an abundance of caution,” Rardin said last week.
“We have concern about COVID so we’re all being cautious. We’re making sure we can bring this show to the stage.”
The concern is rooted in the hit the Playhouse took during the pandemic, from which it has still been building back up.
“Obviously, COVID really hurt us,” Playhouse Production Manager Warren Sargent said last week.
“Our previous executive director, Hannah (Estabrook), did a phenomenal job working with the (Brown County) Board of Health, who allowed us to do the radio plays.”
The radio plays gave the Playhouse a way to keep going through the strict social-distancing requirements during the pandemic.
Around 50 audience members could fit in the building and crew members could sit six feet apart on stage. The radio plays were popular and successful, so the Playhouse still puts on two of them a year, on top of around five, fully -mounted live productions.
“We’ve been slowly bringing community theatre pack to the playhouse. I would say it is already back, but we’re continuing to grow the community theatre here in the Nashville/Brown County area,” Rardin said.
“We’re continually striving to get more people involved in our pool of actors and crew, so we can keep building the community theatre program at the playhouse.”
“Now that COVID has been on the downside a little bit, our attendance has really started to ramp up. Our community theatre program has really kicked off,” Sargent said.
“We’ve really put a lot of effort into that and we think its going very well. Our goal is to help out the community and bring as many people to Nashville as we can, and also provide a good show and a good product. We’re here and we’re gonna stay here.”
Get Tickets
“Over The River” will be on the stage at the Brown County Playhouse, 70 S. Van Buren St., this weekend.
Shows are Thursday and Friday, April 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 8 and 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25. Visit browncountyplayhouse.org for more information.
Get Involved
To learn more information about participating in community theatre, contact [email protected].
