Submitted by Rebecca Degnan.
(July 11, 2020) — If you’ve walked the trails or played basketball at the former Haddam Elementary School this summer, you may have come across an unexpected sight – a group of adults singing and dancing in the parking lot! They are Blue Fire Stage Company, a brand new nonprofit theatre company formed in Haddam just last September. Their smash hit cabaret, An Evening of Inappropriate Song, took place at HES last February, right before the world shut down. Both performances sold out and the parking lots at HES were overflowing. And throughout this quarantine, the board members and production team of Blue Fire have continued to demonstrate their creativity and determination to bring the arts and laughter to the HK community in any way they can.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Blue Fire’s first mainstage production, will take place outdoors at Parmelee Farm in Killingworth on July 30, August 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8. The show is about six spelling bee contestants who are vying for the coveted trophy while sharing their personal stories and making new connections with one another. It’s a show with heart, and full of laughter as well.
So how can it even be possible to put on a show during a time of social distancing? Blue Fire is working closely with local health officials and following all recommendations for the safety of their cast, production team and audience. Show choice was an important consideration. With this show being set at a spelling bee, it lends itself well to social distancing in blocking. The small cast size is another element that makes this show a great choice. Cast and production team all wear masks during outdoor rehearsals, and everyone is observing the 6-foot rule. Rebecca Degnan, the show’s Musical DIrector and one of the Founders of Blue Fire, explained, “Outdoor rehearsals certainly keep us on our toes in terms of heat, rain, thunderstorms, mosquitoes, etc, but we have learned to embrace the unpredictability and roll with the punches. We even had a rainbow during one of our rehearsals last week!” Linda Wilson, the show’s Director, commented on her experience working with Blue Fire for the first time, during a pandemic. “I thought the challenge was going to be greater than it is. Not to say it isn’t challenging, but Blue Fire is such a well-oiled machine, you would think they were in operation for many years. When everybody does their part and cares so much about the production, the people involved, and the audience, it’s a beautiful thing.”
During performances at Parmelee Farm, audience members will be required to wear masks except when they are in their seats. Individual seats are set 6 feet apart, and there is an option to purchase an entire table (6 seats) for groups who do not need to socially distance from each other. Performances are outside under the open-air pavilion. The audience will be seated at least 12 feet from the closest performer at all times. Bathrooms will be cleaned frequently and reminders to socially distance will be posted. There will be an option for an online program and an online, contactless, 50/50 raffle. Tickets are only available in advance, as per CDC guidelines, in order to limit the number of audience per performance.
Blue Fire Stage Company feels that despite the logistical challenges of putting on a production right now, this is the perfect time to be doing so. As Rebecca put it, “History is full of examples where theatre and the arts have helped people to temporarily forget about the difficult times they are in. Times like this are when we need the arts more than ever, to help us escape from our reality for a while, laugh and feel connected to our community.” Rachel Ballasy (who will play Olive Ostrovski) agrees. “I didn’t realize how starved I was for a creative outlet during these few months of quarantine. My deepest gratitude to the production staff and the cast for filling that void and allowing theatre to happen safely!”
The show’s actors do not feel that the unusual structure of rehearsals and performances have had any negative impact on their experience in the show. Garth West (who will play Mitch Mahoney), shared, “Blue Fire Stage Company is one of the best theatre experiences I’ve had. Bringing such a hilarious show to life in these very new and interesting conditions isn’t easy yet we are doing it and loving every minute at the Bee.” HK graduate Johanna Regan (who will play Marcy Park), shared, “I feel so fortunate to be a part of Blue Fire’s first production. With everything going on in the world, this process, this show, these people: this is exactly what I needed. They are the light that is helping me through these dark times. I’m so thankful to everyone involved.”
Spelling Bee also marks the start of Blue Fire’s Apprenticeship program, a major component of the company’s vision. Through this program, students or adults who want to gain experience in certain areas of theatre are paired up with a professional who acts as their mentor and trains them in that area. For this show, Blue Fire has apprentices for costume design, props, choreography, stage managing and pit orchestra performance. Apprentices range in age from 12 to 25. Olivia Tempesta, a professional musician and local music teacher who is playing reeds in the pit orchestra, is a mentor for sophomore Kristen Thebeau, who is also playing reeds for the show. Olivia spoke about her feelings about the Apprenticeship program: “Contributing to Blue Fire Stage Company’s inaugural year as a pit musician mentor is no less than a professional dream come true! To have one of my former HKMS students pilot this program as my summer mentee makes the experience all the more memorable. I am hopeful for the longevity of the Blue Fire Apprenticeship Program in our community and I look forward to seeing it draw in young performers and artists from across Connecticut in future years.” Her Apprentice, Kristen, says, “It is an honor to be given an opportunity to be an apprentice musician in the pit for Spelling Bee. It has been a wonderful experience learning from and playing alongside professional musicians and I am looking forward to the performances.”
Blue Fire Stage Company dreams of having a permanent home somewhere in the HK community, where they can run classes and workshops for children and adults, and produce shows for children, teens and adults throughout the year. “This show is only the beginning,” says Rebecca. “We hope that people will come to see Spelling Bee, and want to be involved, or to get their children involved in our company, once we are able to safely run classes and produce more shows.”
You can find more information about Blue Fire and their upcoming production of Spelling Bee on their website at bluefirestage.org, or on their Facebook page at facebook.com/bluefirestage. Tickets can be purchased at bluefirestage.ticketleap.com/spellingbee.
Photos by Rebecca Degnan.
