Community Theater's Power to Transform a Life
Open Auditions for "A Christmas Chaos" this Monday and Thursday
BAR HARBOR—Matt Hochman knows he loves the theater, but there are moments when he realizes that theater changed his life and shaped his life.
“When I first started high school, I was a bit of a troublemaker. In a small town there isn't a lot to do growing up other than get in trouble (at least in Bar Harbor in the '80s),” he said.
He had never really been into theatre, though he had seen a Broadway show as a kid (“My Fair Lady” with Rex Harrison) but never really thought much of it.
Then, during his sophomore year at MDI High School, things changed.
“I happened to go to the auditions for ‘Oliver!,’ directed by Joyce Higgins, I wasn't even there to audition, I was there with a friend, and I was sitting in the theatre, acting a fool when Joyce Higgins came up to me, literally dragged me on the stage by the ear, put a script in my hand and said, ‘Sing...NOW!’”
So, he did. He got a couple of small roles in “Oliver!” and fell in love with the theater.
“I spent the next three years of high school doing every show I could. On stage, backstage, in the booth, I knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and I couldn't do that if I were constantly getting in trouble,” he said.
That love, that involvement? It isn’t just for Hochman. This week, Acadia Community Theater will hold auditions for its holiday show, “A Christmas Chaos,” and anyone can audition for the Ebenezer Scrooge story that goes comically out of control.
WHY THIS PLAY?
Acadia Community Theater has a reading committee that looks at multiple potential shows.
“Sometimes, it just comes down to having a director who wants to do a particular show,” Hochman said. “In this case, Doug Van Gorder brought the show to our attention a few months ago as something he would like to direct. The reading committee looked at it, and a couple other shows and brought them to our full board for a vote. From a personal perspective, as soon as Doug shared it with me, and I read the script, I knew it was a show I wanted to do, I am a big fan of fun community-type holiday shows.”
According to the Lion Heart Theatre,
“For instance, self-knowledge is instilled in both the performer and the audience, as we have the opportunity to look inward. We are able to see our surroundings with new eyes and understand how we affect those around us. Whether this is a good or bad thing, there is always room for self-improvement.”
For Hochman, theater is important because it’s so inclusive.
“It doesn't matter your race, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or political views, everyone is welcome, and it gives people an outlet,” he said. “In theatre, no matter what is going on in your life, you can step out of your own skin, and into that of someone completely different. You get to become them, inhabit their lives, and I've always found that in doing so, I learn a bit more about myself.”
And for those who might not want to be on the stage, theatre gives you an opportunity to build, and create light, and play with sound.
“I believe theatre can bring a community together,” Hochman said. “Theatre is a collective experience. Much like live music, when you go to a show, you are not experiencing it alone; you're experiencing it with everyone else there. In most shows, there is a lesson to be learned, and you're there, learning that along with the rest of the crowd. I think that's a powerful way to bring a community together. Theatre IS community.”
And what about stage fright. Auditioning for something can be a terrifying experience for some.
“I understand stage fright! I still get it myself,” Hochmand said, “but coming out for a show, and getting cast helps to take that sting of fear away. I'm still terrified while sitting in the wings waiting for my entrance, but once I step on that stage, and am out there in the lights, that all melts away.”
Hochman is currently a town councilor in Bar Harbor and he said that theater helped him prepare for that public space.
“Being cast in shows in high school actually helped give me the confidence to be able to be on the council today because public speaking, especially in council, is just like stepping onto a stage, only with more people ready to toss rotten fruit at you!” he said.
According to the Lion Heart Theater,
“Community theatre provides locals with a platform in which they can express themselves without judgment — something we need more of in today’s world. Like self-knowledge, these performances can remind us how we can work together to better our society.”
Theater, and being involved in it, promotes creativity, can bring about change, can make us look inward, can even help a community, according to Lion Heart, “With these new insights, we can create innovative solutions to societal issues and try to make the world a better place, one community at a time.”
Main Stage Community Theatre offers the insight that by working collectively, people build supportive communities and friendships, writing,
“For performers, the cast is a group of people who become your support system for the next 3 months. They're all there to do what you want to do, and you truly become a family together. Come show week, you probably see them more than your actual family. From the moment that overture finishes and the curtain is raised, to the minute the finale is sung by the entire cast for, quite possibly, the last time ever, you all become a part of an experience that will be shared and remembered by all of you for years to come.”
The jitters. The worries. It's all worth it, he said when it’s time for the performance.
“There is nothing more satisfying than opening night. For most shows, the week leading up to the opening, I'm a wreck. ‘The sets aren't done; they are going to fall down. Johnny doesn't have his costume yet. We are still in need of a piccolo player. What do you mean our lighting person can't make opening night???’ It feels like it's going to be a disaster, but when the curtain closes after bows on that first night, the feeling of accomplishment just cannot be beat. There is almost nothing to compare with the feeling (other than maybe being in love). And you know you've had a good show and that it's just going to get better until closing night. There is no high like it.”
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUDITIONS!
Acadia Community Theater will be holding auditions for its holiday show “A Christmas Chaos,” on Monday, September 25, 6-8 p.m., and Thursday, September 28, 6-8 p.m. Both dates are at MDI High School.
All ages are welcome.
Performances will be on December 1, 2, 3, and 8, 9, 10.
ABOUT THE SHOW
”A Christmas Chaos” is the Ebenezer Scrooge story, which comically, goes out of control.
For more information, contact Doug Van Gorder(Director) at dougvan1@hotmail.com or 207-479-1615.
Synopsis of the story
Gadzooks! The Royal Shakespeare Company hasn't arrived as promised to perform their stirring rendition of "A Christmas Carol." So our intrepid band of hapless actors and technicians must put together their own production in only seven hours! What a pity that they are not quite up to the task, even though they give it their all. Have you ever experienced backstage mayhem? Well, you haven't seen anything yet!