Washbun rural has had a new production in theatre this month and I decided to talk to some of the cast and get their background story on Frankenstein and how they got into theatre. Owen Tremblay, our stage manager answered these for us.

• What role did you play in Frankenstein?
  • “For Frankenstein, I was the Stage Manager, Sound Designer/Composer, and Sound Operator. In addition, I also created the show poster. As Stage Manager, I was the right-hand man to the director (Mr. Rosebrook), keeping everyone in the know and organized. I also recorded/found sound effects for the show as the Sound Designer and then operated them during the performance. While also composing a score for the show, I used the app “MuseScore4” to write music that the app then reads and digitally plays.”
• How and why did you get into theatre?
  • “I got into theatre because I’ve always felt a pull to it. I grew up watching Mamma Mia and instantaneously fell in love with sound design after doing Anastasia here at WaRu. To get into the show I took Mr. Beasley’s Stagecraft class and learned the ins and outs of technical theatre. I cannot recommend that class enough, even if you’re not interested in theatre, it’s a fun way to learn practical skills like painting techniques and set construction.”
• What’s one of the most challenging things when performing on stage?
  • “As a ‘techie,’ I’m not particularly on stage, but the biggest challenge is recovering. Mistakes in live theatre are a given, but a good theatre company should know how to recognize these mistakes and correct them. During the show, I wear a headset so I can communicate with our Assistant Stage Manager (Savanna Nelson) and our Lead Shift (Preston Schulmeister) in case I need them to be aware of a missed set piece/prop, etc., or them to tell me when we can end a set transition and start the next scene.”
• Have you ever gotten a role that you didn’t originally audition for? 
  • “I have gotten a spot I didn’t think about. Over the summer, I was head of Shift Crew for The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical at Helen Hocker instead of Sound Operator.”
• Give me some of your favorite parts about playing in Frankenstein. 
  • “My favorite part of being in Frankenstein would be the challenges that I had to adapt to and learn from. Every show presents a new feat of sound design and composing a score definitely takes the cake for this show. I love challenging myself as a designer and I find it fun to find new ways to enhance my sound plots.”
• What has your favorite performance been so far? Why?
  • “My favorite performance would have to be Clue: On Stage (High School Edition), last spring. The show was hilarious and every element blended so well together: amazing actors, an incredible set, and awesome light design. For that show, I was the Stage Manager and Sound Designer. The rehearsal process was so fun with it being a comedy and everyone involved just clicked.”
• If you could change anything about your performance in Frankenstein what would it be?
  • “If I could change anything about my work in Frankenstein, I would develop the motifs and make them more obvious to a casual viewer of the show. Throughout the show, The Creature (Miriam Smith) learns from humanity by being abused and then eventually uses that anger he learns against Victor Frankenstein (Cade Nelson). I started the show out with the music being more organic and then becoming more technical and industrial as the Creature also progressed. I feel like I could have made that more apparent by adding more metallic features.”