S3E5: Misery: Horror from Page to Stage

Resident Artists Amy Rene Byrne and Aaron White discuss their roles in the upcoming production of Stephen King's Misery. Joined by director Nora Gair, they explore the differences between the book, play, and movie, delve into the complexities of the characters, and reveal fascinating behind-the-scenes details. 

The episode's supporter spotlight features an interview with long-time BTE supporter Carol Tevis, who shares her excitement for the show and reflects on her experiences with the theatre. 

17:54 Supporter Spotlight: Carol Tevis

25:06 Back to our regularly scheduled episode

Recorded and Edited by: Amy Rene Byrne*
Original Music by: Aaron White

*Recorded remotely, thank you for being understanding of background noise-- two-year-olds don't understand the need for a quiet recording environment.

Transcripts of all Season 2 and 3 episodes are available on our Buzzsprout website.

Check out our current season: http://www.bte.org
Ensemble Driven. Professional Theatre. Arts Education. Rural Pennsylvania. For Everyone. With Everyone.

Transcript

Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble: Down Center
S3E5: Misery: Horror Page to Stage

Amy: Welcome to Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble Down Center, a podcast where we make theatre to thrill our company, our people, our art, and our town, and scare you silly, front and down center. Well, well, well, we, uh. We find ourselves here on a snowy, bleak, cold winter day, just like Paul Sheldon. 

Aaron: I know I'm cold. I'm frigid from the beginning of that intro. 

Amy: Yeah. It was pretty chilly. 

Aaron: Scare, you silly. 

Amy: It's so not scary. I don't know. Aaron, will you make it out of this podcast with both of your cockadoodie feet? 

Aaron: Who knows? 

Amy: Stay tuned. 

Aaron: Dun Dun dun 

Amy: Hi everybody. I am Amy Rene Byrne, Resident Artist at Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, and I'm here with 

Aaron: Aaron White, also a Resident Artist and Ensemble Member.

Amy: And we are going to be starring in BTE's upcoming production of Misery. We will be joined momentarily by the director of the show, Nora Gair But first, I don't know. What is first? Anything first? 

Aaron: I didn't know that the movie was directed by Rob Reiner. 

Amy: Yeah, I didn't either. 

Aaron: That's crazy. 

Amy: Yeah. 

Aaron: So this is the follow up to Princess Bride. 

Amy: Yes, definitely. I had never made that, connection before, but absolutely. 

Aaron: That the movie Misery was a sequel to Princess Bride. 

Amy: I think maybe, uh, Annie is Inigo Montoya. 

Aaron: Prepare to Die Yes. That makes total sense to me. 

Amy: Right? That tracks. That totally tracks 

Aaron: Yeah. 

Amy: Yeah. Yeah. I learned all kinds of interesting stuff that I'm excited to talk about.

Aaron: Yeah. Well, and I I have to admit, don't put this in. I haven't reread the play. But in the book, it's an ax. It is not a hammer. 

Amy: Yeah

Aaron: That is a difference.

Amy: Yes from my memory, I haven't rewatched the movie, nor have I read the book yet, but I did reread the play. 

Aaron: All right. so you can keep that in-- that there are differences between the book and the play. 

Amy: There are differences between the book and the play. I've not read the book and I know this because I've read about some information about the book. he's a heavy drinker in the book, right? 

Aaron: Well, afterwards, he replaces his opioid addiction to Novril or however you pronounce that drug

Amy: I've tried to look it up. I found Novril and Navril. 

Aaron: I mean, it's not a real drug apparently. It is a brand name that he made up . It is an opioid. So he's addicted to that drug. And after he the spoiler alert? are we doing spoilers? 

Amy: Could you imagine experiencing this show without any knowledge of Misery whatsoever?

Aaron: I feel like we should, yeah, I don't know. I feel like we should hold back some things.

Amy: we can hold back some stuff. 

Aaron: So, but, but yeah, so at the end of the book, the doctors weaned him off and then he replaced it with alcohol. There's some really lovely images that I, I don't think are written at all in the play, but he talks about a hole in the page, like when he enters into that writing fugue state where, where you're entering into the imaginative world, he often talks about, and there's the hole in the page and I go down into the page. 

Amy: Ooooh. 

Aaron: He's been dry and hasn't been able to endeavor without seeing Annie. If he goes there, all of a sudden there's 

Amy: Yeah. 

Aaron: In the flesh and, you know, post traumatic stress.

And so the final thing is him actually entering into the hole in the page and how frightening it is, and then he goes down into the hole in the page. What's up? 

Amy: I hear knocking at my house. Hold on just a second. 

Aaron: Okay. Okay, 

Amy: Kiddo's waking up from his nap and it was them upstairs, but it sounded like somebody beating on my front door. How creepy would that be if I got murdered while we were recording the Misery podcast?

Aaron: And I get to watch it. That sounds great! 

Amy: Yeah! That's like a horror movie! I am not in fact dead.

Aaron: That's nice. 

Amy: did not get to watch me get murdered on our podcast recording live.

Aaron: I'm so disappointed. 

Amy: I know. I know. It's okay. 

Aaron: Yeah. So what are we talking about? Hole in the page. 

Amy: Oh yeah, hole in the page, that imagery is wonderful.

Aaron: And when he is first describing the pain, there's a visual image of seeing, like, when you go to the ocean and you have old, wooden posts that have worn away and are like, yeah,shattered, it's him imagining that. And then when he takes the Novril as the pain subsides, the water rises and covers up the shattered wood. I think that's such an interesting image too. So I, I have a bunch of visual things that I'm, tying to the acting things, which I'm really excited to--

Amy: That is awesome. 

Aaron: Yeah, yeah.

Amy: So glad you had a chance to read the book.

Aaron: Me too, me too, because I really didn't have a whole, I mean, other than knowing that it made Kathy Bates's career and-- 

Amy: Yeah 

Aaron: And that you and Eric were really thrilled to do it.

Amy: I feel bad cause I feel like my excitement has misled people in terms of my like knowledge and or cult following of it I like putting gore on stage.

Aaron: Yeah. Kimie always uh, talks about the how are they going to do that factor, right? The suspense of they're going to do this in front of me. so if people do knowthe book, that's part of the draw. And if people don't know the book, it's like, they're doing this in front of me 

Amy: Right? Oh my God 

Aaron: A big, I think, a big factor of picking it. What else about Annie draws you in?

Amy: I love things that walk a line, right? Annie's gotta be personable enough that there's some question, at first at least, about whether or not she is good or, or bad. I just, I like things that present as one thing and end up being another.

Aaron: Hmm 

Amy: And I feel like 

she sort of does that-- Hello Nora! 

Nora: Hi! 

Hello, hi! 

Aaron: to see your face. 

Nora: You too. Oh, it's been so long, but soon it won't be so long 

Aaron: I know, I can't wait. 

Amy: Well, Aaron and I were just, chit chatting-- 

Aaron: I was just talking about the differences between the play and the just finished the novel yesterday. and there are just some really juicy, visual things that I'm excited to incorporate in that don't appear in the play particularly dealing with his pain and how he imagines his writer brain. and Amy was talking about the two, well, you, you describe it, 

Amy: I like things that skirt lines-- somebody that presents as one way and ends up being another or, like, when a character has to be, like, just likable enough, you know, until they're not, like that, those, those, like, really fine lines are very attractive to me as an actor. 

Nora: Yeah I would say this play is full of that because I don't think necessarily Paul is the nicest guy or the best person outside of this. But in the context, he has to be our hero. And speaking of the differences between the book the play, I find Play Annie so much more on the line than book Annie to the point that I kind of don't really love the book the same way that I love the play and that I love the movie because I find, here we're jumping in, I find the misogyny of that book--

Aaron: From the beginning. Mm-hmm

Nora: Unfathomable. All of that From the first thing he says, her breath smells, because she's a woman who eats food? That's disgusting. And from there, I hated Paul. So, the book is tough for me, in a way that the play I find much more of a dance, much more of who's line is pushing on, who's other sort of goals, in a way that, you know, It just clips along so perfectly towards the end when it all falls apart, but yeah, walking the line between good and bad And intention versus act, like what the difference between those are, and also the terror and the comedy because there's some straight up laugh lines in places you wouldn't expect them in this play. knowing the two of you, I know that we can milk those for all that they're worth absolutely. . 

Aaron: Mm-hmm . Yeah. The line that sticks out. And it's like on page two, him describing like feeling being raped by air because she's giving him mouth to mouth. And he actually describes it as I didn't ask for this. 

Nora: Yeah.

Aaron: It was really fascinating. And it is not in the play. Yeah. Annie is very clearly a monster from the page one of that book and not the case at all. And so that's a question in my brain too, like, how much is that part of Paul's experience that we just don't see on 

Nora: Mhm mhm.. 

Aaron: Yeah. It got me thinking. 

Nora: Yeah. No, I the play very much is from Paul's perspective, other than there's the very opening scene, there's a couple scenes halfway through, that I might make you stay on stage for anyways, Aaron that break the form. So, like, we establish this language of it's Paul's experience of what's going on, and so The places where it's not Paul's experience are where we, as a design team, and that sort of things are also making the choice about what the play does as form when the script changes its form as well. So I'm really excited to surprise the audience with some of those changes um, as we go along. 

Aaron: Yeah. we should probably let you introduce yourself before we get too far this. 

Amy: Yeah... into alright. Joined by our director, Nora Gair Hello, Nora. 

Nora: Hello, hello, yes, Nora Gair of Miss Holmes & Miss Watson, Apt. 2B, last season. 

Amy: Yes,, seen her work on stage. You love her work on stage. And now you get to see her direct another, what are we calling this one? Cause it, is it straight up horror? Is it like thriller? Where, where do we feel like it lands? 

Nora: I think it's a thriller. That's what I would say. 'Cause Iheard this wonderful definition years ago of terror is when you don't know what the thing is. And horror is. when, you know what the thing is, but a terror movie is not a genre. So I, I'd rather lean towards thriller and keep the mystery of, what is the real monster? What's the real, push into the horror that comes throughout the show. 

Aaron: I, I think that's the difference between the source material and the play and movie too. I think. Yeah. absolutely. Absolutely. 

Amy: Yeah. Nora, do you have any prior experience with Misery? 

Nora: So I saw the movie years ago. I was going through a Stephen King phase of both books and movies, like watching The Shining and Salem's Lot mini series and that sort of stuff, and I watched the movie then, and I just, Kathy Bates is such a magical performer, and so I'm not surprised that so many people I'm sure are coming to see this play because they love the movie. So for them, I'm excited to say Kathy Bates is great, but wait till you see Amy Rene Byrne, you know, take a crack at the same role. 

Amy: Oh, that's a pressure, man. I know that's a comparison people are going to make and Kathy Bates and I are so different in so many ways, so I'm both excited and a little bit terrified by that. 

Nora: I mean, I think we're going to lean into the difference, you know, not to say that if there's something that we want to recreate that or we want to remind the audience of this moment that they know, sure. But I want to know, who Amy's Annie is as much as, as anything else. 

Amy: I, want to know, what amy's Annie is, too. I'm so excited. So excited. I love getting to play parts like this and I don't get to do it very often. People are like, oh, she's blonde and pale. Let's make her a good guy. I love, love, love playing bad guys. I've had the opposite experience of Aaron White over the last few years. 

Nora: Are you always the bad guy? 

Aaron: Well, I think a lot of things happened. stopped being 20 and so I was no longer the romantic lead. And I started working at BTE after the pandemic and after the Trump era. And, so the plays that were being selected had straight male not being the protagonist. So it's been really interesting last three years have been either embodying the thing that, that we all despise, or bring the funny guy, I'm happy to be all those things. But Paul is kind of the the first sort of, uh, you know \, I do agree that he is not a pristine person by any stretch of the imagination, but he is the person who we're you know-- 

Amy: He's the victim. 

Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is certainly a swap. Certainly a swap. And Amy, you've been, so many mothers, you've been pregnant so many times. 

Amy: Yes. so caring, so nurturing. And Annie is also caring and nurturing, but it's a very different flavor. 

Nora: Yeah. 

Amy: Aaron, what is your personal experience with Misery?

Aaron: I'm coming at it fresh, actually, I've not seen the movie. I never really had my Stephen King, period. Other than like Stand by Me. I think Stand by Me is the only Stephen King film. I think I've ever watched. 

Amy: I always forget that's Stephen King. 

Aaron: Yeah Yeah my mom never let us watch horror films. That wasn't her flavor So, I just finished the novel and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel more for the imagery than I think the, terror of it, because it's certainly not , as suspenseful as the play is. I think the play does keep us on a line in a, really fun way but that's mine. How about, how about you, Amy? 

Amy: You know, I feel like because I've been so excited about this show, and everybody knows I've been the one that's been it for so long that people think I have, like, a really deep history with it, and I don't. I just love the idea of putting scary things on stage and, underutilized genres being used in the theatre so I watched the movie at some point in my life, could not tell you when, it definitely stuck with me, like, I have very clear memories of certain scenes, like certain moments of Kathy Bates in particular but I haven't watched the movie recently, I have never read the full book, and honestly, the only, like, Stephen King that I've ever, really had, like, an in depth relationship with is, growing up, we only had a couple of movies, but for some reason, we had Firestarter and I was obsessed with that little girl and I wanted to be able to light things on fire with my mind and I was really upset that I couldn't. so I have a more in depth relationship with that book than I have with Misery, but I am, think, the most excited for this show in our season. 

Aaron: Well, and Nora, you kind of-- I'm going to hearken back to Holmes Watson a little bit, like there was a wish fulfillment in Ms. Holmes, Ms. Watson to a certain degree, right? With this book particularly, is there any that baked into this as well? 

Nora: I would say there's sort of two sides to that answer. One is, just like Amy said, I think horror and scary stuff live is under explored right now. And I think, especially the suspense of this, not the jump scare, the, obviously there's gore in here and some real intense moments, but it's not about the like, ghost that pops out of the closet when you're not looking kind of horror, but the suspense horror. I think is something that I've worked on several plays, that have elements of that. And so I'm excited to dive into one where the audience comes in expecting it, which I think is different than a new work horror or something, but where the audience says, all right, creep me out. I'm excited to, to do that, and then I think the other side of the wish fulfillment, which might be similar to the Holmes Watson wish fulfillment is I like unlikable women. I like it when there are women that men are not attracted to. Amy, obviously you're very beautiful, but I think in both the book and all of the source material, it is essential that Paul does not find her attractive. I think if Michelle Pfeiffer had played Kathy Bates, I don't know if that's the right, the right era, it would be this, like sex fantasy. 

Amy: beautiful woman strapped me to a bed and is keeping me captive--

Nora: Exactly. But because she is not, super skinny, because she is not able to perform a level of subservient femininity well enough, despite the fact that Annie sort of tries, but she can't hide her own intense moral code for long enough, because she cannot be obedient and small, it's not sexy. And I really like that. and I but I, think that from Annie's perspective, she loves Paul so much that there is. a hope for that maybe in the beginning. I'm not sure. We'll do some exploration of what what's the good version of how this turns out in Annie's mind. but I, I really think that that's so essential to this piece and something that I, I like to explore as an artist in anything I'm working on is what is a woman's image when, when a man cannot give it a check mark to her level of attractiveness. 

Amy: Yeah. unapologetically takes up space and I don't think Annie does it on purpose. I think she just naturally unapologetically takes space in a way that we're not conditioned to. 

Nora: And this is not to. say she's a good person, or that she's not a murderer, or all of the other things. But I think it's exciting, some of the things. that she gets to be on her way to being as scary as she is. 

Aaron: And I think one of the literary tropes of like a fem fatal is that taking the, the sexualized nature of it out makes her even more dangerous too. That there's not a double-edged sword where there's something erotic about it, is like, this person is going to kill me at some point. I just don't know when you know, and that, suspense is certainly an interesting. difference and particularly her strength and the way that she takes up space. Amy, you were saying, go ahead. 

Amy: Oh no, I was just gonna say, and then especially as Paul gets into actually writing the book and then has to wrestle with I have to finish this, book, but also when I finish this book, this woman is going to kill me. 

Aaron: Mm hmm. 

Amy: You know, like, that is a really interesting internal struggle for him to go through. 

Supporter Spotlight: Carol Tevis

Amy: We're going to take a moment now for our supporter spotlight. I am joined by Carol Tevis. Hi, Carol.

Carol: Hello there, Hello there, Amy!

Amy: How are ya?

Carol: I'm good.

Amy: Well, thank you so much for joining us. You have been a very long time supporter of BTE.

Carol: Oh, yes, I've been coming to shows for decades. I love it. And, both a subscriber and a donor and a volunteer. And I just think it's wonderful we have this gem of theatre, in our small community and in the region.

Amy: Awesome. We've roped you into some jobs along the years, haven't we?

Carol: Absolutely, keep roping me back in for different things. So that's okay.

Amy: Well, we're always very happy to have you. 

Carol: Thanks. 

Amy: What originally got you to BTE?

Carol: So I actually had a friend who was on the board way back when and, her kids were little and, they couldn't get a sitter and she said, Hey, my husband's going to stay home, wanna go with me. And that hooked me. And I went with her quite a bit and then started subscribing and going on my own after that.

And I I've missed a few shows along the way, just because of you know, life in the way, but I try very hard not to miss anything and love to see the variety that we present at BTE and, and what's going on.

Amy: That's awesome. You just finished a stint on our Board. Is that right?

Carol: I I did, I finished that, this summer. And so, I'm still volunteering on Play Selection, which I really like. It was new to me last year, and I'm thankful that you all let me stay on that, because I really have enjoyed reading plays and the discussion, and just hearing everybody's ideas and viewpoints, and watching all that creativity flow around the room.

Amy: So this podcast episode is about Misery and you are a really big part of that conversation we chose that play. Uh, tell me a little bit about what you're excited for with Misery?

Carol: So I thought it was interesting. I had no idea that there was a play format of Misery. I had read the book. I had seen the movie. And so when that came up, I was really intrigued by it because I think it's a great story. , so first off, I would love to see it on stage. And then the more I started thinking about it, I thought, boy, how is this going to be on stage?

Because you know, there's lots of things that happen that are, very physical so I'm curious about, I mean, I think the production team does a fantastic job with the sets and other things, so I'm very excited to see how that all works out on stage. I also think it's not necessarily a genre that BTE does a lot, um, so I'm hoping that'll draw in some Stephen King fans and some people that like things that are a little, scarier, I guess, so I'm really excited about that. I know in play selection we talked a lot about making sure we did it in winter because of that opening of the story. So I I'm hoping we have good weather so people can get there see it because I can't wait. Can't wait. 

Amy: Yeah, me either. I had someone stop me at the Christmas Carol Blue performance and pull me aside and was like, I want you to know I've already bought my tickets to Misery. And I like, thrilled to hear that.

Carol: Yeah. Well, I've had other people that have never been to BTE and they're like, well, I'm coming to that. So I'm like, good, come and see what we've got going on. And I just, I can't wait. I can't wait. 

Amy: Yeah, me too. Me too. What would you say your favorite show you've ever seen at BTE

Carol: Oh boy, That is the toughest question. You've asked me that before. Others So, you know, I think it sort of depends. I am a holiday person, so of course I love all the varying versions of Christmas Carol. I think the one we just completed this year was really exciting but I also like the classics when it's done, and I like Christmas Story, so holiday aside, I really liked, it was a show we did many years ago, it was called Empty Plate at the Café de Grenboeuf, and that's a really, that sticks in my mind. , the other was The Visit, which was so clever and there are pieces of that I remember so vividly and the premise of that, also the other, I, you know, I've kind of got giving you my top three. The other was, Day Trips, which was really beautifully done about Alzheimer's in a family and family dynamics. And it was one of the absolute fewest times I've ever got out of my seat. And walked out of the theatre and no one said a word. Think it was very powerful, it was beautifully done.

So I have a long list. Ask me my top one, it's really hard to do that. and I just I always come away with something. You know, something to think about or laugh about or talk about, and, you know, try and share that so we can get more folks in the seats.

Amy: Yeah, I think that that's such a testament to the body of work that the theatre has produced over the years and of course, you know, uh, we're in this transition and the new guard is taking over and just knowing how important that legacy is and, and what, has been built, knowing what we're carrying on, I think is, it's always humbling to me to, to hear from people that have been longtime supporters of BTE that, you know, just how integrated into their lives the theatre has been and how those stories really do impact them.

I think those moments when I'm like, what am I doing? Is live theatre worth it? Hearing those stories really, that's what we do it for. Those moments when, you know, you leave the theatre and no one's talking because everybody was viscerally affected by what they just saw. 

Carol: Well, and I think it's for everyone. I think that that's what the arts in whatever form are for. There's something for everyone. So if you're not a Stephen King fan, maybe Misery isn't the play for you. But, you know, we have so much else to offer. I always like it when I hear people say, It's not my thing, but I went anyway.

And I think that's great, because like I said, I can't wait to see it on stage, because I think it will be very different, and exciting, but then there's things for families, and there's things for you know, when we did some shows that are for really little ones, and then grade school, and then our Theatre in the Classroom.

Like, I think there's something for everyone and I also say with theatre, you may not be the person that connects with necessarily the actors, but maybe you are a tremendous seamstress and you look at that costume someone's wearing and think, oh, wow, because I'm always impressed by all the elements that are on stage, not just the acting, but the set and the scenery and the lighting and the costuming and the props and how it all just, you know, comes together. And that's what, you know, I think is what live theatre is about, to see what, what happens and what's supposed to happen and sometimes doesn't happen or it does happen. 

Amy: If you could make any sort of a plea to our audiences, what would you ask of them?

Carol: So I think I'd say two things. I think to the people who are like me that have come to the theatre for years and years and years and are very loyal and want to see it all and bring their friends. I want to say thank you because they're the reason we're still here. You know, we all keep coming back with new plays and new ideas.

So I would say thank you to them. And if you're someone who has never been, or maybe you haven't been in a years, I know there are folks that say to me, oh, I haven't been back since COVID. Well, maybe now's the time. So come back. We'd love to have you back because again, I think there's something for everyone.

Amy: That's perfect. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me, Carol. I really appreciate it. And I can't wait for you to get to see how we put Misery on stage. In particular, just after getting to have those conversations with you and PlaySelection, I'm particularly excited.

Carol: I can't wait. Can't wait. 

Amy: Amazing. Thank you so much.

Carol: Thank you.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Podcast

Amy: Yeah. I learned so many fun things about, Misery and how it came to be and how, Annie is really cocaine and Stephen King willingly talks about how he was struggling with cocaine and that Annie Wilkes is that in this story. And I just, found that. whole thing fascinating. I don't know, if either of you know any of that. 

Aaron: Well, the end of the book, has dates and, ends with, here are the dates in Bangor, Maine. My story is told and I didn't understand the context until you told me that. 

Amy: Yeah. So he was like very, very addicted to cocaine at the time and he was super bummed because his last novel, which was a sci- fi fantasy novel had gotten totally panned and everyone was basically like, no dude, shut up, write what we want, which is. you know, your genre. And so he was, really feeling like pinned in by like both his fans and his addiction. And then I think he was on a transatlantic flight and had this dream, which is what the inspiration for the story was. and that's how Misery came to be. And so, uh, Annie wilkes Is his number one fan. Is cocaine. Is, you-- know, of that. I just found that. absolutely fascinating. 

Nora: Wow. Exciting. And interesting though, that we were just talking about how he doesn't want her in the context of, of you know, sense based nature He doesn't want her. But, cocaine being an addiction versus a desire are are, very different things. 

Amy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I thought that was, I just, I was absolutely fascinated by it. And, , Aaron and I were also talking about how we didn't realize that the movie was directed by Rob Reiner. 

So we've decided that Princess Bride was a prequel to, uh, to Misery. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that, Montoya is Annie Wilkes. You know, just someone else is preparing to die. 

Nora: Oh, I was gonna say, I was gonna say the as you wish nature of the whole thing

Aaron: There you go, there. 

Amy: That's even better. yeah. Yeah. but I love that the playwright for this play is William Goldman, who wrote the screenplay for the movie. 

Nora: Yeah, I, I was, I was doing some research about that, that sort of history of the script and there's many different versions. Most of which are written by William Goldman. Like, he's revisited this so many times just different permutations of the same story. and I just think that's fascinating, right? Like, to keep coming back and to keep digging in, as other theatres commission a new version or whatever. I think that, the distillation of the story into more and more versions is an addiction. 

Aaron: And I, I love him as a, a writer too. This is the first William Goldman I get to be in. So I'm excited dive in. 

Amy: Yeah. Me too.

Aaron: Yeah. Along with Stephen King

Amy: Yes this this is definitely my first Stephen King. Also my first William Goldman. ! Have you done other horror, scary shows, Nora? 

Nora: Yeah, , let's see. In college I put together a bunch of scary short stories into like an anthology. But most specifically at University of the Arts, I directed the piece called Hot Cold Shower, which was a Grand Guignol style comedy, horror, comedy, horror, sort of set of four vignettes. But it was, it was the story of like a, like a, family in Texas across three generations and the sort of intergenerational trauma around queerness and masculinity. And the first one was a sitcom, and then like a slasher, and then Like an SNL sort of sketch style, and then like the supernatural horror of, I don't know, the Haunting of Hill House. So sort of playing with those different genres frankly, learning that it's the same tool set to get somebody to laugh as to gasp in fear. And being able to play with both sides of those, not always knowing which response you were gonna get, but knowing that, that those are right on the edge of each other. Okay. And I actually think that that was great prep for for this particular piece, which, really rides the line between comedy and horror. 

Amy: Cool. Aaron have you ever done anything in the 

Aaron: I, uh, Gaslight, that is more of a thrill or, and it's a slow burn. There's not, there aren't any sort of startling. It's more, um, that sense of dread that something is going to happen at some point. Not scary scary. Disturbing. I did, uh, an original play called Douglas, Mary, What You Will, kind of along the lines of supernatural, but, but it was really abstract. But yeah, those two, those two really. 

Amy: Yeah, I think I've only had maybe two experiences. I'm gonna classify The Nether as a little bit of a-- I love The Nether. That was my first guest artist role here at BTE and it's still one of my absolute favorite plays. And then in grad school, my thesis show was Down the Road, which is a Lee Blessing play, but it's about this husband and wife duo that are interviewing a serial killer. It's a little bit more kind of like, um not courtroom drama, but like in that realm rather than like, he's not actively killing anyone, but he like gets into their psyche and is showing up in their world. So there's like a little bit of a kind of thriller element to it. 

Nora: I love The Nether. I'm sad you've done it in recent memory--

Amy: One of my favorite theatrical experiences, was curtain call for that show. And, cause we did it on our stage and we had our audience up on our stage with us. And, we like curtained off the stage and they were in the black box with us. And there were a lot of University students that had to come and see the show. So like we would come out for the curtain call and you would just see this row of like bro dude frat boys going, 

Aaron: Mm hmm. Confusion. And yeah, should we be applauding for, for this subject matter? Should we? Yeah. Yeah. Cause you, you get, you're, you're sort of made complicit which I think, I mean, there's a certain element of that in this too because you get pulled in ways that you don't expect. 

Nora: You know, it's the same tricks that get you in a, in a, like an action movie to root for the assassin, right? you want to see what happens, you don't want to see the day get saved, right? It's not even that we don't, I think we do want Paul to escape, but we don't want their relationship to end we want to keep seeing the unfolding. Not that Paul is uninteresting, but Annie is such a fascinating character that for Paul to succeed means we stop getting Annie. And so I think that's the tension inside of some of that, is who are we rooting for? Because we want to see more of this relationship. 

Amy: Yeah. 

Aaron: Yeah. One of the things. is slightly off topic. the, The writing element, the, the, the sort of artistic element, The addiction to needing to create is something that I loved about the book, and I identify with as an artist. And, I'm curious how it will play out in the play because so much of that happens in his head. So much of that is, is written about, but it is never spoken. And so I'm curious how that plays out in the play. 

Nora: Me, too.

Amy: Yes. Me three. 

All right. This has been amazing, Nora. Thank you so much. I cannot wait to get in the rehearsal room with you. We, uh, by the time, uh, uh, listeners you're hearing this, we'll have been in rehearsal, but for, for Aaron and Nora and I, that is next week. So wild. It's wild. All right. This has been Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble Down Center. Ensemble Driven. Professional Theatre. Arts Education. Rural Pennsylvania. For Everyone. With Everyone. Misery has pay what you decide previews, January 23rd and 24th. No tickets required. You simply show up, see the show and pay us what you decide the show is worth. You know, sometimes we get questions about what are previews.

Aaron: Is it going to be the whole show? 

Amy: Yes, it is the whole show. So we use the first two public performances for an audience to continue learning about the show, figuring out what works, learning how certain elements are received, and we keep making adjustments until we officially open the show on Saturday night. So You can come be a part of that creation process with us and pay what you think is appropriate to see the show. It's a win win. So Misery opens January 25th officially, and then we run through February 9th and reminder that this show is appropriate for mature audiences only. You can get your tickets online at www. bte. org. 

Aaron: Yeah. That sounds like, um, uh, Usual Suspects or, uh, what was the one with Edward Norton and Richard Gere? Is that Primal instinct or something? I can't remember what the name 

Amy: I am the 

Aaron: sounds like them. Yeah, yeah.

Amy: worst person to remember titles of anything ever. 

Aaron: Sorry. 

Amy: everything I've ever seen, anything I've ever. read as soon as somebody needs me to remember a title or an actor's name. I'm like, I've never seen an actor in anything. I don't know what's an actor.