Spitfire Grill; theater with community roots

Perhaps Aloha Camp on Lake Morey deserves some credit for the upcoming production of the musical “Spitfire Grill,” the latest project of We The People Theatre at Thetford Hill's Eclipse Grange. Perry Allison, the tireless founder and director of We The People Theatre, spent several summers at Aloha Camp as a teenager. And in every one of those summers, she took the leading role in the Gilbert and Sullivan musicals performed by the campers. Of all those shows, her favorite was “The Pirates of Penzance,” where she was cast as the courageous and spirited Mabel. In particular, Perry recalls the challenge of singing Mabel's virtuoso soprano part. Enthralled with performance since a young girl, Perry went on to study theater in college and braved the New York world of theater for a while before going into business.

As luck would have it, Perry came to the Upper Valley to be the director of Northern Stage. She also worked with Pentangle Performing Arts and the Parish Players before starting We The People Theatre. Appropriately, their first production in 2016 was the musical “1776” that dramatized the discussions and debates leading up to the Declaration of Independence, a choice inspired by the political upheavals of the first Trump administration. A video of this production was screened recently as part of the Semi-Quincentennial observances in Thetford.

An interesting piece of trivia about “1776” is that it has a large cast of roughly 25, but only two female roles. It is hard, especially in community theater, to come up with that number of male performers. Thus, We The People recruited women to fill some of the male roles. A couple of years later, the American Repertory Theater at Harvard resorted to that same tactic for their own performance of “1776.”

We The People more or less re-creates itself for each production. There are only a few actors who remain constant from one show to the next. The rest are recruited through actors' lists on social media and through advertisements for open auditions. And all the players are local, non-professional actors. Unlike larger area companies, there is no hiring from the fringes of Broadway.

Another challenge for this company is finding a performance space. Until recently they had used the theater at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction, but now the resident company there is Shaker Bridge Theater, and a clash of schedules meant We The People had to find another venue. Fortunately, the Eclipse Grange was available, and Perry was a known quantity as she once served as the board president of Parish Players. So the production will take place at the Eclipse Grange, which fits the "vibe" of the play, although the space is substantially smaller than the Briggs theater, which translates into reduced revenue for the company.

However, Perry is not one to be daunted. In “Spitfire Grill” she has chosen a very hopeful story about community, second chances, and redemption. It's a tale about a young woman with a checkered past, including some prison time, who finds acceptance and purpose in a small town. As she does every year, Perry is reaching out to the wider community, including Dismas House, an organization that provides shelter and support to those making the difficult transition from incarceration to civilian life. Perry is encouraging people from Dismas to see the musical and will donate a portion of the refreshments proceeds to the organization.

There are local connections to “Spitfire Grill” in other ways too. The original “Spitfire Grill” was a film produced in 1996. Faith Catlin, a resident of Lyme, New Hampshire, played the role of "neighbor" in the movie. She has also acted and directed at Parish Players, as well as Northern Stage. And while the movie was set in a fictitious town in Maine, in real life it was filmed in Peacham, Vermont.

For many of their productions, We The People has been very fortunate to work with set designer Alex Taylor, another "local boy" who went to Hanover High School and then University of Vermont. Alex went on to develop an impressive career in theater design and lighting. He most recently designed the "concert experience" for the Elton John tour of Italy, as well as extravagant shows for cruise ship companies around the world. For “Spitfire Grill” he has transformed the interior of the Grange into a forest, re-locating some of the risers and incorporating real saplings. Of We The People Theatre, Alex says "There's something special about making theater in a community where the stories matter and the people know each other. It's joyful, collaborative, and deeply human."

In spite of its scaled-back venue, the production will also feature live musicians who will interpret the folk-inspired musical score. Thetford resident and keyboard player Maureen Burford has volunteered to be their back-up accompanist.

And to top off the community aspect of this production, three of the matinee performances will be followed by a casual music jam. Anyone so inclined is encouraged to bring a guitar, violin, or other instrument. Please feel free to bring a picnic and just hang out and enjoy music and conversation on May 3rd, 9th, and 16th. Hope for good weather, but if it rains the jam will go on inside the Grange!

For Perry there is community to be built around theater. She works with the actors to foster a tight-knit ensemble that resembles a family, something that all involved find very rewarding. And she hopes the jam sessions and the heartening message of “Spitfire Grill” will resonate in the community long after the show has ended.