MIST: BCP is for Lovers

At the beginning of the shutdowns caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus, there was a resurgence of interest in apocalyptic films such as Contagion, maybe so we could get a glimpse of the worst of Covid could expose us to or maybe because we are masochists. But now almost a year later America has run away with a period piece on Netflix called Bridgerton to desperately escape the real life horror of this once in a lifetime plague.

To tell a story about our current times that centers love over devastation takes courage and courage is the heart of Beaumont Community Players’ newest original musical that you can watch for free online today. Waiting for Sunrise: A Viral Love Story observes four southeast Texans as they navigate the new world they find themselves in at the start of the pandemic.

The charming play starts off following four southeast Texans as they navigate the new world they find themselves in at the start of the pandemic. The setting is March – a time I now am weirdly nostalgic for, if only because hundreds of thousands Americans weren’t dead back then – when Covid19 was inspiring autotuned remix’s of Cardi B’s take on the topic, a wave of entrepreneurship in the handmade mask market, and when we were all wiping down our groceries in case we could catch it from our favorite shame eating snacks (I’m prone to Oreos).

Shannon (Genevive Brassard) is struggling with how to teach music over zoom to small children while Bruce (Bryan Brassard) oscillates between optimism and doom spiraling over the future of his bar and grill. Shannon’s aunt Laura (Krista Courts) frantically sews to distract from the general nervousness of being trapped at home instead of at her salon. In the first Act, Shannon sets Laura up on a blind date, over the phone of course, with Sam (Jeff Courts), a business owner that Bruce knows through the restaurant. We see our own quarantine behaviors reflected back at us through the experiences of the characters who see the crisis through different vantage points and cope with the uncertainty of the moment in varied but familiar ways.

This musical wasn’t just a challenge because it was set in modern covid times with covid restrictions but because when new plays are being developed, they are often workshopped with actors, a director, and a playwright. Everyone works on the script, fixing kinks, editing dialogue, making the play perfect as they go along – meaning, things are constantly in flux and subject to change at any point in time, usually every night, and up to the point of performing.

“[When we were approached with this project we thought] Oh no, how are we going to do this, especially with memorizing lines,” Jeff said laughing. “I was the most worried about memorizing the lines.” But another real worry was the chance that as a police officer, Jeff was very concerned he’d bring the virus home to his family and castmates. “But the chance to be the original cast for a new work was intriguing”, Krista says.

Both Bryan and Genevive Brassard are musicians and educators who understood the complexity of the task at hand.

“Workshopping a show is hard because it is not written in stone. Music especially. But Lindsey Downs (the music director) was really great at transposing the music – taking all the notes on the page and lowering or raising them for an actor’s voice manually – and changing keys, which is very hard and time consuming. But Lindsey was professional, calm, and just really great about any challenges that came up,” Genevive said.

“As an actor, the director usually has a particular vision in mind so the fact that we had so much input in the show was really great,” Bryan remarked. In fact, the actors had so much input, the ending changed.

James Bowden, professional playwright (formerly the playwright in residence of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival) had a traditional American musical ending in mind – a big number in an optimistic tone.

“I was talking to John on the phone after rehearsal one night and he was relaying conversations the cast was having with each other about the ending. And so we changed it – and it wouldn’t have happened so successfully without the collaboration of the group.”

And here is a piece of classic James Bowden wisdom that he brings out without even meaning to be brilliant, “When you are working on a play, you know how much of your own experiences and heart go into the creation. And you have to trust the director to understand the story. A play can only grow and have depth when other people – the director, actors, designers – layer their experiences and heart to the piece and bring it to life.”

There is a beautiful symmetry to following in love and constructing a play from scratch. There’s discovery, surprises, a bit of compromise, maybe some sadness, but trust is the glue that holds the fragile little thing together.

Genuinely one of my favorite parts of the show is the couples cast are actually married to each other, not just because smart casting decisions reduced the spread of the virus, but because the chemistry on stage was real. For example, there is a small quick moment where one of the couples is dancing and I was so sure there was going to be a little sneaky booty grab but they must have remembered where they were and resisted the urge.

I learned from talking to Jeff, Krista, Bryan, and Genevive that the theatre was an integral part of their own love stories. Back in the day, Jeff Courts’ young son wanted to audition for a show but with the stipulation they would audition together – after they were both cast, Jeff became enamored and they were a part of almost every season. Being a staple in the local community theatre brought him to the show where he met Krista, a woman he’d never have met otherwise, who has been his partner in life and on stage for 17 years and counting. Similarly, Bryan Brassard was in one of the first programs of KIDmunity at BCP as a child and couldn’t stay away from the stage, becoming a director, musician, producer, and served on the board. When he and Geneive met at a friends house one evening, the group was sitting around a piano singing songs from musicals like a pair of love nerds in a tree. The first show Geneieve auditioned for at BCP was Chicago, because it was one of the first movies they saw together when they were dating.

I am not surprised these connections made in community theatre are rooted deep in the love of their lives. Love is a momentum that builds on itself, scaling walls to overcome challenges. Love of creating a show from the words on the page to the final show in front of a live audience is enthralling, addictive, and forges life long friendships where before was a group of strangers.

Initially I tried to write this piece as a strict piece of journalism with quotes about the experience from the actors, director John Manfredi, and playwright James Bowden, but only writing about the process of the show didn’t feel… right. One of the quieter tragedies of pandemic is the slow vanishing of our cultural institutions – the restaurant you used to visit with

your parents every Sunday, the small boutique you bought your favorite party dress from, the theatre that you fell in love in.

Any patron of the Art Studio (you..yes, you) has the same fear for this beloved institution and seeing that you can’t imagine a world without the opportunity to forge relationships or enrich your life with art, you are supporting the work by picking up this inaugural zine.

Waiting for the Sunrise is an adorable show that will be a place marker in time for the feature of community theatre in Beaumont – did it mark the beginning of a new innovative era or the end of a love story between generations of southeast Texans and a pre-covid world? Like the twist ending of the play (seriously, you will not guess what happens) I’m ending a little more honest than optimistic but I urge you to curl up with the Brassards and the Courts on your couch with a glass of wine (sweet red) and some aforementioned shame snacks. You can find the show on youtube (search BCP Performs or type out the link HERE and keep your eyes peeled for other events coming up at the local community theatre because BCP is for lovers <3