During the Month of October Arts Alive is collecting stories from performing arts organizations across the Monadnock Region to ask - how are you holding up? This is the last of three stories this month that will highlight the innovations, inspiration, hope, and connection these organizations are still fostering, even in difficult times. We started with Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center, and followed it with updates from The Peterborough Players. We wrap up this series with The Edge Ensemble of Keene, NH. The Edge Ensemble Theatre Company was founded in 1989 by Founding Artistic Director, Kim Dupuis. Our present home is Heberton Hall at the Keene Public Library. Ensemble members are drawn from Keene and the surrounding area. These answers were provided by director and founder Kim Dupuis.
Tell me about your organization?
Our mission is to create a resident professional theatre company based in Keene, NH, and to produce the highest caliber theatre that resonates with heart and truth, while at the same time encouraging the artistic and educational growth of our ensemble members and the community. We produce three plays a year and one Edge Café, an experimental slot delivered in a coffee house style environment.
What inspires your artists to do what you do?
We believe that the art of storytelling is a wonderful opportunity to shed light on the human experience and to connect to each other on a meaningful level. We are a core group of artists dedicated to the pursuit of artistic excellence in storytelling through the medium of theatrical productions. It is our goal to entertain and enlighten our community, and we are inspired by the hope of generating deeper connections among our community members.
How are you fulfilling your mission these days?
A still from the Edgar Allan Poe virtual production
Out of an abundance of caution, The Edge has cancelled all live performances for the remainder of 2020, but we are presenting three online performances through the fall. In September, our first production was The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain, and it was available to watch online. The Edge’s second production, Spooky Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, is available now online at The Edge’s website (https://www.edgeensemble.org/videos) from October 16 to October 31. The third show will feature an original play by Jon and Cynthia Austin, As He Is, and will be available from November 20 through December 31. There will be no admission fees to view these online productions, but we appreciate any donations and support that our audiences are able to give in lieu of a set ticket price.
Until we can return to a live format, we intend to deliver our normal season of four plays through online platforms. We hope that our funding organizations and donors will continue to support our mission in this online format. In many ways, it is more expensive to produce plays in this way. We are not a movie production company. We don't have a movie production company budget or timeline nor do we have all of the equipment needed to produce a movie. Therefore, we are busy trying to creatively discover how we can deliver top notch theatrical productions with our small theatre budget.
Founding Artistic Director Kim Dupuis notes that this new format is an exhilarating challenge for a theatre company that typically delivers live productions in front of a live audience. “Filming is an entirely new animal, requiring a new way of thinking, and the experience has stimulated my imagination and inspired new methods of direction.”
How has your day to day changed in the last 6 months?
Our day to day activities have dramatically changed because we are accustomed to working and rehearsing together in close quarters on a regular basis to prepare for our live performances. We are committed to the safety of our ensemble members and our audiences; therefore, we are searching for a new way to continue our mission under the new important safety mandates. We still work and rehearse, but we use online techniques as much as possible. When we need to get together physically, we try to work outdoors as much as possible.
Edge Ensemble actors from the Diaries of Adam and Eve, demonstrating 6’ distance as they deliver performances for a promotional video for the virtual production.
Is that impacting the creative work you do?
Social distancing has a huge impact upon our work. We tell stories through the medium of live performances and our live performances generally result in a large number of people in an enclosed hall. Also, our rehearsals generally require a number of people to rehearse together in an enclosed hall. Beyond that, some stories are very intimate in nature, and social distancing does not allow for the close connections those types of stories require. We need close proximity to each other to rehearse. We need contact. We are struggling to redefine how we can connect under these new circumstances. We are also busy searching for dramatic literature that can be produced well during these challenging times.
Where do you and your artists find hope and inspiration these days?
Our hope and inspiration is coming from each other and our community. We see good people rising to face the challenges and standing in support of each other in the face of this crisis. Our mission remains the same, but it feels even more important now than ever before.
What is the biggest realization you've had about The Edge in the last 6 months?
We are excited about our new way of delivering entertainment. We can bring our brand of storytelling to our audience by thinking about the delivery a bit differently, filming our results, and placing them on YouTube. We are eager to return to live performances, but we recognize that we also enjoy delivering theatrical productions online. We are considering the idea of including an annual online production in addition to our live performances in the future.
What is it that you need right now?
We are delivering excellent theatre on a shoestring budget, and we rely on community support. That’s why we created a fundraiser this year that would help us raise donations and give back generously to our donors. We partnered with the Monadnock Food Co-op and are working together to help ease some of the financial stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re holding a raffle. The drawing for the raffle winner of a gift certificate to the Monadnock Food Co-Op will be held on the final day of each of our Fall productions’ runs in the amount of $400. You will be able to view the raffle drawing on The Edge’s website. Raffle tickets are $5.00 and may be purchased by mailing a check to The Edge Ensemble, P.O. Box 1815, Keene, NH 03431. Tickets may also be purchased through PayPal for $5.42 each. Raffle tickets must be purchased one week before the drawing date. For information about the raffle, visit our website at www.edgeensemble.org.
In this COVID-19 era, the challenges we face are simply greater than before. Please enjoy the work our ensemble is creating for you. Come and watch our shows on our website at www.edgeensemble.org or check out our Facebook page or you can send us an email at TheEdgeEnsemble@aol.com.