'Captains Courageous,' a director's birthday gift to the community

Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series following the process of participating in a Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative show through the lens of “Captains Courageous,” which will be a New Hampshire premiere when staged Oct. 20-22.

LACONIA — For many performers, an approaching audition date brings emotions ranging from nervousness to existential dread. For Bryan Halperin, who runs the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative along with his wife Johanna, audition days bring an opposite, but equally-stimulating, sensation.

“It’s always exciting, you put out a registration form and wait for people to sign up,” Bryan said. “It’s a little bit like Christmas where you’re anticipating what actors are going to be under your tree.”

The Lakes Region’s community theater tradition has been robust for many years, but became stronger yet in 2020, when Powerhouse formed, producing shows performed exclusively by amateur actors, most of whom live nearby, on the stage of the newly renovated Colonial Theatre downtown.

NH premiere

“Captains Courageous” is a musical stage play, based on an 1897 novel by celebrated author Rudyard Kipling, which also inspired a 1937 feature film produced by MGM. The cast features roles exclusively for men. 

Yet, nearly a century later, it’s a story largely unknown to both audiences and actors.

It’s a story about fathers and sons, and about tradition and innovation. It’s set on a fishing schooner out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Bryan said it’s a tale that remains meaningful to contemporary audiences.

But selecting an all-male cast, particularly for a musical, is an ambitious challenge for a community theater director. Bryan said he’s wanted to bring the play to New Hampshire for decades — he directed it prior in Massachusetts — and felt the time was finally right.

Powerhouse is riding high this summer, going into the “Captains” production after a near-sell-out run of “The Sound of Music,” which was the most successful non-holiday play for the nonprofit theater troupe yet.

“Our goal of Powerhouse is to balance 'The Sound of Music,’ the ‘Christmas Carols,’ with some things that are less often performed,” Bryan said. “We felt we finally had enough talented singing men to do [‘Captains’].”

The weekend of the performance also happens to coincide with his 50th. “It will be a little bit of a birthday gift to the community,” he said.

Community theater often leans heavily on well-known titles, and the ticket sales for “The Sound of Music” show why that is. There’s also a value in bringing relatively unknown pieces, and part of that is the challenge, and opportunity, afforded to the performers.

“You can’t just look up on YouTube and copy someone’s performance,” Johanna said. “You have to imagine it yourself.”

“The people that are doing this show, the whole thing will be fresh to them. You get a chance to apply your own vision to it without having to compete with the nostalgia of the known pieces,” added Bryan.

Auditioners courageous

The Halperins gambled when picking this title, and they hit. They ended up casting 19 — a few more than they had originally hoped to get. And, Bryan said, they weren’t just blessed with enough talent, they were gifted the right types of actors.

“There’s always a mix of things that goes into casting,” Bryan said. The first, of course, is finding actors who have the ability to carry a role, but unless it’s a one-person play, no actor exists in a vacuum. They need actors who can portray the role in a physical way, will complement the characteristics of the other actors they share the stage with and, not least on the list, have an agreeable, supportive personality.

“Especially with New Hampshire community theater, being a good team player is a good way to go, to keep yourself in the running to be wanted and be cast wherever you want to go,” Bryan said.

Skills and affability only help for those who show up to the audition, and Bryan said the process can be intimidating, even for seasoned performers. It can be one of the most vulnerable situations for a creative person to endure, and they have to sign themselves up for it. But, he said, it’s necessary for him to cast shows — and the best way for actors to get roles.

“Showing up is really important. You never know where you will fit into the puzzle,” Bryan said. “If you don’t show up, you cost yourself the opportunity to see if there was a role for you to play.”

He said he tries to make the experience as welcoming and supportive as possible, and people who are auditioning should know the casting director likely wants the auditioner to succeed as much as they do. If the process leaves the auditioner feeling badly, then that’s probably not a theater they would want to work with, anyway, he said.

“Just try it, you’ve got nothing to lose. If you don’t get a part, that’s no different than if you didn’t come out in the first place,” Bryan said. “But you may get a part, and that will open up a whole new world.”

Speaking to a few of those who responded to the call for auditions, it appeared that while it’s possible for some performers to learn to enjoy the experience, it remains a source of anxiety for others.

“Auditions are always nerve-wracking, but I find it fun to meet new people and see familiar faces,” said Prezley Adair.

“I love to do live auditions,” Scott Alward said, noting that there's sometimes an option to record a video submission instead of attending in person. “My ego demands an audience.”

Alward was excited by the play, especially that it remains “largely invisible” to even theater aficionados. “It’s a thrill to come into something with no knowledge of music or characters,” he said. “I’ve been doing theater for 40 years, and this is a new adventure.”

The play is another notch in the belt of Logan Currier, 11, who was cast as Harvey Cheyne, one of the principal roles. Though a young performer, Logan has already filled several stage roles, including at school and on the Colonial stage. In fact, his career developed such a gravitational attraction that it also pulled in his father, Scott Currier, who is returning to the stage after many years away.

Scott Currier performed while in college, and he said he enjoyed it then, but that experience doesn’t compare to the joy he has watching his children take the stage. Stepping into the spotlight alongside Logan comes with its own challenges, though, he said.

“I think the tough part is there is a balance, being mindful that I’ve giving them that space, enough space to trip and fall and get up. As parents we all try to find that balance,” Scott Currier said.

He praised the Halperins for the tone they set during auditions.

“I can’t say enough about how supportive Bryan and Johanna are. If you wanted a safe space to dip your toe in, I can’t recommend it highly enough,” Scott Currier said. If someone’s feeling ill with nerves at their audition, they should know that they are likely in good company, he said.

“Everyone that’s there wants you to succeed and do well,” Logan said. “If you are new, they are more supportive. Even if you’re not new, there is a kind of rooting each other on. If you mess up or something, it’s OK, because everybody does that.”

“Buy your tickets now, it’s going to be a great show to see,” Scott Currier added.