In late November, Ensemble Theatre at Brown performed “Carrie” at the Fishman Studio in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts.
The group held three showings of the genre-bending musical created by Lawrence Cohen, Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore based on Stephen King’s eponymous novel. Although the musical closed in 1988 after just five shows on Broadway, it was revised ahead of its 2012 off-Broadway revival.
The Herald spoke to the director of the Ensemble production and three cast members to gain a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the show came to life.
The musical, like the novel, is a psychological horror-drama that follows a bullied high school senior with burgeoning telekinetic powers. Unlike most traditional theatrical productions, “Carrie” is dark, gory and involves numerous special effects. For director Gaby Richter ’28, this uniqueness was part of the musical’s appeal.
“I love horror, (and) I love the book and the movie,” Richter told The Herald.
When she discovered that “Carrie” had been adapted into a musical, she listened to its soundtrack and fell in love with the score. “I think there’s some lovely parts, especially for female roles,” she said.
Richter has been involved in theater productions since high school, but “Carrie” marked her first time directing one. After acting in Ensemble’s “Pirates of Penzance” last year, Richter became a member of Ensemble’s board and was picked to direct this semester’s production.
To commit time to the production, Richter took a hiatus from her a cappella group to attend the show’s rehearsals.
“It was rough … but I loved it,” Richter said. “If I could, I wouldn’t do anything differently.”
Early production of the show started in the summer, Richter said.
The board settled on “Carrie” largely due to Richter’s love for the source material. Casting began in mid-September, only about nine weeks before the show’s premiere, Richter said.
Ensemble is unique in that it has a no-cuts process, meaning all who audition will receive a role. This system leads to a welcoming, non-competitive environment, cast member Noah Martinez ’27 told The Herald.
“I like that Ensemble has created a space where someone can just jump in and be a part of something, even if they’re not the best, or even if they have less experience,” Martinez said.
In the production, Martinez played Tommy Ross, Carrie’s prom date, who takes her to prom at the request of his girlfriend to make up for her bullying of Carrie. He appreciated Tommy’s complexity given that the cast of characters does not have “one villain,” he said.
Martinez also served as the musical’s fight coordinator, a role he received because of his experience taking a summer course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where he learned stage combat. In theater productions, he explained, fight coordination is particularly important because cast members may have different boundaries and experience levels when it comes to combat.
“It was nice to be able to show some people some of the (fight) techniques, so that way people can learn how to do it,” he added, noting that he hopes the club’s members will now be able to continue teaching combat skills after he graduates next year.
One week after the audition process, rehearsals for the production commenced. To accommodate cast members’ schedules, Ensemble broke up rehearsals depending on scene partners and held them in locations other than the final performance space, Richter said.
Jocelyne Lioe ’29, who played Tommy’s girlfriend, Sue Snell, said this departure from her high school acting experiences was a bit of a “culture shock” and didn’t allow her to bond with her castmates until late October.
Danaye Martin ’28, who portrayed Margaret White — Carrie’s deeply religious and emotionally abusive mother — shared a similar sentiment. “I wouldn’t have to go to the big ensemble rehearsals, so I did miss that community aspect a little bit,” she said.
Martin noted that her characterization of Margaret was inspired by Richter’s interpretation of the character.
“I got a lot of information about what (Richter) wanted Margaret to look like and be like, based on the original source material, which was really awesome for me,” Martin said. “Margaret’s character and her songs are just on a completely different playing field than the rest of the show. And I think that represents how separated she is from the world and how she has created this world that’s just her and Carrie.”
For Lioe, portraying Sue was challenging, but a “good experience overall.”
In the past, Lioe was often “typecasted for, unfortunately, race or other things,” she said. But she “was always able to at least relate a little bit to (her) character.”
Her character in “Carrie,” Lioe said, “was a complete 180” from who she is.
In the last week of rehearsal, the group began incorporating the technical aspects of the show — a process that both Lioe and Martinez described as difficult.
“Carrie” is known for its special effects that simulate telekinesis and blood splatter, which the show’s team had to navigate through guidelines instituted by groups like the Brown Arts Institute and the Student Activities Organization, Richter explained.
Because the Fishman Studio is a shared space, the show could not splatter the stage with fake blood, an integral element of the show’s climactic scene, Richter said the show’s technical team and production designers ultimately decided to use blood packets, pulley systems and glitter to create convincing illusions, she added.
“I am so glad it turned out amazing. But that was also really tough because we were like, ‘How do we make it safe?’” Richter said.
For all three performances, the technical aspects of the show went smoothly, and the production was a success.
“It is so crazy to see something that you’ve worked a lot on, then come to life and realize I was a part of this,” Richter said.
