Tri-State Players to Perform "Treasure Island" and "Little Women"
The community theater group will perform on August 8, 9 and 10 at Minisink Reformed Church in Montague, NJ.
Micah Sweeney has been teaching middle school social studies for most of his 23 years working in Delaware Valley School District. However, he has branched out along the way to become a social worker, a homeopathic educator and, two years ago, launch a theater group, Tri-state Players Community Theater (www.tristateplayers.org), that gives a wide variety of people from the area a chance to display their thespian skills for community entertainment, lately with radio dramas. So we asked him some questions about the venture.
What prompted you to initiate the Tri-State Players?
The Tri-state Players is a covid passion project. Towards the end of the lockdown I began getting more and more involved with community theater. Directing shows was something I felt called to do and I desired to have more creative control. In high school I dreamed of having my own theater group, and when the owner of a local restaurant asked me to bring a show to her place, it seemed like forming the Tri-state Players was the next step in fulfilling that call.
What in your background prepared you for this venture?
I found theater in high school under the direction of Kim Golden, a name longtime residents will likely remember. I was in three productions in high school, culminating in the lead role of Captain Hook in Peter Pan my senior year. For college, I commuted to East Stroudsburg University where I minored in theater. As a commuter, my opportunities to engage in campus life were limited, and so I joined the Presby Players in Port Jervis, under the direction of Donald Marsh, another name likely familiar to your readers. I earned a teacher certificate and began my career at Delaware Valley.
While working at DV I took over the middle school drama club where I served as the director for six years. From then until now I’ve performed with Tri-City Stage and the Forestburgh Playhouse. I sat on the board of directors of the Presby Players and the Dingmans Ferry Theater before branching out to become the Artistic Director of the Tristate Players.
How did you gather participants?
Kate Albrecht and Kevin Riker were the first two participants I gathered. Together we formed the base of our production staff. I knew that without their help the Tri-state Players could not get off the ground. Then I made some phone calls to other local talent whom I thought might be interested, which got the word out. They knew people, who knew people who filled out the ranks and ultimately became the backbone of the Tri-state Players.
What have been the main challenges of starting and moving forward?
It took a little while to flesh out the Creative Team and get enough people to cast a show. Organizations like the Tri-state Players either grow or die. Our Creative Team is healthy and energized, and we are now on our third production, so we have garnered enough interest. We continue to seek out rehearsal and production options. We are very fortunate that both the Riverview Inn and Minisink Reformed Church allow the Tri-state Players to use their space.
How do you choose your dramas?
The key to choosing our radio dramas is great stories that pair well with each other. We pair two one-hour radio dramas for an evening of quality entertainment. Last summer we did a tribute to Humphrey Bogart by pairing “Casablanca” with “The African Queen.” For Christmas of 2023 we performed “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” two stories that mirror each other. This summer we are performing “Treasure Island” and “Little Women,” two historical coming-of-age stories.
What have been some memorable moments in rehearsing and performing?
That’s hard to say because there have been so many. The really memorable moments often end up becoming inside jokes among the cast and crew. For example, a memorable moment that has now become an inside joke is that I once had an actor performing a period piece in his Nikes rather than in shoes. Another memorable moment that’s become an inside joke has good-naturedly divided the cast. Half the cast attests that our Scrooge last winter had a German accent and the other half of the cast denies it. I won’t get too involved with that one. All I’ll say is that I didn’t direct it with a German accent and neither did the actor intend a German accent.
Which of your productions was/were most appreciatively received? Why?
I think our Christmas Show of “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol” were the most well received. There’s just something about seeing a show around Christmas time that helps to make the season festive. Additionally, the history of those two shows is intertwined, and when I addressed the audience I gave a little history lesson on the relationship between the two.
Were there any shows that were misunderstood? If so, how?
Yes, our first show of “The African Queen” was a little misunderstood. While we’re getting a reputation for performing radio dramas, we apply enough theater craft to make the shows visually as well as auditorily appealing. During “The African Queen” I intended to stage the actors at the microphones so the audience had a sense the actors were on the boat. For example, when it rained during the story I had the actors stand at the center microphone to indicate they were huddled at the middle of the ship. When Charlie banged on the boiler, the actor was staged at the aft to give the impression the boiler was at the back of the boat. That got lost on the audience, but it was a learning experience for me and has simplified the staging since then.
Do you have a vision for where the Tri-State Players are optimally headed?
Yes. While I see radio dramas continuing to be a staple of the Tri-state Players, the vision is to be able to produce a musical. Musicals require more funding, volunteers and infrastructure than we currently have available. However, we are growing and have a lot of support in the community. It is our hope and goal to be able to bring a musical to our summer stage next year.
How are you going about getting there?
We are going to achieve that goal by improving our marketing and fundraising strategies. Currently we have a strong Facebook presence and are building out our website at www.tristateplayers.org. We’ve launched an Instagram account and are uploading material to our Youtube channel. By continuing to offer a summer and winter production we hope to get more people interested in performing with us, sell more tickets and bring in more financial support.
What else would you like people to know about the Tri-State Players?
Tickets for our upcoming Summer Show of “Treasure Island” and “Little Women” can be purchased on our website. The show is August 8 at 7:00, August 9 at 7:00 and August 10 at 2:00 and 7:00. We’re really happy to have a role in the community. We are grateful to Jessica Cohen of the Tri-State Lookout for giving us the opportunity to participate on her platform. We are still seeking sponsorships! If you would like to help, please consider placing an ad in our program. Another way people can help us is by following us on Facebook and sharing our posts. More information about placing ads can be found on our website (www.tristateplayers.org) or on our Facebook page.
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