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Sean Orman and Jessica
Kemp
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Living their dreams at the professional theater
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By DIANE CHASE - Special to the Enterprise , Adirondack Daily Enterprise
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College sophomores Sean Orman and Jessica Kemp are taking risks
and grabbing opportunities to further their dreams of careers in the
theatre. While Sean pursues his dreams of performing on stage,
Jessica finds her passion behind the scenes.
For Orman, obtaining an internship with Pendragon wasn't easy. His
diligence was the key. After being originally passed over for the
internship because he lacked stage managerial experience, he came
home to Saranac Lake from college to assist with tech work for the
Community Theatre Players' production of "Wizard of Oz."
"Since we were doing the show at the (Harrietstown) Town Hall we
didn't have access to a lot so I came to Pendragon everyday,"
Orman said. "I was lugging lumber and making cuts to fit. It was
then that (Artistic Director) Karen Lorde-Kirkham asked if I was still
interested in the internship and if it would fit into my schedule. I
said yes immediately. These opportunities don't come everyday."
Orman came into the position with "great trepidation." He had
already been cast in a professional role, performing in the
Pendragon's "Man of La Mancha"and knew that rehearsals and
performances were going to take a lot of time. Adding to recovery
for wisdom teeth extractions, his summer hours would be filled with
late calls and staging shows.
"I've been doing theatre since 2001 when I was in first grade,
starting with Jessica Deeb's Rising Star Productions at the Lake
Placid Center For Arts," Orman said. "My mother was working at
LPCA so my sister and I were there a lot. What started out as a
hobby turned into something I can see myself doing as a career.
"Most people don't realize that working in theater is about working
together. One of my professors says an actor may tell the story, but
without the technicians you are just a person in normal clothes
sitting in a room in the dark," Orman said. "Growing up around
professional theatre such as Pendragon and being part of CTP, you
see everyone helping out behind the scenes. Even if I'm
concentrating on a performance, being a part of the technical aspect
is something I've always done. Plus, the more someone knows about
their career, the better and easier it will be.
"I worked with Pendragon for the last few years with 'The Christmas
Carol.' The last few years I've worked behind the scenes since a lot
of their productions look for older actors. Being able to learn through
this internship will help me be a better performer."
Being stage manager for "Harvey" was a requirement of the
http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/548797/Sean-Orman-and-Jessica-Kemp.html[3/6/2015 3:18:48 PM]
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Sean Orman and Jessica Kemp - AdirondackDailyEnterprise.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Saranac Lake region — Adirondack Daily Enterprise
internship. Orman explained that the stage manager makes sure
that everything happens at its appointed time. He "sits on book,"
meaning he reads along with the actors and keeps track of lines, the
prop list and set requirements. He would relay the requirements
back to the design staff and became the go-between for the actors,
director and crew. His enthusiasm for his profession shows as he
tosses out theatrical terms such as "calling the show," which is
cueing actors, as well as operating the lights and soundboard. He
would make sure that off-stage sounds matched the actions on
stage. Sean explains that at Pendragon Theatre people do multiple
jobs so he learned to be more self-reliant and sometimes found it
easier to do some jobs himself, without relying on another set of
hands.
"My job was to make sure that every technical aspect was smooth
and furthered the fantasy for the audience. Theater is such a
collaborative effort," Orman said. "This internship has helped me
grow not only on stage, but within the industry. I now know what
goes into each aspect of putting on a production, from hanging the
lights to sound as well as the numerous tasks of the carpenters and
electricians. This opportunity broadened my experience with
technical theater."
"There is a saying that a person is the sum of their experiences,"
Orman said. "Watching live theatre is important the same way
reading is important. You are taking in new ideas and information
and any new information is good information. For example, I knew
the story of 'Don Quixote' as the crazy man that attacks windmills.
After being a part of 'Man of La Manche,' I was able to glimpse into
new areas of this story. The play 'Harvey' is a period piece, so I was
able to look into a window of that era. Theatre is always relevant
because everyone loves a good story. It is how we grow as people.
Theatre grows because it is adding more experiences to you."
Orman encourages other students to find what they are passionate
about and look for opportunities that are available. He played sports
while in high school and summer soccer. Academics became
important to him in high school, and that new-found importance
brought with it a heavier workload.
"I've always been an avid reader and not just because my mother is
a librarian," he laughs. "Even if it's not something you completely
enjoy, you are broadening your view of the world as a whole. You
can do more and experience more when you have more knowledge
of the world. Finding out what you want to do is mostly about
testing the waters. Ben Franklin did everything. He was a fireman,
inventor and ran a newspaper. When you can experience more
things then you have more opportunities to experience new things.
You won't be pigeonholed."
Kemp has chosen a similar yet different path. As opposed to Sean,
who envisions a life on stage, she wants to spend her professional
life behind the scenes. During high school Jessica was the star of
many community and high school productions, but it was a CTP
production of "Fiddler on the Roof" that drew her backstage.
"There were some scenery changes that were a little slow," she said.
"I wanted to help to make things timely and efficient. I reached out
to Jessica Deeb and she let me stage manage."
When it came to looking into colleges and applying to different
schools the focus was always on theater. She chose Emerson and
loves it.
"I've been heavily involved in theatre, being on stage since I was 9
and behind the stage at 16," Kemp said. "I am lucky. I figured out
what I wanted to do quite fast. When you are involved in children's
theater you are always helping out though I never helped design
lights or sat through rehearsals checking for continuity."
Kemp got her first professional stage managerial break through
Pendragon Theatre with the show "The 39 Steps." That was the
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Sean Orman and Jessica Kemp - AdirondackDailyEnterprise.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Saranac Lake region — Adirondack Daily Enterprise
summer that cemented her career decision.
"I had worked at Pendragon and acted there when I was 10," Kemp
said. "I was in my junior year of high school when Bonnie Brewer
asked if I would stage manage 'The 39 Steps.' At that point I
already knew for the most part that I was pretty serious about stage
managing. Bonnie has great experience and is someone wonderful
to work under. I was I was going to do it. Bonnie is a mentor to
me. She is the best."
Her journey led her from one Adirondack professional theatre to
another just a few hours apart. Brewer, a production manager and
director at Pendragon Theatre with strong connections to other
regional theatres posted an application for a production assistant for
Westport's Depot Theatre.
"I talked to the people at the Depot Theatre and interviewed," Kemp
said. "They thought I was a bit too young, but ended up hiring me.
Bonnie put a lot of faith in me. I don't know how she gets things
done. She is at the Depot, Pendragon Theatre and CTP. She is
everywhere."
Kemp worked at the Depot Theatre following her high school
graduation. The next summer she was able to receive an internship
based on her past experience, dedication and hard work ethic. Her
Emerson school friends were sending out resumes and looking for
work around Boston while she chose to go back to the Depot.
"I love being here," Kemp said. "The city is great, but I love coming
back here to the mountains."
During the Depot Theatre 2014 summer season, Kemp was an intern
for the first two shows and was promoted when the stage manager
dropped out because it was her second year at the theater.
She acknowledges that there are many elements to a stage
production that people don't know anything about. She admits that
there is a lot of other stuff going on behinds the scenes necessary to
make the actors look good on stage.
"At school we take classes in lighting. That way we can learn to
speak with everybody and each department has its own language,"
Kemp said. "Learning how to communicate with everyone is
essential. There are so many jobs behind the scenes. There is the
master electrician that makes sure that the master designer has all
the lights in place. There is a lighting designer that makes sure the
lights look good. There is the sound engineer who makes sure that
the sound is what the sound designer wants. There are set
designers, set construction, crewmembers, and stage managers.
There is a lot more than just actors, which I was very glad to find
out."
Kemp said she realizes that working at a smaller theatre means that
a person has to cover more than one job and do what needs to be
done. This year she felt she was able to learn a lot by multitasking.
She was able to find props, provide some set painting and provide
costume maintenance such as steaming and ironing.
Kemp's internship hours were long. She admits that it was
exhausting, but gratifying work. She had an increase in
responsibility, as it was her second year with the theatre.
"Depot Theatre is different than other theatres. We put up a whole
show in nine days," Kemp said, smiling. "It is exciting. During tech
week we feel like we are living at the theatre. At that time we are
adding all the lights, all the scenic elements and special effects."
"Live theatre and live performance is important," Kemp said.
"Theatre is an art. I have found that we can express issues and
problems or provide entertainment and escape. We can approach a
political issue a different way. I think seeing live theatre is a way for
people to let go, to totally transform and be absorbed into another
world. Theatre is another way of communication and an opportunity
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Sean Orman and Jessica Kemp - AdirondackDailyEnterprise.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Saranac Lake region — Adirondack Daily Enterprise
for some of us to speak. With a movie you are always told to be
quiet without a lot of discussion afterwards. With theatre there is
always some sort of discussion, always."
Orman and Kemp continue to work toward their life goals. They both
acknowledged how they took advantage of the opportunities that
presented themselves. They don't attribute their success as just
luck. There is a lot of hard work involved as well. Both students
encouraged other young adults to try on "other hats."
" I know what I want to do, but I understand that others may need
to explore a bit more, " Kemp said. "Find out what your niche is and
find out what you like to do. Do everything you can until you find
what you like to do. Find out what you are passionate about. It is
difficult. I believe things happen for a reason."
After a summer of interning at Saranac Lake's Pendragon Theatre,
Orman returned to SUNY New Paltz to continue his studies as a
theatre arts major on track for a Performance Concentration. Kemp
left her summer position at Westport's Depot Theatre for her second
year at Boston's Emerson College to continue her studies in stage
and production.
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