Great Barrington — Alec Bachman exudes enthusiasm. The 16-year-old Richmond resident has his driver’s license; enjoys sleeping late; and possesses an affinity for acting, which he has cultivated at Monument Mountain Regional High School over the past two years. The rising junior first saw “Peter and the Starcatcher” at school, presented by last year’s Advanced Drama class and featuring Ben Zoeller, someone Bachman cites as a mentor and whose own dedication to the stage inspired Bachman to pursue theater. Tonight, Bachman will take to the stage at Saint James Place in the role of Teddy, the youngest cast member in GhostLit Repertory Theatre Company’s production of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” a Tony Award-winning prequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic “Peter Pan,” adapted for the stage by Rick Elice and based on the bestselling children’s book series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
“Being part of this cast [feels] more [like] family than a theater group,” said Bachman during a tech-week interview. “We share a love of theater and this production—something we’ve come together and bonded over—[and] this camaraderie is really special to me,” he added. Bachman, whose acting career began while a student at the Richmond Consolidated School, quickly became involved in the spring musical as a high school student. His debut, in the May 2018 production of “Oklahoma!”, was a turning point: “For me, [it was] a surreal experience,” Bachman explained of his role as Andrew Carnes, one that “allowed me to step into the theater department at Monument and learn more about myself and high school theater.” This past spring, Bachman was cast as Leaf Coneybear in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” where he first met Caitlin Teeley of GhostLit Rep.
“New talent seems to appear here all around us,” said Teeley in a recent interview. “Alec was so good, so fantastic,” she added of her initial work with the young actor during “Oklahoma!” “At this point, we keep meeting our collaborators, new wonderful people around [the Berkshires], because they all grow up here—there’s something in the water,” she joked. As a result, the GhostLit community just keeps growing. Teeley and Harrison Lang, artistic directors at the fledgling company, started rehearsals for their “dense, demanding show” on May 27. To date, they have rehearsed four hours each day, six days per week. Teeley calls it guerilla-style theater: “We go into any space that will have us and create as big a statement as possible, which is really exciting,” she explained, noting that doing what they love to do and being really well-accepted has been both humbling and gratifying.
If there was a common thread among the disparate players who will take to the stage on Wednesday, it might be Jolyn Unruh. A veteran English teacher at MMRHS and head of its theater program, Unruh made her own return to the stage last June in GhostLit Rep’s production of “The Tempest.” “[Jolyn] is what drove me to see ‘The Tempest,’ and ultimately drove me to audition for ‘Oklahoma!’” said Bachman of his sophomore English teacher, an individual he cites as having been instrumental in guiding him toward theater. Teeley has a similar story: “Jolyn gave me the monologues that I used to audition to get into college,” recalled the 2008 graduate of MMRHS, who co-directed “Oklahoma!” alongside her former teacher. “It’s a strong community,” said Teeley, “the bond—it’s that connected,” she added.
For their Company’s Berkshire premiere, Lang and Teeley have assembled “a creative feat,” one that hinges on iconic staging, dramatic props and elaborate costumes. Teeley called it “one of the most creative processes I’ve ever been a part of.” The work required to solidify the show, the Company’s first diversion from musical theater, has been exciting and challenging. And the shift to “straight theater” is where Teeley’s love lies, which is not to say that staging an entire production—without having to focus on the music—has been less work. “[This has] proven me so wrong in every way,” said Teeley of the intense demands for every single person involved in bringing the show to fruition. “Everyone has poured blood, sweat and tears into the creation,” she said.
Bachman is looking forward to the upcoming run at Saint James Place. He compares his debut with GhostLit Rep as similar to his part in the high school musical: “[Joining] the seniors, who you’ve seen perform for so many years—to be part of a cast of amazing actors with such skill” left Bachman almost speechless. And once Saint James Place goes dark, Bachman will be off to Emerson College, where he has been accepted into a five-week pre-college acting program. “I have this passion for theater,” Bachman decided, after taking a scant three days to complete the extensive application process, one that included a 10-minute audition reel with two different monologues, a feat he completed 15 minutes before midnight on the day of the deadline. “[It was] last-minute, but a good decision,” he concurred.
In the days leading up to opening night, Bachman spoke about his biggest challenge to date: managing his levels as an actor. “As a person, I am very high and low, [often going] from being very loud to quiet at certain points. I have trouble with low-intensity characters—not over-the-top or crazy—just a genuine person. It’s easier to play the part of one who speaks of madness. For this play, every character is over-the-top but [in] human emotion. That’s the hardest part for me.”
Teeley can relate. “The amount of pure love for performing and lack of inhibition [Alec brings to the stage] is one of the most exciting things in the world for me to experience as a director,” she explained, likening the phenomenon to a football player hurling himself upon the ball. Her own classic conservatory training, while instrumental in providing her essential tools, admittedly dampened some of her spunk—or weighed her down a bit when it came to managing her own inhibitions. Bachman, on the other hand, has managed to find balance. “Watching Alec perform, I find him one of the most thrilling performers to watch and to work with,” she said. “There is a purity there, an excitement, that is hard to find with older, more experienced performers,” she explained, which, in the end, might be the sole differentiator between acting as a passion as opposed to a profession. “Pure passion, and lack of inhibition; that’s what’s at play here.”
“Peter and the Starcatcher” is directed by Caitlin Teeley with assistant direction by Harrison Lang, choreography by Natalie Sala, music direction by Jackson Teeley and fight direction by Olivia Willcox. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar.
