Our host Kody Ford is joined by TheatreSquared Artistic Director Bob Ford and Director of Marketing and Communications Joanna Sheehan Bell to discuss how the company evolved due to COVID-19 quarantine. Also, Zane Placke discusses how he got into catering on television and film sets.
COVID-19 shut down the world and the performing arts got hit hard. But with quarantine comes ingenuity. TheatreSquared adapted to the new normal by hiring their own film crew to take their productions online. Bob Ford and Joannah Sheehan Bell tell us how they did it and what role that will play in the coming season now that their doors are open again. Then, Kody is joined by Zane Placke who got his start catering when True Detective filmed its third season in Northwest Arkansas.
Reel Talk Arkansas is a production of the Arkansas Cinema Society. It's produced by Christian Leus and Kody Ford.
Kody Ford [voiceover]: Welcome to Reel Talk Arkansas. I'm your host, Kody Ford, outreach and education director for Arkansas Cinema Society. In this month's episode, we have Bob Ford and Joanna Sheehan Bell from TheatreSquared in Fayetteville. TheatreSquared has recently made some moves that have taken their productions beyond the stage. So we'll be talking about a bit more about that in just a minute. And also we'll be talking to Zane Placke, a Fayetteville native who has over the last few years, made a career for himself as one of the unsung heroes in filmmaking. And we'll be talking a little bit more about what that is here in a bit.
KF: Our first guests today are Bob Ford and Joanna Sheehan Bell of TheatreSquared. Bob is one of the founders of TheatreSquared when it first started back in around 2005 and Joanna came on a few years ago as their marketing director. They're both fantastic people and we are very happy to have them here today.
So today we are talking to some of our friends from TheatreSquared up here in Fayetteville, uh, Joanna Sheehan Bell, who is the director of marketing and communications at TheatreSquared, as well as one of the co-founders and the artistic director, Bob Ford. Thanks for being here on Reel Talk, Arkansas.
BF: Thank you, Kody. It's great to be here.
Joanna Bell: This is very exciting. Thanks for having us.
KF: Yeah, I, I'm very excited to have you guys, I mean, I've obviously been a fan for years and Bob you and I go way back on things too. And so I've always loved what TheatreSquared has done, but normally you wouldn't think, well, why is Arkansas Cinema Society talking to a theater, but we have a reason other than just, it's all about great storytelling. We have, uh, you, you guys are, uh, you know, doing economic development, if you will. You're employing people in video production now. And I want us to talk about that here in a second, but let's just kind of go back to the beginning. You know, COVID-19 the arts devastated a lot of us, uh, everybody, you know, and, uh, we had changed a lot of plans had to adapt. How did TheatreSquared adapt last year? Joanna?
JB: Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, like you said, the performing arts field in particular, uh, the live performing arts has been absolutely devastated by COVID-19. It feels a little bit like a virus that was specifically designed to keep you from sharing space, uh, with others, uh, with other strangers in a, in a theater setting. So, um, one of the things that we had to immediately do was to think about like, what is the true nature of what we wanted to create and how could we capture that and share it, even in this, this space, in this time and with these limitations. And so almost immediately, like we shut down on like the 15th of March and almost immediately we were pivoting and discussing sort of what role film could play in our work and whether or not that could help us, uh, whether streaming and capturing, you know, our live performances, uh, could be a way forward. And, uh, and thanks to sort of Bob's leadership, we were almost, uh, immediately, uh, had sort of a new play festival that was pivoting to online work. And we were doing readings all last summer, and then we found Russian Troll Farm, um, in that development process, which we then invested in a full, uh, a full production of, uh, an early sort of online production. Bob, do you want to talk a little bit about that experience and what became of Russian Troll Farm?
BF: Yeah. Uh, so we had met this wonderful playwright, Sarah Ganter through, uh, a theater in New York called The Woman's Project now called WP. And, uh, we're really excited to work on, uh, on a play, uh, of hers that was in progress. It was kind of a shock jock play. Um, Kody, you would love this play. Uh, and, but when we shut down and we went back to her and said, Hey, we we're we're, we want to continue the Arkansas New Play festival, but we're going to do it online. She said, you know, well, hang on a second. Cause I think I have a play that may be actually, would, is designed for zoom. And, um, so she sent us, uh, an early draft of Russian Troll Farm and it was amazing. I mean, not only was it indeed, uh, like the perfect fit for, you know, the necessities of Zoom.
BF: Um, it, it also was just unbelievably timely because it was Russian Troll Farm. It was all about Russian hackers, um, in back in 2016, uh, hacking into, uh, you know, hacking into the election process. And so, and she was really anxious and excited to get that play out there. So, yeah, it was a really neat working out, um, that play, uh, as it turns out, had been slated for a, a world premiere live at, um, uh, Theaterworks Hartford, a great theater in Hartford. That is a lot like TheatreSquared. Um, and, uh, so that turned into them saying, “Hey, do y'all want to do a co-pro of a full production online since you have invested in a workshop of it? How about it?” And we're like, “Are you kidding? I mean, we love this play.” We want to be part of rolling it out to the world and, um, I could go on and on, but, uh, that's basically what happened. We rolled it out to the world and, uh, you know, what the world responded. It was really, really, really exciting.
KF: I've heard a little bit that you guys got a lot of accolades.
JB: Yeah, so for the first time we were sort of speaking to a global audience because suddenly we had this product that was sort of, you know, in the digital space. And so with theater works Hartford and with the civilians in New York, um, we had sort of a national campaign running for this show. Thousands of people saw it. It was mentioned, uh, both as a critic's pick in the New York times and then was chosen as some of the best theater of 2020, um, that really sort of broke ground and changed the way we all consumed theater in this pandemic. So that was really exciting for us. Then we were able to sort of take some of the lessons we learned from that. And at the same time, we were outfitting our theaters to do streamed and live capture in the theater with remote controlled PTZ cameras. And so we were able to capture our production of Anne in the very early, early fall and then move to a fully mounted production, uh, that we built from scratch of Half-Life of Marie Curie, which also received national attention and had people from all over the world watching it, which was really exciting. Um, so we've really made big strides film making in this time, um, which has been, um, an unusual experience for a theater company.
KF: Well, let's talk about that transition. How did you guys, uh, did you reach out to like a local, uh, video production company or was, was there like a group that specified in doing this with theater?
BF: We uh, kind of a combination, we, we, um, uh, got a kudos to Martin Miller and to Kat Weppler and, and Alex Worthington, our, our production team, uh, Martin Miller being our executive director, they like early on like right away, uh, decided that it would an investment in a high-end four camera livestream set up, um, was worth it. And I tell you that put us leagues, I mean, this isn't a competition, but it put up, put us leagues ahead of, uh, other regional theaters, like us, that little bit of foresight, um, something we have been thinking about any way, but it was like way on the back burner, um, with COVID we realized that we wanted to reach our subscribers and our audience, and, uh, that we would need that. So that turned, that turned out to pay off big time. We used that in, um, in an and then yes, we, we, um, connected with some local folks and as well as with, uh, then later with, uh, a TV producer that, um, was good friends with our then lighting supervisor, um, came up from Dallas and, uh, did some training. So it was a combination of some local folks, uh, some out of towners, and then eventually training up our staff in this new technology.
KF: Did you guys go like full 1970s sitcom and have like a laugh track under it or anything?
BF: Oh man. Oh, you know, that was a rock. Yeah. Kody, there's the learning curve on this was amazing and funny that you had mentioned laugh track. Pardon the pun. It it's, uh, EV each show. So starting with our zoom shows, right. Which didn't involve those cameras. Um, but then, Anne then Half-Life of Marie Curie and then our, uh, brand new, uh, adaptation of a Christmas Carol, and then School Girls, um, or the African mean girls play, uh, right up to Murder for Two, each one of those pieces. We learned, we learned, you know, we picked up what we learned from last shoot and applied it to the next one. Um, and one of the one thing we found, you know, none of those other plays, although Ann is a comedy on balance, um, Murder for Two is an out and out just, it's a farce…
KF: It's wild. Yeah.
BF: It's really wild. Right. And you know, those actors up there playing to an empty house, um, and we brought in some people and they did their job and laughed, but yeah, the, the, the temptation to, to use a, uh, you know, a good old fashioned laugh track was definitely on the table.
KF: Did, did you get the audience a little liquored up? So they might be a little louder with their laughs or anything.
BF: Yeah. You know, the problem is, you know, they can't drink. Yeah. Yeah. Everyone has to be in the mask and the audience so they couldn't drink while they were there.
JB: It turns out if you just keep everybody in their house for a whole year and then invite them to come out and laugh, people are re really ready to do it.
KF: A lot of it is just inside wanting to burst out.
JB: Exactly.
BF: I was going to say it doesn't take that many people to laugh to warm up a room is what we found. Yeah.
JB: And to your point, Kody, I feel like it was so interesting because there was like a lot of things that we learned in the filming process, um, that sort of took us through the history of early television studios too. Right. Like we learned a lot of tricks from different eras of, of, of live TV and of like sort of semi, you know, live to tape, um, processes. Right. Like a lot of our, some of our cuts in a Half-Life feel like a daytime soap opera, um, like, or harken back to the sixties or seventies in that way. And, uh, there's also some kind of game show feeling, things, moments, uh, in Murder for Two. Yeah.
KF: Kind, kinda like, how did you guys watch Wandavision on Disney plus the Marvel show where like the whole first four or five episodes she has created her own sitcom world. Yeah. Which was probably one of the best things I think they've ever done. But, but yeah, it's almost like that, like, you get a different era of television that you're sort of exploring with each production, that to bring things in.
JB: Yeah. That there was a way we used to make film and we used to record that we leaned very heavily into, right. Um, in order to efficiently make filmed versions of theater that were the most representative, um, because you know, theater for a long time, hasn't really had to worry about capturing, um, what's actually happening on stage for a long time. It's been a one camera in the back of the house just for the archival. Um, so now this is really a great record of what we actually put on stage in this time. And, uh, we're looking forward to continuing that in the future.
KF: And, uh, you may have said this earlier, I might've missed it, but you guys are also employing like someone who obviously you had your theater director, but you're employing like a technical TV type director to do work with editing and cuts and things like that. Right.
BF: Yeah, we sure are. Uh, and, um, both a, an, uh, you know, it's really interesting when you overlay that world film and TV onto theater, what do you call people? You know, so we have a kind of a camera director, um, and, uh, and then also a sort of, uh, an assistant camera director, um, the camera director, uh, Sean Patrick had Sean, um, Irish, um, who is, uh, a lighting designer and set designer that we've worked with. Who's a university professor, um, amazing lighting designer, also really well, lighting designers have to be really sensitive to storytelling. Um, and we asked him if he'd be interested in, um, kind of calling the shots and, uh, uh, and he was so, uh, uh, him and, uh, and Preston, um, is it McCrory? Is that, I think that's his last name, no it's Delaney. Preston Delaney, um, have, uh, gotten better and better at that process.
BF: It's one of the transitions we went through was from the idea of, uh, creating, um, a lot of backup, you know, basically a lot of takes, which really piles a lot onto the editing process. And we discovered that that didn't work great with our timeline and also, you know, we want that sense of live theater happening. Um, so, uh, so we went to more of a model of, uh, taping it as if it was being streamed out, live, um, on the spot and doing, you know, two, three, four takes of the whole show and then picking the one that is closest to the intent of the director of the show. Um, that's still requires a lot of editing and especially sound editing, um, afterwards, but that's been a really interesting process. One that really fascinates me, you know, Kody, as you know, I'm, I've also been a screenwriter in the past and I just love what makes it theater, what makes it, you know, what's the difference? Why, why do we accept this? Um, as theater, while we're watching it on a screen, still an open question. Yeah.
KF: Yeah. And, and it, it's really cool to see, like, I mean, I watched Murder for Two. That was the only one I saw from last season. I definitely if you guys do any more Encore presentations we'll catch some more of them. Uh, but it was great. And it was interesting seeing, I felt like I was there in a sense, you know, like it really did, even though I was watching it on my tiny laptop here, and I feel like you guys did a really great job and it didn't just seem like there was like a camcorder in the back, you know, doing one thing. It's the lighting work, the sound work like it was amazing. And so, yeah, I would highly recommend anyone to catch your productions, uh, you know, come up to past ones and coming up and everything, but let's talk about what's, what's coming up now. I mean, you guys, uh, doing seasons a little bit differently this year, it's not the usual year-long announcement. You're kind of taking it a few steps at a time. So you're about to kick off the new one this summer. So, uh, Bob, you want to talk about that for a minute?
BF: Uh, yeah. Um, so we've miraculously, uh, been able to arrange our schedule and this was man, this is just like, it was like, we were all on point, you know, ballet dancers, pivoting, you know, like all year long to reschedule and reschedule. And what we wanted to do was be able to do all of the shows that we had lined up and kind of, you know, promised to our subscribers and to our audience. And we had figured out a way to do that.
KF: So you guys kicked off the season with At the Wedding and then you revamped My Father’s War, which was the first play I ever saw at TheatreSquared long ago. It was very cool to see it again and I know there are some differences but I couldn’t pinpoint them off, but I enjoyed it. So what’s next?
JB: Matilda is easily the most complex show that we've ever worked on. Um, and one of the sort of things it's going to be unfortunate for your audience is that we do not have the rights to stream Matilda. So we don't have the rights to capture that on video. Um, but, but come on down to the New York, uh, to the, the Fayetteville Public Library and, uh, and catch it, uh, in person. But the good news is that we are going to continue streaming everything else that we have the rights to stream for the rest of this season and hopefully forever. And so, uh, after we finish Matilda at the library, then we go, uh, into American Mariachi, uh, in our theater, um, which we'll stream as well. Um, which is a heartwarming story about a woman who, uh, becomes a young girl who becomes the sort of first, uh, female mariachi in America and starts her own mariachi band, which is great. And we're collaborating with a number of musicians and artists from Northwest Arkansas, including Mariachi Amistad on that particular show. So that should be a music filled a great time. And then in September, we finally get to present the world's premiere of Designing Women. Bob, do you want to talk a little bit about that?
KF: I'm excited about that one. I love the show.
BF: Yeah. What an amazing experience. I, you know, I, I, um, I just indulge me in this just really quick Fayetteville story. I am listening to K UAF. I'm driving in my car a year and a year and a half ago, like a year and a half ago. And, uh, it's Kyle Kellen's or one of the other announcers says, oh, by the way, this afternoon, uh, Harry Thomason, uh, the TV and film producer is going to be talking about his book down at night bird books, um, his talking about his new book of stories about his life. And I'm like, oh, Harry, Thomason, I’d love to meet that guy. You know, Harry Thomason, who was the producer of The Blue and The Gray…
KF: Uh, I've interviewed him before. Yeah.
BF: I, I, I'm not surprised, um, big deal and also producer and director of Designing Women and a couple of other hit TV series. Uh, but an Arkansas guy.
KF: Hampton, Arkansas, way down south by El Dorado, actually.
BF: Wow. So he, I go over there hoping maybe I'll just be able to, you know, get through the crowd to talk with him. And, you know, there's a handful of people there and I go up and introduce myself and I say, Hey, um, would you like to see our brand new theater? You know, we had just opened, um, he was like, yeah, sure, sure. So we went up there and, uh, w went up there, we walked a couple of blocks here. I gave him the tour and he was blown away and he said, Hey, you guys ever, do you ever do any new plays here? And I'm like, are you kidding? And he said, well, Linda and I, Linda Bloodworth Thomason, uh, the creator and writer of Designing Women, uh, and his wife, uh, you were thinking about it, we've been thinking a while about doing a play, a stage version of Designing Women, you know, what do you think I'm like?
Yeah. So anyway, that, that, um, that's where it started. Just, uh, just one of those happenstance conversations. And, and now here we are, um, it's been really fun to work on because Linda, uh, if you, if those of you who have seen Designing Women, she likes to respond to the, she crafts her scripts from the headlines. Like if it happened last week and I can write it over this weekend and put it into production on Monday, um, on whenever it was Friday night when this airs, you're going to see something from last week. Um, and some of, some of the that's, what was amazing about that show? Well, she wanted to be in response to this amazing last couple of years, we've had, uh, both politically, but also with COVID. So, um, so she has been writing and rewriting and rewriting and kind of updating that script.
And, um, we'll probably continue to do so right up until we go into rehearsals, uh, at the very end of August. But yeah, we're so excited for so many reasons. It's such a, it is an yeah, yeah. It's an important play for us, especially because she loves being responsive to the times, uh, to the zeitgeists. And, uh, she is a brilliant comic writer. I was, I laugh, I never laugh out loud reading a script, and I just turned page after page. I'm laughing out loud the way she sends up. So gently sends up, um, everything, every Southern stereotype you can imagine.
KF: Yeah. It was such a phenomenal show. I remember watching it as a kid and I guess Murphy brown also kind of did a little bit of that with pulling from the contemporary times as well. CBS had a good lineup back then. Definitely. Um, well, yeah, I'm excited to see that show and, uh, I think it'd be fantastic. Is there anything else coming up you guys want to talk about?
JB: Yeah, I mean, so like Designing Women has this like moment where we will be able to stream it and have a world premiere on stage at the same time, which is really exciting. It's like film, TV comes to our stage and then we get to put it back out in film and TV too. So that's going to be really fun after that, We do Violet, um, which is a beautiful musical, um, in the fall, uh, which I just feel like, you know, it's like a Southern roots inspired musical, and then we round out 2021 with some special engagements and A Christmas Carol will be back again. Um, and so that will be lovely. Plus we have a whole slate of shows that we'll roll out for 2022. Go ahead, Bob.
BF: I was going to say, I was going say, you know, we, we wrote that the first adaptation of A Christmas, Carol, um, specifically for the library, that our relationship with the library. So it's set in a Victorian era library in London and we did it as it just kind of as a, as a a tribute to libraries and librarians. And, uh, and then we couldn't do it at the library because, uh, because of COVID, so this will be, um, our second production, um, at the library and it'll, it's going to find it, it's going to find the home that it was designed for. And I'm really excited about that.
KF: That's perfect. Yeah. That new library theater, I can't wait to see what you guys do with that. It's really impressive. The whole facility is great at Fayetteville, but the library, and we're excited to do some screenings with them this summer as well. So, uh, well, okay. So people want tickets. They want to find out more Joanna, how do they do so?
JB: Uh, they go to theatre2.org, um, or TheatreSquared.
KF: That, that is R-E-T-R-E.
JB: It's true. It's true. It's the fancy spelling. We are, we're a theatre.
KF: The fancy people. All right. But I love it. I'm excited to see how you've adapted and I can't wait to check out the new productions. So thanks for being on the podcast today.
JB: Thanks so much, Kody, this was so fun.
BF: A real pleasure, always to talk to you, Kody. Thanks.
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Kody Ford: So our next guest today is Zane Placke, who is a Fayetteville, well, sometimes Fayetteville resident; an Arkansan that I've known for a few years. And Zane works in a side of the film industry that we don't always talk about. We always talk about producers, directors, like the big jobs, but there's so much that goes on behind the scenes to make a production work. And if you don't have all those gears turning, then it's not going to work out. So one of the most important things, one of the unsung heroes, the people who are in catering. Because if all of your actors and your directors, if everybody is hangry, it ain't happening. So Zane has been doing catering for a couple of years now. So we're gonna chat with him about it. Zane, welcome to the show.
Zane Placke: Well, thanks for having me, Kody.
KF: Well, let's just start off. Tell me a little bit about your background.
ZP: Well, I grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I got started in restaurants when I was like 20 or 21. Worked at a couple of places around town, the old dead BHK, the old dead greenhouse. Then I went up to Preacher's Son in Bentonville for a while. And from there got the job in catering when True Detective came to town. There were a couple other minor stints in there, but those were the big ones.
KF: Okay. So did you start out, were you like food prepping? Were you like a sous chef? Like, like what was kind of your position before you went into starting working on True Detective?
ZP: I worked as a prep or a line cook and had some sous chef duties, but never the pay or role. Kitchens tend to be less structured than you really think, especially outside of very high end ones.
KF: Okay. So, but you had a lot of great experience here in town now, True Detective rolls into NWA. How did you get involved with this?
ZP: Well, a guy knew a guy-knew a guy-knew a guy-knew me. One of the catering crew members for the crew that came in, which is, I don't know, the company's based out of New Orleans. That crew, the crew I'm now part of is really the traveling group for the company. So we've done jobs throughout the Southeast since. But one of the guys that was on that crew used to work in Little Rock. In Little Rock, he knew a man named Donnie Ferneau, whose restaurants are in Little Rock still and brought Donnie in to do a couple of days and help out here there. And Donnie knew my old chef at Preacher's Son, Matt Cooper.
KF: Yeah, I know Matt.
ZP: So Cooper told me that you knew a guy who knew a guy and they were looking for hands to do, you know, I felt burnt out in the restaurant world and kind of wanted to try something different or make a move. And it seemed like a little opportunity that rolled into town. And I feel silly if I pass it up, but I'm glad I took it. So I got started with them and went out and worked a couple of days got a feel for it. And then was on full-time for all of True Detective. And I've been working with that crew ever since.
KF: So how big of a shift was it? In terms of like job duties and things like that to go from restaurant, very set times for dinner and all that. So shifting over into the catering type position, was it an easy transition or was it a very different schedule? How did that look?
ZP: Yeah, it is a very different schedule. The first couple of days on True Detective, I think I got there at three in the morning, maybe, maybe 3:30. The hours for catering are wild. Well, if the crew gets started at eight where they're at seven with breakfast ready, but that means we've got to roll up, set everything up, start cooking. It might, it might get there at four in the morning. So then, the days are usually longer, I know I wasn't unused to working long hours in restaurants, but it's pretty hard to top caterings, a weekly workload. Then as far as the work goes, it's still cooking. We still do good food. We aim for restaurant food and fancy dishes, but you're doing it out of a food truck or out of a tent with some rolling equipment. So things you get used to, or things you are used to being easy in restaurants suddenly have a new challenge because you've got to log all your water in, in five gallon bottles or hook propane up for everything, or figure out where you can get power. So all the skill set of restaurants is the things you need, but there's so many other little elements and complications from doing it on location and at a schedule that fits with the film production.
KF: For people who haven't been on a set before, how much food are you guys bringing say for like a lunch? You bring in vegan options, meat options. I mean, is it kind of like a heavier workload since you're not doing specialty plates? I mean, I assume it is what you're saying, but yeah. I mean, how wide of a net do they cast terms of food variety when you're out there on the set?
ZP: I've only ever worked with my catering company, so I couldn't say what others do but we do our absolute best to accommodate everyone's needs or dietary preferences. So a show which we typically do, we'll have a crew and cast of something like 150 to 200 people, sometimes more, sometimes a little less. And within that, you'll have people who eat everything from guys who are afraid of eating anything but steak and potatoes, to people who want raw vegan, paleo, carb free, all organic. So we really we do our best to accommodate everyone on a given day. We'll have usually three meat based entrees. Usually like a red meat, poultry, or fish - several starches, several vegetables. We make sure there's there's vegan options or sugar and carbohydrate free options for paleo people or something. We can take an element of this garnish from that sauce from this other dish and recombine it to a full vegan meal. We feed everyone we can and do everything we can think of to accommodate everyone. I don't like people going hungry, they're working hard all day and we're there to feed them.
KF: What were some lessons that you learned in your restaurant background? Like maybe a couple of really big things that helped prepare you for this?
ZP: I mean, restaurants are great at the crucial life skill of stress management. That was certainly one of them. They'll pull lunch up, you got an hour knocked off the clock to get everything done. A lot of core culinary skills, how to actually cook, how to think about prepping, how to do things smart, do things efficiently. Catering's a wonderful job because it really engages you with lots of strange problems that frankly I had never faced in restaurants. The water never goes off. The power never goes out. We never run out of gas at restaurants. And so there's a lot of just dealing with problems that come out of nowhere that you can't, you can't foresee and just have to jump on.
KF: There's a real MacGyver element to what you're doing.
ZP: Oh yeah. I think my, one of my favorite all together catering moments was we were doing a wrap day on a show and I went from searing foie gras to play it out on a beautiful little brioche toast with some quince jam and kind of round out and then sprinted over behind the truck and replaced the head on electrical cables. So we could have power off the generator for the rest of our setup. We then sprinted back and went back to searing foie gras.
KF: Wow. I mean, you could work for the CIA when you're done with this. It seems like it's taken up a lot. Now, how many, you've been doing this, what, for two years now?
ZP: Three? Three and some change.
KF: Okay. Okay. So, and even last year you were working fairly steady during COVID and everything, once things kind of opened back up.
ZP: Well, we had a huge job lined up to start April 1st. So we were all very excited about and obviously that fell through. So I worked a little in March helping out another crew at a guy, went down to an injury and then we were off until we started a show at the end of October and just wrapped that up and got home last week. So COVID definitely shut down a lot. We were all sitting there worried, waiting to go back to work.
KF: Well, on average, in a non COVID type year, how many productions would you work on?
ZP: One and a half to two. So typically productions will start up in the spring and late summer or early fall. So some years and they also vary in length. So some will be four months, some will be six. So usually two, most of, most of two, probably. We wind up working something like nine months out of the year.
KF: Well, how has that personally being out there nine months a year? I mean, I'm sure it's gotta be fun for a while. How do you adjust to that? It's sorta like you have your on-set family and then come back home for a while.
ZP: It's like summer camp, we always travel. So we're not going back to the same set of people each time. So we did a job in Savannah, Georgia, got to meet a bunch of people, made a ton of friends and then camp was over and I went back home. Personally, I quite enjoy the balance because you coming from working restaurants. You never get time off. You'd never take two weeks off. You never get holidays off. And it's not a terribly financially rewarding industry. So vacations are usually in the cards, or if you do want it every few years. So going into the production schedule, really, really buckling in and working hard six months at a run, and then having some time off to fully enjoy, to relax, to go on a trip. I find the setup to be pleasant and it's really nice to finish jobs, going from restaurants. It's never, ever done. Even when you finish a week, you've got to get rolling on the next week immediately, or the next day, or the next thing coming up. And it's very nice to do the last day of filming, do our big, fancy wrap meal, shut down all of our equipment, wrap out and go home and be done and not have to think about work until it's time to work again.
KF: Yeah. And I assume, so you're working with the same crew from the catering company though. Like when are you guys going to different jobs? So you guys are almost out there a lot, like some sort of food, military unit of sorts.
ZP: We're kind of like very fancy carnies.
KF: Okay. That's there we go. You guys I'm sure have like, developed a good sense of comradery and can play off of each other.
ZP: Yeah. Well, and we spend an inordinate amount of time together and usually wind up all living together since we're different hires for whatever production we're doing. We'll get an Airbnb or a rental house. So, yeah, we get real close; we're good friends. We get weird together. It's a fun time.
KF: Awesome. So, going forward in the future, are you wanting to stay in catering for a while or, would you like five, 10 years down the road once you do something else and filmmaking?
ZP: I certainly intend on staying in catering for a while. I really enjoy it. It's a ton of fun. It's a rewarding career. It brings an immense amount of satisfaction. Honestly, one of the hardest parts of COVID was I'm used to working a ton it kind of becomes your identity. It's where you draw agency from. And I was just sitting around the house, not doing the thing I do and feeling empty, but going forward. I certainly want to do catering for a while. There's still room for advancement in that field. After that, I can't see wanting to leave working on productions. I don't necessarily know where else I'd want to go. I'm pretty excited. I think we're all becoming Teamsters for our next job. So that's certainly a good way forward, absolutely steady employment for quite a while.
KF: No doubt. No doubt. Good to have those guys on your side, for sure.
ZP: Oh yeah. That's our number one goal when we land is be friends with all the teams.
KF: That's perfect. Yeah. That's what I've heard. It's like make friends with those guys because they're the ones who take care of you.
ZP: Yes. If they like you, your job gets so much easier.
KF: Well, Zane, I guess one last question I have for you is for all those people back here, young people, or even people, I guess they're a little bit older working in here, back in Fayetteville or done, or in Little Rock or wherever, or in Arkansas that it's like, Oh, I've been doing this restaurant ground for so long. It's driving me crazy. What about movies? What would be your advice to them to make that leap?
ZP: As far as how to do it, you gotta be in the right place at the right time. And from there be willing to go anywhere at any time. If you hear about a production coming up or know there's one happening, try and get in touch with the production office. See if you can get in touch with the caterers through there. If you're just thinking about it and you don't know if it's the thing for you, you can almost certainly go day play and do a little bit here and there. See if you like it, be prepared for a ton of work and getting up well before the sun does and having a lot of fun and enjoying it. I think if you go try it, you'll know whether or not it's for you pretty quick. And, I would encourage anyone who's interested to take the jump and see if they like it and try and get involved in movie industry. It's fantastic and full of wonderful, interesting people, good union jobs for virtually everyone involved. And it's a great for states and communities.
KF: Awesome. Well, Zane, congratulations on getting your foot in the door and living the life out there and thanks for coming by, because I really do appreciate you talking about this, because again, this is such an important thing that goes on a set that people often don't think about. So keep doing what you do out there and make sure nobody goes hungry.
ZP: All right. Thank you, Kody. Thanks for doing this podcast and thanks for having me.
KF: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I'll let you get back to your day. Thanks again.
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KF: So that's a wrap for this month's Reel Talk Arkansas. Thank you for tuning in and be sure to follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter and find out more. And of course I want to thank our guests this month, Bob Ford and Joanna. Sheehan Bell with TheatreSquared and Zane Plakey. And, of course, you the listener. Thanks for tuning in.
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KF (voiceover): Reel Talk Arkansas is produced by Christian Leus and Kody Ford. Theme music by Amos Cochran. Thank you for listening and tune in next time. To find out more about Arkansas Cinema Society, visit our website: arkansascinemasociety.org.