Interview: Director Carol Fisher and THE CAKE at Bergen County Players

Carol Fisher, a resident of Teaneck, NJ is directing the Bergen County Players (BCP) production of The Cake, which opens at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell on March 14.  The play, written by Bekah Brunstetter is a touching dramedy that explores how faith collides with love when a devout Christian baker refuses to create a wedding cake for the daughter of a deceased Best Friend because it will be a lesbian marriage. 

 

Carol has spoken eloquently on how mainstream entertainment - including theater - can help humanize both sides of the political and religious divide. She has stated, "For me, the play is a story of love, understanding and redemption - and the need to be exposed on a personal level to people who are different from us." 

 

Carol is a Life Member of Bergen County Players. She’s directed productons that include Pride and Prejudice, Church and State, The Lion in Winter, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, A Shayna Maidel, Is There Life After High School? and Sordid Lives. Audiences have enjoyed her performances at the Little Firehouse Theatre in various shows, including Steel Magnolias, Pippin and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  Carol has also been Chair of Play and Casting for the last three years. 

 

I can’t remember when I wasn’t thinking of theatre or performing. As a toddler I was singing around the house and along with records. My mother would play piano and I would sing. I started Ballet class at 3 years old and did recitals just like most kids. I always thought about being on stage. I competed in competitive speech events in high school. Making it all the way to state. At 15 I started showing up at our local Community theatre in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I worked backstage. I built sets, helped with costumes, props, Stage management, anything to be near the theatre.

I went to college and majored in theatre at St. Louis University. I later went to the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NYC. From there I did summer stock and some regional theatre. After I married and had children I found it impossible to continue the theatrical path I was on. I started looking into local community theatre again. My childhood memories of being there were some of my happiest memories from childhood. I joined Bergen County Players in 2005. I performed in shows and started my journey toward directing. I had directed in High School and College but did not focus on it. But as I got older it really intrigued me. I have fallen in love with it. This is my 9th show at BCP and I am really enjoying it.

We know you have a great history with Bergen County Players.  Why do you think the company has garnered such a great reputation? 

Bergen County Players has been around for almost 95 years. It has a solid membership and puts up Wonderful Productions. It is a well-oiled machine. When you work there you know there are people to assist with every aspect of production. These are talented people who know what they are doing. It’s very collaborative. The members can become a second family. They support each other both as colleagues and friends. They have a sound publicity and marketing team that gets the word out about each production. But none of that would matter if the directors and actors weren’t top of the line and so many of them are.

Tell us about a few of your favorite BCP shows that have been produced in recent years.

I can start by talking about my shows. I’ve done The Lion in Winter which was a joy to do. The set designed by Michael Smith and Ellyn Essig looked like the inside of a castle. It had big heavy stone walls and heavy curtains. The costumes by Maureen Mulvahille were period and dazzling. They really made you feel like you were there. I have done Last Night of Ballyhoo which was just a charming show by Alfred Uhry about assimilated Jews in the Georgia set on the eve of the opening of Gone with the Wind. Shayna Madel about the aftermath of the Holocaust. Kate Hamil’s Pride and Prejudice which is a wild, gender-bending rendition of the Jane Austen novel. Other notable productions—and I must say there are so many that it’s hard to single one out. Here are a few. I could list many more. This past season’s production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, directed by Alyson Cohn, was wildly popular with our audiences and played to sold-out houses. Ragtime,
which is just an amazing show to begin with and beautifully directed by Larry Landsman. Seascape, a rarely produced play, was thoughtfully directed by Dottie Fisher. Steel Magnolias directed by Ellyn Essig was especially special as I was in it and everyone in it was a dear friend of mine.

That’s what I like most about community theatre. You get to work with your friends over and over again. There’s a trust and a bond that forms.

What would you like audiences to know about the messaging in The Cake?

The Cake is such a tender show that it gets its message across without being heavy-handed. It is written by Bekah Brunstetter who was a producer and writer for This is Us on TV. I loved the way she wrote her characters. She gave them all a solid back story and they were all flawed. This made them interesting. The Cake is the story of a woman, Della, who owns a bakery in North Carolina. She is asked by her deceased Best Friend’s daughter, Jen, to make a cake for her wedding. But when she finds out that Jen is marrying another woman, she refuses to do it. Her faith won’t allow it. Della begins her journey and on this path she grows. She finds love for Jen is as important to her as her faith and she has room in her beliefs to assist Jen. What purpose is faith supposed to serve other than as a way to bring people together in peace? These characters aren’t perfect, but we root for them. We want them to succeed. We want them to come together in understanding.

Can you tell us a little about the team that is bringing the show to the stage?

I have an amazing team backing me up. First, I have 5 amazing actors who have dug deep into their souls and found these characters and brought them to life.
Holly Cerelli Della
John Klemek Tim
Angellina Aragona Jen
Kylah Wilson Macy
Larry Brustofski George (the voice)

My Producer/Assistant Director Christine Francois has been by my side for the last 5 months, helping me prepare and taking care of all the technical aspects of the show
Stage Manager Michele Roth who will be calling the show and taking charge of it starting Sunday (Tech week)
Set Designer Jody Laufer Who designed and built the set. Adjusting as needed.
Lauren Zenreich and Marci Weinstein who are in charge of Décor. I can’t wait to see the set when it is all painted and every thing is in place
Scout Schiro costumes. I have worked with Scout numerous times and she fell in love with the show as I did and has it costumed beautifully.
Props RichCiero. Making so many cakes and pastries for the set.
Sound Tim Larsen/ Joe Ercole
Lights Allan Seward
Publicity CammyBourcier

And this doesn’t even account for the numerous people who came down to build and paint. The people who make sure that tickets are out and that people know about it. It takes a village to mount a show and this village just happens to be filled with my friends.

Why do you think the story of The Cake is particularly compelling for a live theater audience?

It's topical. Given the politics surrounding the LGBTQ community The Cake urges the audience to reach some understanding. To ask questions about long held beliefs.  To maybe open their eyes and see the world a little differently. To understand that we can love those that aren’t like us. We can still love even without complete understanding. In a world that is so divided at times, it's a play about coming together and the work it takes to do that is compelling for me.

Can you share any of your future plans?

I will be taking a nice break after this production but I’m scheduled to direct again next year at BCP. Show has not been announced but I look forward to it. Other than that, I work as an RN at Mount Sinai hospital and I hope to travel.

Anything else you want BWW NJ readers to know?

I hope you will all come see our show. I promise you will be moved. That you will laugh. That you will come away with something to think about. That’s what theatre at its best does. Right?

 

To learn more about the Bergen County Players and to purchase tickets for The Cake, please visit Home - Bergen County Players.

 

Photo Credit: Mark Krieger