What happened to the Barrymores?
PLOT SUMMARY: Two seemingly unrelated couples are drawn to an old estate off the Dorset Coast, where two bumbling ghosts help them confront an evil witch who knows more about their families than they do.
Alayna Een as Beverly
Levi Taylor as Charles
Cait Cooper as Elsie
David Een as Lord Haversham
Justin Stockett as Olly
Ben Brockbank as Dalton
Tanner Frederiksen as The Constable
Eirik Affleck as Nathaniel
Tiffany Brockbank as Clarice
and Beau Wilson as Perraux
CREW:
Writer/Director & Music: Levi Taylor
Stage Manager: Ruthie Cobb Higley
Asst. Stage Manager: Rachelle Carroll
Technical Director: David Een
Costume Designer: Cait Cooper
Asst. Costume Designer: Beau Wilson
Technical Supervisor: Kennady Wikstrom
Props Manager: Tiffany Brockbank
DIRECTOR’S NOTES: The Barrymore Hauntings was quite the experience. An original live streaming musical series that aired from Nov – Dec. 2020 via Facebook Live, it was produced on a shoestring budget, streamed from a makeshift sound stage in my parents’ garage, and almost didn’t happen at all due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We lost our location (a gorgeous Victorian-style home) 3 days before the first episode was supposed to air, so we pulled together what we could and moved to the garage; that’s why the first episode has a table cloth on a blank wall.
The production value improved dramatically as the show progressed, with the inclusion of a 30-foot projector screen, professional film lighting, a fog machine, better sound, and some fun makeshift special effects. But none of it could have happened without the cast and crew (who were often the same people), each of whom believed in the show enough to work through those hurdles. They kept me going when I had my own doubts, and in the end, made the show better than I could have anticipated–especially for our first official show as Headphone Theater.
It was a learning experience for all of us, and produced an engaging 7-episode musical miniseries with 13 original songs with loads of charm. Favorite moments for all of us included the romance of Charles and Beverly, the antics of Dalton and Olly, and the adventures of Lord Haversham and Elsie Blaker. Almost a year later, I revisited the raw footage–and boy was it raw–but remained steadfast in my determination to adapt it into a video series for all to see. I used my newfound skills from editing The Thief and the Lady to add all kinds of new sound effects, improved song mixing, enhanced picture, and even a few fun special effects.
It took me months to finish it all, but was well worth the effort: the “remastered” episodes not only looked and sounded better, but also trimmed almost 30 minutes of fat from the total runtime. You no longer had to sit through six minutes of screen savers as we switched between sets or changed (remember–it was originally live), nor did you have to listen to us chatter amongst ourselves when we didn’t realize the camera was rolling. Maybe one day I’ll do a cut of just the embarrassing parts from Barrymore; that alone would be worth a watch. For now, you’ll have to settle for the full series, derived from the original live feeds but greatly enhanced through the wonders of post-production.
And of course, there is still more of the Barrymore story yet to be told…
