Kyle Kellams: This is Ozarks at Large. I’m Kyle Kellams. With me on the phone from her office in Bella Vista is Becca Martin Brown. Becca, welcome back. You're really taking us the other way on this week’s The Other Way.
Becca Martin Brown: You ever wonder what people are doing while we're here working—doing this?
Kellams: I do.
Brown: On their summer vacations? Well, this is not exactly a summer vacation. Edward Mounce, who some of our listeners will know from Arkansas Public Theatre productions like “Disaster,” “It Should Have Been You,” “Rent,” “The Music Man,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” is in upstate New Hampshire doing summer stock. I thought it would be fun to talk to him about it.
Kellams: Well, let’s do what we always do and call him up.
Kellams: And now we have reached Edward Mounce in New Hampshire—I think. Are you there?
Edward Mounce: Yes, yes, I am.
Brown: And it’s super exciting to get to hear from you! What’s going on? We just told people in the introduction that you're in upstate New Hampshire, doing summer stock. Personally, I think it sounds better than doing summer stock in western Kansas last summer, but that’s just me.
Mounce: It’s been, in some regards, a completely different adventure than last year. Not having my own transportation was definitely something that took some getting used to. Last year, I was able to drive up to Kansas, but in order to make it to New Hampshire, it would have been way too far of a drive for what I felt comfortable with. So I decided to fly.
Luckily, the area is very walkable. It’s a nice little tourist town, so everything you need need is within walking distance.
Brown: So you got there and got settled. Are you in like a dorm sort of thing? And then we’ll talk about the theater.
Mounce: This is a tourist town, but its busiest months are not the summer like most places—it’s the winter. This is in the heart of the White Mountains, which I believe is the largest mountain range area in the northeastern United States. There are a lot of ski slopes, so a lot of people come here to ski.
There’s a place that obviously isn’t used in the summer that they house us in. It has a summer camp feel, almost. There are seven bunk beds in a room, and each room has five actors or crew members. I share a room with four other guys.
It’s really cool. The building is old and historic. There’s a gymnasium in the basement, which is where we did all our rehearsals while they were building the set in the theater. So yeah, it’s a really cozy vibe.
Brown: And you’re doing “Jersey Boys” and “Grease,” right? In repertory?
Mounce: Correct.
Brown: Is this your first repertory experience?
Mounce: I did at Arkansas Public Theatre—we did “Our Town” and “Inherit the Wind” in rep for two weekends before the third weekend got canceled due to COVID.
Kellams: Take me through the situation. You land, you’re in New Hampshire, and you start to work. What’s the timetable for you and your fellow actors?
Mounce: Let’s see—I landed June 23. First day of rehearsal was June 24. We had two weeks to put “Jersey Boys” on its feet. We did music rehearsals the first week and a little bit of choreography for “Grease” in the evenings. The second week, we did blocking and everything else into tech week. Our first opening performance was the Thursday of tech week. So technically two and a half weeks.
“Jersey Boys” was a hefty show. Getting “Grease” up was different—we did Grease rehearsals before Jersey Boys performances, and on our off days from “Jersey Boys,” we had full “Grease” rehearsals.
“Grease” just felt so much lighter and was definitely shorter than “Jersey Boys,” so it was good we kept “Grease” on the back burner instead of trying to do “Grease” first and then the behemoth of “Jersey Boys” after.
Kellams: Do you think this kind of regimen—rehearsing every day and then being on stage—can make you a better performer?
Mounce: Oh, 100%. Especially being surrounded by so many other talented actors. They kind of force you to raise your own bar or get left in the dust.
Coming from community theater, you usually have months to prepare before a show opens. Here, we’re striving to be off book by the first blocking rehearsal. So it helps you learn your lines quicker. Choreography, blocking—yeah, it really sharpens your senses if they'd gotten dulled when it comes to acting.
Brown: So this is what you want to do for a career. Having done this summer, do you still want to?
Mounce: Absolutely. I’m having the time of my life. I told myself last summer, because I got worried looking at the schedule and thought it might be too much. There are days now where I wake up tired and say, “Man, wish I could go back to sleep,” but I never say to myself, “I wish I wasn’t doing this,” or “I wish I didn’t have to go in today.”
I remind myself—this is the ultimate blessing, to be able to do this and get paid to do it. I can’t believe this is where I’m at. Getting paid to do something you love—your hobby—it’s almost unfathomable.
Kellams: Summer, unfortunately, doesn’t last forever. What’s next for you?
Mounce: After this, I plan to head back to Arkansas and finish my degree. I’m a student at NWACC in the theater program, getting an MFA in theater performance. If my credits are lined up like I think they are, I should be graduating in the winter.
After that, I plan to submit for more theaters that aren’t solely summer-focused. Since I won’t have to worry about being back for school, I can submit for full seasons— you know, theaters that do shows in the spring and winter—and see where that gets me.
Brown: There’s something else coming up for you. Is it in October?
Mounce: Yes. I’m getting married in October. I’m currently engaged to a wonderful woman—her name is Jaslyn. We’ve been talking when we can, because she’s pretty busy and I’m pretty busy, just running over some wedding details. This trip was kind of thrown on last minute, but she said I’d be stupid not to do it, and I agreed.
Brown: As long as you get home in time for the wedding, it’s all good?
Mounce: Oh yeah. I should get home with a couple months to spare.
Kellams: Well, thank you so much for talking with us. I feel guilty, like I’m taking you away from a nap or a few free minutes, but thank you—and congratulations.
Mounce: Thank you! I really enjoyed this. This was cool.
Brown: Thanks, Edward. See you soon.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue.
