As a double major in Theatre Arts and Communications & Media (with a Film Studies Minor) Em Wood chose to combine her interests by producing The Curtain Call Chronicles: An In-Depth Look at Collegiate Theatre. The project is a documentary following The OnStagers’ Spring Production, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). The OnStagers Dramatic Society is Merrimack’s student-run Theatre company of which Em is Vice President. It is the oldest run-student organization on campus, since 1947. Em began filming in January, when auditions began, and continued to shoot through the OnStager’s final show on April 22nd. The final cut of the documentary is a series of b-roll from the rehearsal process, as well as selective interviews from notable persons involved in the production.
Em has always been involved with the arts, and attributes much of her filmmaking education to Raw Art Works, a non-profit organization partnered with Adobe Inc., which she attended in high school. There she learned the essentials of pre and post production, as well as Adobe Premiere Pro, which she continues to utilize to edit all her projects. Her storytelling has strengthened since attending Merrimack, and she’s been lucky to work on several engaging projects such as Curtain Call Chronicles. In addition to the documentary, she will also be releasing her Shooting Log, a personal journal consisting of entries detailing her work throughout the semester, with everything from tech specs to problems she faced along the way. She is excited for the cast and crew to see their hard work on display.Â
