How does someone become a producer?
“I’ve had no direction and no guide. It’s
been, “˜Get your feet wet and jump into it,'”
Sandra Mucke said about her recent first experience as a
producer.
Mucke, a fourth-year communication studies student, has just
finished producing her first major play, “Friends with
Frank,” at the Stella Adler Theater. Lacking any formal
training, Mucke’s reverence for theater and support from the
cast have pushed her to pull the independent production
together.
Although Mucke now plans to pursue a future in producing, in a
way this opportunity found her. Last fall, two of Mucke’s
friends, Tyler McGee and Cameron Fife, wrote and produced
“The Hollywood Dream.” Impressed with their work, she
offered to help with any future project.
“They referred me to Troy (Presha) to help him out as
production manager and co-producer. That is how I got involved in
everything,” she said. “I read the script and fell in
love with it.”
“Friends with Frank” is a historical fiction dramedy
about shooting the film “On the Waterfront” in Hoboken,
N.J. The play tells the story of how Marlon Brando originally
turned down the role of dock worker Terry Malloy because he
disagreed with director Elia Kazan’s decision to reveal the
names of Communist Party members to Congress. Frank Sinatra was
offered the part but quickly lost it when Brando changed his
mind.
“(Presha) took this story about how two
“Waterfont” location scouts had to come to Hoboken and
get all the people on their side so they could film this movie
because it is Frankie’s hometown,” said Mucke.
As Mucke sat on the Ackerman patio, talking about Brando,
Sinatra and the challenges of theater in Los Angeles, it was easy
to forget that Mucke is still a student who happens to be putting
on a play. In fact, she herself seemed a little surprised by her
accomplishments with the project.
Even though she acted in a few plays in high school,
Mucke’s main connection to theater was through her many
friends involved in it. It was her desire to help them out that
lured her into producing the play, and now, start her own
production company.
“There is me, Troy, the director, Brandon (Schiffman), the
co-producer, and the three of us together make up 19 Gypsy
Productions. There is a tripod of people involved in the
production, and we are now looking ahead. We want to move now
toward film,” said Mucke.
With graduation approaching, Mucke appeared free of nerves and
full of goals as she talked about looking forward to future
production projects. 19 Gypsy Productions hopes to develop
Presha’s other plays, “Serving Hitchcock” and
“Brother’s Keeper,” which are grouped with
“Friends of Frank” to complete a trilogy of historical
fiction plays about film.
Although she appears completely calm and confident about the
plays, Mucke admits that even with a strong support system of
friends and family, there is no guarantee that independent theater
will work.
“To put on a play has been difficult because it is not as
popular as film in a city that is run by the film industry. It is
really hard to get people to appreciate theater here, as opposed to
other places like New York and San Francisco, where theater runs
the town,” she said.
Whatever challenges Los Angeles may present, Mucke is determined
to keep them from interfering with her plans. After this first run,
she has the business savvy and organization to keep going with 19
Gypsy Productions and her newfound, as she describes it, labor of
love.
“When you’re passionate about something and
you’re surrounded by a group of people that are passionate
about it, that motivates you,” she said. “It is
definitely something I will always do.”