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Talawanda grad producing  a festival play in New York

Lindsay Meck production part of a fringe festival in Manhattan.

$The character of Princess Diana is shown in the playroom in a scene from Cephalopod: A Play Below Sea Level being performed in New York\u2019s 13th annual International Fringe Festival. Producer for the play is Talawanda High School graduate Lindsey Meck. Contributed Photo$

The character of Princess Diana is shown in the playroom in a scene from Cephalopod: A Play Below Sea Level being performed in New York\u2019s 13th annual International Fringe Festival. Producer for the play is Talawanda High School graduate Lindsey Meck. Contributed Photo

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By Lauren Schwab, Contributing Writer 5:30 PM Thursday, August 20, 2009

For Talawanda and Northwestern University graduate Lindsay Meck, theater is more than art, it’s business.

Meck is working in New York City as she helps produce an original theatrical production created by a college friend and classmate, Kyle Warren. The play she is producing is titled “Cephalopod: A Play Below Sea Level,” and it premiered Sunday, Aug. 16, to run through Aug. 27.

The production was selected to be part of the 13th New York International Fringe Festival in Manhattan after Warren submitted the script on a whim and “Cephalopod” was one of 200 plays selected to be put up in Manhattan theatres for five performances.

When Warren approached Meck asking her to produce, she was both excited and anxious.

“I knew I wanted to work with Kyle, but I knew producing a Fringe show would be a ton of work and I would have to be really passionate about the project,” Meck said.

However when she read Warren’s script there was no hesitation to take on the project.

“I remember sitting in a Starbucks near Times Square in Manhattan reading the “Cephalopod” script for the first time and getting to page 38 and just weeping. I read and see so many plays and musicals but I knew this script was something really special and I had to get on board,” Meck said.

Meck then prepared for three months with a cast of four, all NU graduates, and a creative team of 30 NU friends who manage lighting, set, costume, props, sound design, stage, fundraisers, publicity, events and graphic design.

Meck plans to continue her producing career in New York and does not plan to slow down.

“I certainly want to continue to develop new theatrical works in New York, hopefully with many of the same folks who worked on ‘Cephalopod’,” Meck said.

She also knows the importance of theater from a business standpoint.

“My current plans include applying to business school and getting my MBA. I think theater producers need to understand the fundamentals of business in order to make wise financial decisions and implement marketing strategies for their Broadway productions. It’s a skill set that I think will build on my artistic background and prepare me to be a better leader in the theatrical community,” Meck said.

“Cephalopod” has already received a shout-out in the New York Times Arts Blog and the cast was featured guests on the “CBS Early Show.” The official Web site for the production is www.playbelowsealevel.com and includes a full synopsis.

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