Notrevo Productions To Screen Summer Film Festival

The Progress

Mark your calendars and prepare to be entertained! Notrevo Productions, Inc., home of the Moapa Valley Community Theatre, is presenting its first film festival on Friday, July 30, in the Old Logandale School at 3011 Moapa Valley Blvd..

The festival will feature two original short films written by theatre members Kenna Higgins and Kim Hardy. There will also be screenings of two Moapa Valley High School plays prepared, performed and recorded without audiences last semester during the moratorium on activities due to the pandemic. The festival will include two separate showings of these films: the first at 5:00 PM and the second at 8:00 PM.

“We had hoped to have a film showing at the high school, but things didn’t quite work out and we didn’t have time,” explained MVHS theatre teacher Kenna Higgins, who is also involved with the community theatre and co-founder of Notrevo Productions, Inc. “We were already planning a film festival for the community theatre, so we thought including the high school films at our festival would be a good fit.”

The two high school plays are the high school theatre’s second foray into producing filmed plays.
“The unique situation we had last year gave us the opportunity to be creative,” Higgins said.

In the first semester the theatre department staged their two plays as normal, filmed, and had specific air dates on YouTube, per licensing agreements. Reflecting on the first plays, Higgins noted several areas that she wanted to improve on for the next round.

“We went into the second semester’s plays planning on filming instead of having a live audience,” she said. “That takes a completely different mindset not only for planning and staging, but for the actors, too.”

As for the community theatre, Notrevo Productions, Inc. has been working on filming for the past year. Board member Kim Roden-Riisnaes credits the generosity of the Moapa Valley Television District Board and the inconvenience of the COVID shut-down for these productions.

“The TV Board gave us an amazing gift in providing the funds for the filming equipment,” Roden-Riisnaes said. “This coincided with the Covid shut-downs which shut off all access to any of our performance venues, denying us the opportunity for our normal shows. We didn’t want to lose our momentum, so we chose to focus our creative efforts in a different direction, which has proved to be a wonderful opportunity. We are not only having fun, but we are providing entertainment for the community and giving back to the TV Board by creating content they can air on the local TV station.”

Community theatre members rallied and jumped at the chance to do something other than wait for a conventional stage to open, after all, according to the most famous playwright of all, “All the world’s a stage.”

They filmed the first short film, The Velvet Ribbon, in September and October of 2020, then jumped into the second film, Benched, in the spring of 2021.
“Filming is very different,” admits cast member Cynthia Weeks, who accepted major roles in both films.

“Normally, we see the whole play come together, perform, and then we’re done. With film, we only see the parts that we are in, and we don’t see the finished product until much later. It’s strange, but still fun.”

“It feels so good to be out with other people, being creative and having fun,” Weeks added. “And I am really excited to see the finished products now.”

The film festival will do double-duty as the community theatre’s annual reveal party and fundraiser, as well as the premiere of the film branch of Notrevo Productions. Local businesses have generously donated items (gift cards, free tickets, gift baskets, art, etc.) for a raffle and silent auction. The raffle and auction will be open from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, in between the two showings.

“This is not a one-and-done,” promised board member and co-founder Emma Brown. “Notrevo Productions was founded with the promise of cultivating and expanding the arts in Moapa Valley.”

“We are glad that the world is opening up again and look forward to having a live show in the coming year,” Brow added. “But we are not done with film, either. The TV board gave us tremendous support, and we fully plan on continuing to create videos. We are weeks away from starting filming on our next film, and have plans for another festival in the works. This is just the beginning.”

Admission to each showing at the festival is $5 per person. Children under 3 may enter free. Concessions will be available.

Volunteers for both film and live productions are needed and welcome. For information on volunteering visit mvcommunitytheatre.org and fill out participation applications any time.