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Far from Ordinary: Earls Helps Revive Guilford First Church Theatre Program

For her efforts to help bring a live musical production of Ordinary Days to the shoreline, coupled with bringing the community theatre program back to Guilford’s First Congregational Church, Amy Earls can be considered far from ordinary.

After a hiatus of several years, the sanctuary of the historic church on the Guilford Green is once again undergoing a transformation to become the stage for a community theatre production.

Four shows of Ordinary Days, a musical by Adam Gwon, will take place at Guilford’s First Congregational Church at 110 Broad Street, with performances on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.; on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2 and 7 p.m.; and on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. A suggested donation is $20 for adults and $10 for children aged 10 and under. Tickets are available now via firstchurchguilford.org.

Amy is likely a familiar face to many in town, and this is not only due to her past in participation in theatre productions at the First Church. The Guilford native has served as vice president of operations at Page Hardware & Appliance for over two decades. Currently, Amy is an elected member of Guilford’s Board of Finance. She has also served on the board of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, has chaired the grants committee of the Guilford Foundation, and has led the Guilford Green Merchants.

One of Amy’s first jobs was working as a cashier at Page’s while she was still in high school. After graduating with the Guilford High School Class of '97, Amy earned a B.A. from Connecticut College in 2002 and a MBA from the University of New Haven in 2006.

At the First Church, Amy sings in the choir and chairs the music committee, which is sponsoring the upcoming production of Ordinary Days.

Amy is the production’s self-described “de facto producer” and also plays the role of Claire, as one of the four actors in the musical. She will be joined onstage by Matt Landry-McWilliams (as Warren), Julie Fitzpatrick (Deb), and Michael Lindsay (Jason). The production’s music director and pianist is Bill Speed, the director of music ministries at the First Congregational Church.

One of the reasons for the hiatus in theatre productions at the church was that its past director, Liza Catino, moved away. That loss was further compounded by the pandemic’s impact on community events and programs, says Amy, who worked to help revive the program.

For this production, the show’s directorial role has evolved to become more of a group-think concept than an individual in charge, she notes.

“Bill is the closest thing [to a director], but since he is often in the ‘pit’ on the piano, much of the staging has been done by committee,” Amy explains.

Landry-McWilliams and Fitzpatrick have directed shows in the past and have degrees in theatre.

“Matt is the arts department chair and performing arts director at Franklin Academy and has directed Guilford Youth and Family Services shows. Julie directs the Wheel Life Troupe at Legacy Theatre and directed staged readings of her original work, All the World's a Stage: A Pandemic Love Story,” says Amy. “I asked them to be involved, in part, because they bring professional-level experience to the piece.”

While Matt and Julie form one onstage pair in the production, Amy and Lindsay form the other. Amy says that both she and Lindsay, who works as a licensed electrician and home improvement contractor, are “...two amateur actors who work in the home improvement industry as our day jobs.”

“I think this combination reflects the musical and theatrical culture here in Guilford,” Amy says. “We have numerous professional musicians and performers in town, as well as folks who dabble in performing arts at open-mic nights, Porchfest, or GreenStage. There is an appreciation for the arts along the shoreline that I used to take for granted, and now I fully appreciate is a rare gift. I am grateful to have the opportunity to bring Ordinary Days to life in such an environment.”

The lively music and moments of humor peppering Ordinary Days revolve around the intersecting lives of four young New Yorkers and weaves into an examination of what makes for a fulfilling life.

“It is really catchy music,” Amy says, adding that even younger audiences may recognize some of the songs. “There are actually a couple of songs that have been on TikTok, which I didn’t realize until my daughters heard one and started signing along with it! It has a Starbucks order in it, and it’s pretty fast—definitely not something you’d pick up the first time hearing it. I said, ‘How did you know it?’ and they said, ‘TikTok’!”

Amy and her husband Matt have three children: Zachary, Scarlet, and Cordelia. Everyone in the family has acted or otherwise been involved in community and school theatre productions in town.

Amy hopes that residents who remember attending past First Church productions will be excited to return to see the revival of the theatre program take the stage.

“I know there are a lot of theatre supporters in the town and people who remember going to Fiddler on the Roof or Joseph [and the Amazing Technical Dreamcoat] or Godspell...at the church who might want to come and support what we’re doing,” she says. “We’re hoping this is a springboard for doing a larger production in the near future by showing we can have good-quality musicals or plays at the church.”

Amy adds that audience goodwill and the good quality of the production will help draw more talented adults who are interested in participating in future shows at First Church. As opening night draws near, Amy says that she’s excited to have been given the opportunity to help revive a great tradition of community theatre at the church.

“It’s been like a dream come true for me to help put this together and actually make it happen,” she says.