Nancy Herman Keeps the Shows Going On
NEIRAD enilno edition
- Profile: Nancy Herman
- Years @ DHS: I’ve been teaching here since l980.
- Hometown: Milford, CT.
- College: undergrad at UCONN; graduate school at NYU.
- Family: I have one daughter, Olivia, who is 13.
- Favorite Play: Hard to choose one…maybe "Equus," by Peter Shaffer. And, of course, "Hamlet."
- Favorite Book: Too many favorites to choose just one, but as a child I read and re-read Exodus, by Leon Uris.
- Favorite Music: Well, after The Beatles, lots of solo singer-songwriters. Oldies like Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell; more recently Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLaughlin and others.
- Favorite Getaway: In the summer, sailing on Long Island Sound. In the winter, Anna Maria Island off the west coast of Florida.
It’s opening night for "The Music Man!" Actors and actresses scramble around backstage trying to fix last minute makeup and costume problems. “Places!” The lights come up. The show knocks the audience off their feet! The crowd congratulates the actors and actresses after the performance. But, who really deserves the credit? The answer in large part can be summed up in two words: Nancy Herman.
“Ms Herman is a really good director,” freshmen Theatre 308 member Will Doughty said. “She’s tough. She gives it to you straight, which is good because you want to hear the facts to learn how to improve,” Doughty said.
"Ms. Herman is a terrific director. She will always push her actors to be the best they can be, and I have learned so much from her because of that," senior Theatre 308 member Ali Prince said.
This DHS English teacher has been directing Theatre 308’s shows for decades. “I’ve always kind of had an interest in it,” Ms Herman said.
However, interest is just one small part of the equation. Many, many hours go into staging a successful play. It is no easy task to take on two major productions per year. This English teacher finds herself balancing her directing life with her life at home with her adopted daughter, Olivia. She also has to negotiate the classroom demands of teaching theater courses, AP Literature and AP World Lit Seminar.
“I rely a lot on friends,” she said. “My friends watch Olivia for me and drive her places.” The task gets even harder around the time of the shows. “Hell Week” as it is referred to by 308 members, is the week leading up to the show. Rehearsals often run to ten o’clock or later.
This dedication allows Ms. Herman to put together some truly amazing shows. When asked if she had a favorite play she has ever directed, she replied “Charlie, I honestly could not pick just one.” Although she went onto to say some of her favorite DHS productions include "The Tempest," "Women and Wallace," and "The Laramie Project."
“I loved "Laramie," not only because of its strong message and how powerful it was, but because of its incredible simplicity,” Ms Herman remarked.
However, theatre is only one aspect to this multifaceted woman: Ms Herman is also an avid sailor. “I love it. I’m very passionate about it. I live right on the water, so I get to sail a lot,” she said. Along with sailing and theatre, she also enjoys playing tennis.
Ms Herman will have more time for sailing and tennis in the warmer months having just completed a colossal production of the musical extravaganza, "The Music Man" in March. The play was Theatre 308’s final major production of the 2007-2008 school year. (Don't miss Christy Lattimer's review of "The Music Man")
“I was delighted with the outcome of "The Music Man!" Ms Herman said. “I thought the students involved - those both on and off stage - worked together as an ensemble to bring to life the characters, the story and the music. They approached their work with seriousness, but also had fun with it. In return, the audience had fun, too.”
Now that the show is over, Ms. Herman will embark on the school’s China Exchange trip to Shanghai. “I’m looking forward to being an explorer and a student; to experiencing a culture and a setting far different from the one to which I am accustomed.” The students and teachers involved with the trip will leave for China on March 28th.
Nancy Herman truly is an artist in her line of work, and she is quite good at what she does. Nothing but fantastic feedback comes back to her regarding her shows. Ms. Herman is not sure whether or not she will direct more shows in the future, but all of her Theatre 308 members sure hope she does.
Check out this Nancy Herman 80s flashback on page 19 of the January 2000 Neirad archives.
