"Play the Edge" Production Diary: Welcome To The Set

CHATHAM – If you’ve stopped into the Chatham Orpheum Theater anytime in the last two weeks, you may have noticed it’s decorated with an unusual amount of Christmas decorations…two months after the holiday has come and gone. In fact, these days, the Orpheum is just as busy at night as it is during the day. It’s all for a low-budget independent film called “Play the Edge,” and I have the privilege of working on the set. I’ll be reporting on the comings and goings for the next few weeks of production.

 The film’s crew, led by writer/director Peter Horgan, is small but capable, and because of the low-budget nature, most fill several different jobs. I was originally hired as a production assistant (commonly abbreviated as PA), but soon became 2nd 2nd Assistant Director (AD), in addition to primary shuttle driver for many of the actors and location liaison with the Orpheum staff. I even nabbed a background role in one of the scenes as a theater employee. I hold a somewhat unique position when it comes to knowledge of the theater’s operations and procedures, having worked there from 2016 to 2024 before moving to Los Angeles.

 The film is a co-production between the Orpheum and Pizza Shark, a local dining chain that operates a location out of the Orpheum’s bar area. Pizza Shark co-owner Josh Koopman is producing the film and also stars as Cam O’Leary, a hapless pizza chef who plans a Christmas Eve robbery to get back at his boss. Many of the crew have worked with Koopman before, primarily on 2013’s “The Golden Scallop” and Horgan’s debut feature, 2023’s “How to Rob.”

 According to Koopman, the film came about after Horgan became fascinated with the order of operations at Pizza Shark’s Orpheum location, and he devised a crime thriller centered around the theater itself. “He wrote it in real time, as Pizza Shark naturally grew into the building,” said Koopman.

 Koopman imagined his character Cam as a worst-case-scenario for what he could have been if his life had gone down a different path. “He’s the kind of guy who makes a lot of bad choices, but still believes his lot in life is the result of other people’s actions. He doesn’t like taking ownership of his mistakes. He’s nothing like me, but I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed, beaten down, and stressed. It can poison your view of life.”

Cam’s overbearing boss, Christian Keener, is played by Zack Robidas, who was recently featured in television series like “Succession” and “Dying for Sex.” Robidas and Koopman studied drama together at DeSales University, and have maintained a close personal and professional relationship in the years since.

 “It’s a dream scenario for me because I understudied Zack for a bunch of roles in college, and he’s always been one of my heroes,” said Koopman. “Watching his trajectory as a professional actor and all he brings has been incredible. It’s been intimidating to perform with him, but also a sincere thrill.”

The two reflected on their collaborative process while sharing an impromptu game of pizza box frisbee in the Orpheum’s main theater between scenes.

 “We were cracking up a lot while running lines in my hotel room,” admitted Robidas. “But when we were in the kitchen, I only saw Cam. It was very easy to drop into our characters. He lives in it. He has used his experience and resources as a pizza man to fund and fuel the film about being a pizza man. It’s a bit of an ouroboros situation.”

When asked by Robidas where his head was at that moment, Koopman said “It’s all just pizza, movies, movies, pizza…and occasionally sleep.”

The set is active for nearly twelve hours per weekday, from set-up during the last showtime of the night to breakdown before the first showtime the following day. Though there are a few scenes that are being shot elsewhere, the Orpheum is the base of operations. If you were to enter most nights, you would find the dining tables in the lobby filled with craft services, including fruit, cookies, zero-sugar energy drinks, and a keurig to provide necessary late-night caffeine. Anyone interested in being an extra on the film can reach the producers at playtheedgefilm@gmail.com.

The production utilizes nearly every room in the building for one purpose or another. The constant activity is the direct result of the set’s palpable energy, fostered through the positive atmosphere under Horgan’s leadership.

Horgan’s confidence, but willingness to explore new ideas, embodies what Liz Larsen looks for in a director. Larsen recently starred in “The Baltimorons,” for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Larsen first connected with Chatham through a friend, who lived above the Candy Manor on Main Street. “I’ve been here every summer since my kids were very, very young,” she said, “and now they’re 25 and 29.” Her history with the Orpheum is nearly as long; she performed at a benefit in 2012 to support the renovation of the theater.

Larsen’s involvement in the film came through the same friend who originally brought her out to Chatham. “Her son got married in September, and the night before the wedding, on the way to the Squire, I saw that ‘Baltimorons’ was playing at the theater.” Larsen stopped into the Orpheum and went inside. “I had to see if they’re laughing, because we had just opened, and I hadn’t gotten many chances to watch it with an audience.”

Kevin Rickenberg, a Pizza Shark employee, brought Larsen into the theater, and they stood at the back. “They laughed, thankfully,” she said, “and it was great. Then, a few months later, [Koopman] called me and asked me if I wanted to be in this movie at that theater. It was serendipitous.”

In “Play the Edge,” Larsen plays Daria, a police officer who finds herself on the fringe of Cam’s schemes. “In a way, ‘The Baltimorons’ is a gift that keeps on giving,” she said. “It gave me this movie.”