Hollywood Hits Home For Tiverton Drama Students

Tiverton drama students know better than most that the glamour of the big screen is an illusion.

Tireless hours of rehearsing lines, building sets and organizing props have given Gloria Crist's high school students a taste at the hard work that goes into creating a theatrical production. 

But even theatrics are a incommensurable with the detail and precision that are expected in the movies. 

For a little more than an hour, 35-year show business veteran Mary Lampert captured her behind-the-scenes insight for Tiverton High School's Drama Club, weaving the story of hard work perseverance and just a little bit of luck that have defined her career. Lampert is a renowned within the film and theater worlds for her artistry in hair.

"The industry is exciting but it can become very distracting," Lampert said as she described the duties and adventures she had experienced throughout her career.

"A foundation in theater is strong because you really do have to work together in theater because in film when it becomes about the ego the effort of the process sometimes falls by the wayside," Lampert added.

Always in the shadow of the lights and action that movie-goers crave, their attention and loyalty would never be won without people like Lampert that work tirelessly behind the scenes to turn an illusion into a reality on the big screen or on the stage.

Lampert's journey began modestly, she said. She volunteered her talents backstage searching for jobs across the country before she found her big break. In show business even the hair and makeup artists need a big break.

She was hired and studied for five years under one of the industry's premiere hairdressers. An experience that she said endeared her the talent and morality to make in the ego-driven entertainment industry.

Since then, Lampert has worked with stars like Johnny Depp, Burt Renoylds and William Macey. She has won Emmys and she had traveled the country.

While Crist's drama students realize success like Lampert's is hard earned, they do not begrudge their efforts on the stage at Tiverton High School's auditorium. 

"It has made me more outspoken, and made me able to be myself with people I don't really know," said Rosie Martin, a junior.

Students said they can integrate the skills earned from improv exercises and overcoming the challenges of acting into their everyday lives. By pushing boundaries, they learn to deal with stress and are less hampered by the judgements of high school hallways.

"It's complete self awareness," said Crist. "It's about empowering and I know the word is over used, but it is about offering up a forum where they are allowed to make choices without any conditions put on them. It's about offering opportunities to find their voice."

Lampert's role in production might be overlooked by most movie-goers, but without her Hollywood would be empty and without context on the screen. Her role, as she described on Wednesday is to create continuity. Without the dozens of people like Lampert who attend to the details on the set, movies would not be realistic to their audiences.

Her message to students was simple. Through organization and perseverance, you can achieve anything.