Lights, cameras, masks: ‘The shuck must go on!’
By Edward Boches, October 15, 2020
There will be a shuck off at the 20th annual OysterFest. But there will be no competitive parking, no pressing through crowds on Main Street, and no lines under the beer tent. This will be the first and, it is widely hoped, only time that getting comfy will be part of your OysterFest experience. That’s because you will be watching the shuck off as it streams on your small screen via YouTube this Saturday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m.
Don’t worry. The production values of what the organizers at SPAT are calling the “All-Star Shuck Off” will be well beyond those of your last Zoom meeting. A nine-person crew is setting up to handle cameras, lighting, and sound at the WHAT theater, where shuckers will take the stage. Renowned chefs have buffed up their favorite oyster recipes for cooking spots. And everybody involved has been through physically distant dress rehearsals under the supervision of producer Liz Shook of Brewster and director Max Esposito of Boston’s Sweet Rickey Productions. Here is a peek at all the work going on behind the scenes.
