Chapter 8: Alpine Community Theatre Company

---

When the bus arrived in Park City, Hawk was already chatting enthusiastically with Brand.

They exchanged phone numbers, and Brand invited Hawk to stay at his place.

Park City is a well-known ski resort in the U.S.

Brand's parents work at the ski resort up in the mountains and rarely come down during the tourist season.

Unable to resist Brand's enthusiasm, Hawk agreed. Mainly, he didn't want to stay in a $50-a-night shared room hostel.

Staying at a star-rated hotel wasn't an option either; Hawk had called around from Salt Lake City and found that even the cheapest hotel rooms were $455 a night, and budget motels were still $285 a night. Even then, they were hard to come by.

Park City has just one main street, with various houses scattered along the slope in an orderly manner.

The bus stopped in the middle of the main street, and Brand motioned for Hawk to get off.

The houses in this part of the community were clearly older. Despite the small size of the city, there were still class differences.

After the bus left, Hawk looked across the street diagonally, where there was the Big Salt Lake Theater, with several movie posters hanging outside.

Brand slung his laptop bag over his shoulder, glanced over, and said, "The Sundance Film Festival is basically an independent film expo. Every year at this time, any theater in Park City will have over sixteen hours of screenings per day."

Hawk looked away and said, "Every independent filmmaker dreams of creating a miracle."

"This way," Brand led the way into a mountainside community, introducing as they walked, "There aren't many people in Park City, but this is one of the largest communities. Despite the average conditions, most people aren't wealthy, but the neighborhood is very close-knit."

Hawk was also observing. The community was built along a large, gentle slope, with each family having a small wooden house. There were hardly any minorities to be seen.

Two young men approached, greeting Brand from a distance, "You sneaky guy, running back for the film festival again?"

Brand replied, "The troupe gets together every year during the festival. I can't miss it."

One wearing a down jacket said, "Our troupe has never produced a big star. Every gathering is AA style, and most people are short on cash, so there's a lot of complaints."

"Because no one wants to sponsor it," Brand shrugged. "Without a benefactor, if we cancel the gatherings too, the troupe will really fall apart."

"Larsen hasn't organized any activities for more than six months," said the one wearing the knit hat, glancing at Hawk and asking, "Your friend?"

Brand quickly introduced, "This is Hawk Osmond, works in the entertainment media industry. He's a friend I met in Salt Lake City." Then he introduced the two, "This is Damian, and this is Lewis."

Damian came over and fist-bumped Hawk, "We're unemployed."

Hawk said seriously, "I was too, not long ago."

Damian and Lewis laughed.

Brand pointed up the hill, "Let me take Hawk back to get settled. We'll catch up later."

Lewis said, "We'll come find you in a bit."

Brand seemed to have a great rapport in the community, with people constantly greeting him along the way.

Hawk followed him into a small, detached house with three bedrooms. Since no one had been living there for a while, all the furniture and beds were covered in dust covers.

Hawk helped Brand tidy up while asking, "Your community troupe gathers regularly?"

"The biggest one is during the film festival each year." Brand looked puzzled, "Didn't I tell you on the way? Sorry, I forgot."

He explained briefly, "During the festival, we watch one or two movies together, then have a potluck party to discuss the troupe's plans for the coming year. It's all AA style. In the first few years, everyone was really enthusiastic, hoping the troupe would produce a star, but we haven't even produced a professional actor yet. It's disappointing."

Hawk was very interested in this kind of American community troupe and asked, "Are there many people in the troupe?"

Brand replied, "The troupe was formed during the 7th Sundance Film Festival, and this year is the 18th, so it's been more than ten years. Over time, more than 200 people have joined the troupe, but fewer and fewer people participate each year. Last year, there were fewer than fifty, and no one wanted to pitch in."

Hawk understood the mindset behind splitting costs and joked, "What if someone treated everyone?"

Brand laughed and played along, "Big blogger, are you offering to treat? I guarantee over a hundred people will come, with their families in tow."

Hawk was honest, "I can't afford it."

It was almost noon, and Brand took out his phone, "I'll order some food."

Hawk stopped him, "I'll go buy it." He didn't want to let Brand provide both a place to stay and food. He asked, "I saw a mountain pizza place nearby when we came. How's the food there?"

Brand said, "It's pretty good."

Hawk grabbed his wallet and phone, opened the door, and found Damian and Lewis at the front.

Lewis greeted him, "Hey, man, just got here and already leaving? Did Brand change his orientation and harass you?"

Hawk shrugged, "I'm going to get lunch."

Lewis fist-bumped Damian, "Awesome, we’re getting a free meal!"

Brand came out from the living room and flipped Lewis off, "Don't ruin my reputation. I have a crush at State University, and I invited her to the film festival."

Damian sneered, "You said the same thing last time you were back. Your goddess, right? You chased her like a crazy, love-struck dog, but she wasn’t interested and kept rejecting your invites."

Brand, usually so talkative, was suddenly deflated.

Hawk remembered the pretty girl at the station but said nothing and went out to buy the pizza.

Damian and Lewis went inside and asked, "Does Hawk really work in entertainment media?"

"Of course, he's even a big entertainment blogger!" Brand perked up, talking faster than he could think, "He knows a lot of Hollywood inside info."

Sensing there was gossip to be heard, Lewis pressed on, "What kind of inside info?"

Brand quickly covered his mouth, but the words were too much to hold back. He blurted out, "I'll tell you a top secret, but don't spread it—Winona Ryder, yes, the actress from Edward Scissorhands, has a kleptomania problem. She steals things all the time."

Damian and Lewis opened their mouths in shock, bombarding him with questions.

Not long after, Hawk came back with two large pizzas. He also bought a pack of canned beers, opened it up, handed one to each of them, and raised his can, "To our new friendship, cheers."

"Cheers!"

After finishing his beer, Lewis asked Hawk, "Did Winona Ryder ever steal a male star's underwear?"

Hawk didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Brand, looking hurt, "That was supposed to be top secret!"

"Sorry," Brand apologized immediately, "I couldn't hold it in."

He felt guilty, "It was wrong of me. Hawk, if you run into any trouble in Park City, just come to me."

They were all young and impulsive. Lewis added, "You shared some juicy gossip and bought us drinks—if you need help with anything in Park City, just let us know."

Damian chimed in, "And if we can't handle it, we can find a bunch of people to help."

Hawk didn't hold it against them and said, "On the bus, I saw that a lot of screenings had already started. Should we go check some out this afternoon?"

Opportunities don't appear on their own; you have to go after them.

He also needed the right production teams for the money-making ideas he had in mind.

Brand agreed, "I'll take you there, no problem. I know people on the organizing committee."

Locals in a small town have a vast network.

The four of them ate pizza and drank beer, the atmosphere quite pleasant.