ROH transformed to film set for making of what may be the next Christmas classic

From left, Eddie Miller played by Preston Mead from Ashland, Ore., Reinhold Shultz played by New Hampshire actor CJ Voteur and Jacqueline Broulet played by Judith Marian Feingold from New York. (StageWright photo)

ROCHESTER - Having talented actors on the Rochester Opera House stage is nothing new for the Northern Seacoast, but for the past 11 days three actors steeped in a poignant and dramatic theatrical endeavor there have done so in front of no audience save for a director and a handful of cameramen and stagehands.

That's because the ROH since June 29 has been transformed into a movie studio for the filming of Not on this Night, a film produced and directed by StageWright Films' Bill Humphreys of Eliot, Maine.

The film tells the World War II story of two soldiers from opposite sides who amid bitter fighting become separated from their respective units and lost in the Ardennes Forest near the French/Belgium border.

They both end up seeking refuge in the farmhouse of a young French woman.

As the night passes, the chance encounter between enemies allows them to see each other as human beings as humanity prevails amid the horror of war.

The three-member cast includes C.J. Voteur of Exeter, who plays the German soldier.

The story is based on true events that occurred on Christmas Eve 1944 and is adapted from a screenplay written by Evelyn Jones.

Neil Novello, who is in charge of promotion and publicity for the project, said they will finish filming on Sunday followed by post-production which will continue into September. He expects they'll be finished in time to submit it for viewing in the New Hampshire Film Festival in October.

He said they'll also likely be looking for other film fest opportunities and distributors, including a possible Christmas presentation this December.

The production is made possible by a grant from the Evelyn L.Y. Jones Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

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