WHS Alumna Madeline Bugeau-Heartt Has A Short Film Out

Westwood High School alumna ‘10 Madeline Bugeau-Heartt recently had a new short film, “You Don’t Have to Take Orders From the Moon,” premiere on YouTube. This short film is the latest in an impressive performing arts resume that Bugeau-Heartt has created since graduating from WHS.

“I owe everything to my time doing Theater at Westwood High,” she says. “I was involved in nearly every production from freshman to senior year. [WHS Drama teacher] Jim Howard was a pinnacle of patience, dedication, and encouragement. He was the real deal and I owe him a many thanks for his mentorship, in helping me find my strength as a performer. I was very involved with the theater productions at Westwood High as it was for me a source of expression, freedom, and challenge. And we did really exciting pieces—from Tom Stoppard's 'Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead', an outdoor performance of 'Mrs. Warren's Profession', 'Evita.' Real Meaty Works!” Bugeau-Heartt portrayed the eponymous Guildenstern, Mrs. Warren, and Evita.

“You Don’t Have to Take Orders From the Moon” is described by its writer-director, Jaina Cipriano, as “a short horror film about a tortured woman who must decide how deep into her own darkness she is willing to tread as a looming force promises her everything she has ever wanted.”

“Oh wow this is a long story,” Bugeau-Heartt begins of how she became involved with the film. “Basically Jaina Cipriano is a Creative Genius. I saw an article written about her in a Somerville magazine and saved It like ‘this chick is cool; I hope I meet her someday.’ Several months later I was doing a solo piece in Westwood at the Fisher School (‘Crack of Strange Light’) and asked if she would do some promotional shots. She was just the best—professional, intuitive, communicative—the best. So we kept in touch on and off.

“ I called her in to participate in At Home, she saw the piece I was performing and told me later that a script she'd been working on had finally become clear to her. She came over to show me the script and I didn't realize she wanted me to be in it, just thought she wanted an ear, so we talked about it for two Hours because it was amazing writing and then at the end she said ‘so, are you interested?’ and I hadn't realized she'd wanted me to play the lead! I was beside myself with joy. Very humbled. Jaina remains a very close friend and we've got more films a-brewing.”

At Home references the Cambridge-based performance art group that Bugeau-Heartt co-founded in 2019. “Oh how I wish we could do something like At Home in these COVID-19 times! I'd always, always wanted to do a salon type situation and this was the best iteration of it I've been involved with. I was having dinner with a group of dear friends and my fellow co-collaborators Nicole BaumGartner, Malachy Duffy, Conor Duffy, and Alex Kessler and we were discussing how so many creative people we know want to be making work but didn't have a home for their stuff, didn't have a place to try new stuff.

“At Home was born. So the goal of At Home was to give people a deadline (huge for us artists), a supportive audience to experiment with new works on, and a community of other artists. We only had two At Homes but in my opinion they were wildly successful in that I think everyone had a blast (art showcase with house party- how can you go wrong?), the artists walked away having gotten their work up in front of an audience, and for those who witnessed the different pieces (all kinds- multimedia, music, experimental theater, etc.) left with a sense that they'd been part of something important, if only on a micro level and only for one night. At Home brought a lot of folks together and I hope we can do something like it again soon.”

Of her current, pandemic-era activities, Bugeau-Heartt reports “I was just on the phone with an artist friend yesterday and we were processing how impossible-feeling it is to make art at this time. But this is the way things are now and artists have always been excellent innovators. People need stories of meaning, hope, and humanity more than ever, so where we can't all be crowded into intimate spaces, I think it's our job as artists to find ways to keep making work happen, if not for ourselves than for all of those struggling out there who could really use a good story. Zoom's always an option for presenting work, but it's admittedly limited. Watching someone live is energetically much more powerful than in front of a screen. But outdoor performances, performances in store front windows, shows in large spaces with limited audience members...I think there are ways to make safe live theater still happen. I have been creating things yes! I've been using this year of forced lay-low to get some things accomplished that I've been waiting on a long time to do (applying for divinity school! Trying to get my Poetry Manuscript published, etc.) I've also created a new company called 'meaningmagic'- a line of handcrafted works such as Vision Boxes, Blessing Bottles, Calendars, etc in hopes of meaningfully self-sustaining myself through the Maine winter. So, not as much theater right now but creatively busy as a bee!”

“I think now, despite and because of the darkness and chaos of these times, there is a strange and rare opportunity (if one's in a place to do so) to figure out how one can best be a vessel of light to the world. The world feels limited, but there are ways to spread the good word of love and empathy. If we, artists and non-artists alike- keep this outwards goal in mind, then new, creative, and yes communal, pathways will surely arise,” she concludes.