"This has been my life today" Sydney Stowe announces soon after I sit down to speak with her about her new position as assistant to the director of film at Hopkins Center.
She is, as anyone that is familiar with the current goings-on at the Hop would not be surprised to discover, speaking about the preparations involved in organizing the ceremony for Meryl Streep on Saturday.
She receives a steady stream of Meryl-related phone calls and e-mail messages during my meeting with her, and her small office is a hot spot for anyone with questions about Streep's arrival, Streep's parents' arrival and anything and everything Streep.
What will the microphone placement be? How will the stage be set? Should the "Out of Africa" soundtrack be playing before the ceremony begins? Can Meryl talk with students after the show? These and various other minute details are the subjects of her conversations with event organizers, film committee members, and anyone else involved with the tribute.
All of the work that Meryl mania is caused for Stowe would be overwhelming for anyone, but she seems to handle it well. Impressive, especially considering the fact that she is relatively new to her job and is following in the footsteps of Krista Renza, who had held the assistant position for eleven years.
The Streep tribute was definitely the biggest challenge for Stowe since she began work in June, but she copes with the pressures of her job by maintaining a healthy attitude about her work and realizing how much she loves what she does.
Stowe's passion for "what she does" brings up one nagging question: What exactly does she do?
When Stowe accepted the film center position she knew that she would be an assistant to director of film Bill Pence, a man who she describes as having an "encyclopedic knowledge of films."
Stowe's job, however, does not have clearly defined duties and she and Pence are the only people on the film center crew. The two are responsible for making sure that four films are shown per week, excluding any film specials or film tributes.
Since June, she has learned that her job is all-encompassing and defies definition. She does secretarial work. She speaks with representatives of film companies that need to know the grosses from the movies shown at the Hop. She organizes the office. She helps get the films, deliver them to the film booth, and print the film calendar. She proposes advertising ideas. She leaps tall buildings in a single bound. She and Pence do everything but actually make the films, and the atmosphere of the office is, as Stowe affectionately describes it, "controlled insanity."
After listening to Stowe speak about her various duties, it is fascinating to hear her marvel at how she ever managed to get involved with this madness in the first place.
Stowe's road to the film center has been an indirect, unpredictable one. Born in New York and raised in Florida, Stowe attended the Georgetown School of Foreign Service before trekking back to her home state to work in advertising. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Los Angeles to work for a producer and stayed there until she met her husband.
Once he scored a job position in Hanover, she found herself back in New England and in need of work. After a brief stint working as a manager under her sister-in-law at the Bagel Basement, she heard about an opening for a position at the Hopkins Center, interviewed for it and, to her surprise, got it.
As the new kid on the block, Stowe finds that she is going through the expected cycles of self-doubt, stress, and confusion. Understandably, she seems slightly embarrassed when she says "I have the best job" and "The people I work with are just really cool."
Such statements from newcomers are difficult to pull off without sounding insincere, and perhaps Stowe does not want her comments to sound forced. No need to worry. The joy and dedication that she exhibits while talking about films makes it impossible to doubt her honesty.
"We're responsible for entertaining people - and educating them" Stowe states emphatically early in our conversation, alluding to the film center's responsibility to attempt to show a few movies each term which tie in with Dartmouth classes.
She obviously takes her job seriously, and she has high hopes for the film program. She hints at trying to take the film society in "different directions" by incorporating more experimental movies, documentaries and animation into the film schedule along with the art house flicks and commercial fodder that populate the term list.
Perhaps most importantly, Stowe expresses a deeply felt love of film which inspires her to excel at her work. She notes that she is a voracious reader and avid follower of pop culture, and she emphasizes film's role in people's perception of themselves and others. By watching characters on screen, we gain a greater insight into who we are and what we believe by examining our reactions to what is presented to us.
Although not vocalized by Stowe, she seems to instinctively understand this fact. When she talks about film's ability to help us learn about history and issues, she downplays the significance of the factual information presented to us in favor of championing the deeper meaning and emotional content of a work. Viewed this way, the act of watching a film is inherently educational because we are constantly learning about ourselves.
Stowe is also a strong advocate of film discussion. By talking about the movies that we see, we have the added benefit of learning about other people's perceptions and beliefs and our similarities or differences from them. When Stowe speaks about films that she has seen or wants to see, she displays a desire to learn, to be challenged, and to be entertained. She talks about film as a common denominator, a way to connect with people who may otherwise not have anything to say to each other.
To Stowe, film is a tool of discovery, an instrument of learning and a means of communication. By working to get films shown at the Hopkins Center and Loew Auditorium, she is sharing her passion for this art form with others in the hopes that they will find their theater-going experiences to be as richly rewarding as she does.
Sydney Stowe is truly, sincerely excited about film, and she is in the right place at this time in her life. Her future here is bright indeed.
