Winner of the 2015 Civic Theatre Playwright competition, Bob Ahlersmeyer, has developed his stage play into a full length romantic-comedy feature film called, Is This Seat Taken.
Its pre-release screening for the public is Dec. 13 at South Side High School.
Ahlersmeyer, a Fort Wayne native and long-time community theater advocate, spends his days teaching English at South Side High School and considers his theatrical pursuits an important creative outlet.
Boasting a cast and crew of over 130 talented volunteers, his first cinematic production comes compete with original film score by Gary Amstutz, and original music by Tony Didier.
Ahlersmeyer directed and starred in the film as the lead male, Thomas, a lonely high school math teacher that struggles to find purpose in life beyond work.
The film’s message, he feels, is one of hope and never giving up, and the actual making of it, he’s quick to note, “Is all made possible by the kindness of strangers.”
Here, WBOI’s Julia Meek discusses the project’s journey and evolution with Bob and why he has declared it his personal “Love letter to Fort Wayne.”
The music at the end of our conversation is I Wasn't Expecting You, written and performed by Tony Didier.
Event Information:
Pre-release Screening of Is This Seat Taken
@ South Side High School auditorium
Friday, December 13
7:30 p.m.
For ticket information visit the film's Facebook page.
Learn more about Bob and his film at his IMDb page.
Here is the transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Bob Ahlersmeyer, welcome.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: It's good to be here.
Julia Meek: Now, your theatrical past is impressive, as is your new film. Before we take a sneak peek at that, briefly, where did the drama all begin for you, way back?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Fourth grade. I was the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.
Julia Meek: (laughs) Whoa!
Bob Ahlersmeyer: If I only had a heart, right? (chuckles) And then I didn't step on the stage again until sophomore year of high school, and that's where I've started to really enjoy it.
And then community theater is where the passion really took off.
Julia Meek: And what a beginning, Tin Man.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Oh, Tin Man? Yeah, he's fantastic. Great memories.
Julia Meek: So, how has that passion worked into, through and with the rest of your professional path, since that time?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: My professional path, uh, as a teacher, you know, an English journalism teacher for just over 20 years now.
It truly has been a wonderful escape, at times, creatively liberating in a profession that can be tiring and repetitious at times.
It provides me that outlet to challenge myself to work collaboratively with a group, a team, maybe just a partner, depending on the role.
And it just gives you that ability to escape into a, uh not quite a galaxy, far far away, but (chuckles) Star Wars, sorry, but, but a place truly just play and explore in a safe place.
Julia Meek: Good for everybody to have that.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Oh, yes, you need that.
Julia Meek: So, okay, let's talk about your brainchild, Is This Seat Taken, beginning with a one-sentence scenario.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Well, I'm gonna have run-ons. Don't dock me, English teacher than I am.
Truly, it's a love story about two people meeting in a bar, that the world seems to have ignored.
Love is elusive, and maybe this one fateful night, they weren't gonna go out, and they decided to go out, and who knows? Maybe it works out for them or not.
But a world that has ignored them, you know, don't give up. Don't ever give up. Period. (laughs)
Julia Meek: What a great idea for a story. So, what was the motivation for such a clever romantic comedy, which, by the way, began as a stage play.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: When I wrote it, as a stage play, yes, there was a distinctive moment. I was sitting in the dressing room of Arena Dinner Theatre.
I was doing the Noel Coward play Blithe Spirit. And if you know that, he deals with an ex-wife and a current wife, and he has to juggle them comedically.
And I just sat in the basement during one of the act breaks, and I said to myself, you know, what would it be like with certain variables that are different in this particular play?
And I instantly came up with the climax and ending and motivation of this play that I wrote, and then I just kind of deconstructed it from there.
And I wrote a play that summer, and it won the Civic Playwright Competition. It was produced around the country, a few places, Toronto, Orlando, Illinois.
But Arena Dinner Theatre, down in the dressing room, I remember, just like it was yesterday, staring in the mirror as I had this idea.
Julia Meek: That's a legit light bulb moment!
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Right? (chuckles)
Julia Meek: Indeed. And what a, and what a wonderful story that follows. Now, the screen adaptation that you did meant turning this into what you call a love letter to Fort Wayne.
Now, why that need to maybe expand it a little bit? And more importantly, what does that designation mean to you?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Well, first off, I guess, why did I turn it into a movie? It was always a play that I would have loved to have been in.
And when we produced it with the Fort Wayne Civic I really just wanted to be the playwright. I didn't want to be on stage, you know, that's where I'm comfortable at.
I wanted to be uncomfortable and experience it. And I had done a short feature here in Fort Wayne a handful of years ago called Paper Angel.
And it got me in front of the camera, and I'm like, I can do this, I think, ignorantly. (all laugh) And so I said, Well, I already got a script written, but what would I need to do to turn it into a movie?
And instead of 65 pages of people sitting talking on a first date, meeting at a bar, that's going to be a boring movie.
And so I had to come up with, not necessarily additional plots, but additional scenes and character development and create visually entertaining imagery.
And in doing that, I kept thinking of areas in Fort Wayne that would work, and we shot at maybe 12 different locations.
Julia Meek: So, you were already in love with Fort Wayne, and it was time to share that story.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Yeah, yeah, it's gorgeous. You know, the courthouse lit up at night.
I remember doing plays up in the rehearsal halls at Civic Theatre at the Arts United Center, just standing there looking over Freimann Square and seeing the fountains and just staring at the courthouse.
And I thought, Man, that's just gorgeous. So that thought was always in my head. And so then, as I'm turning it into the movie, I'm like, this is where I want it to end, you know, and I know exactly what it's gonna look like.
Where else can we shoot around town and just visually, people that watch it, they're gonna see so many places that they recognize.
Julia Meek: Through your eyes.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Through my eyes, but through their experiences, they're gonna be like, Yeah, I remember taking my kids to Coney Island and doing these things, walking the Chalk Walk at Three Rivers Festival or Junk Food Alley.
Yeah, that's the visual love letter to Fort Wayne, it's just capturing the beauty that we have, that maybe we take it for granted at times.
Julia Meek: Now Fort Wayne has become known as a filmmaker-friendly city and Indiana is home to a lot of talent. How did you use these things to your best advantage?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Hmmm. That's really good. Finding one person that you trust their artistic ability and you trust their judgment, and you trust them to bring on somebody else.
It's kind of like the telephone game, you know, you go find somebody.
So, I relied on the kindness of strangers and people, if they know me and talk to me about my vision, and they're on board with that, then all of a sudden, we have two people now who can go out and spread the word.
Julia Meek: So, once you dove in, was it difficult to fill the roles and assemble the necessary crews to accomplish this labor of love? Now you note that you have a cast and crew of over 130 people.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Yeah. (laughs) The biggest job for me was the producer hat, finding the people. It wasn't necessarily hard, it just took a lot of effort.
To cast the two female leads, I did online auditions over Zoom, and I had to go outside Fort Wayne in order to recruit I had six or seven states all around the Midwest that applied, that were wanting to be a part of this story, which blew my mind.
For the crew behind the camera, that was mainly Dan Katter of Media 401, he was my technical director. He donated his gear, he donated his time, and he carried heavy lifting of finding the sound people, and he was the gaffer and getting the lights up.
And so, it was again, finding the people that I trust.
Julia Meek: For this labor of love. And what about the permissions for the many iconic places used to tell this story, which it sounds like you had some clever ideas on what to use. Everybody go along with you on these things?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Not too many people said, no, I'll be honest. And once they got to meet me and talk like we are talking across the table, you know, Club Soda, for us, was the fourth character.
A majority of it takes place at Club Soda, and Noelle and her husband Christian, they said yes almost instantly. And I hope they don't regret it!
But that was a biggie, because I envisioned Club Soda as I was writing this scene as to what it looks like there in the bar. And it was Club Soda, and that was a big get for me. And really took it to another level.
Julia Meek: Everything just fell into place then, it seems like...
Bob Ahlersmeyer: It did there, yes.
Julia Meek: Once you started. This was not only a labor of love, it sounds like it became a weekend warrior D.I.Y. thing by the time that you were shooting it. How did that work for all of you?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: It worked for me, great, because it was the weekends that we shot in July and August of 2023. And everybody that was associated with this movie did it for free.
They came on board knowing they weren't getting paid. They came on board just giving their time and efforts. And so majority of these people had full time jobs during the week, and Club Soda is closed on Sundays, so they would come in and open it for us.
So we had a run of the place, for about four or five Sundays, that, we could film. So it was really just in 12 days, 12 shooting days, we shot an entire hour and 45 minute feature.
Julia Meek: Commendable and remarkable. Looking back at it, can you even believe it?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Gosh, it was very, very, very draining, but in a good way, rewarding, you know. And to share this vision with everybody that where they can see it.
And it went away from Bob's movie almost the first day, because everybody was invested. Everybody was providing their artistic contributions in their own way, behind or in front of the camera, and it truly is our movie.
And then let's get more people on camera. Let's have more extras. Let's have the Humane Society and, and, you know, Jessica Henry, bring 10 dogs down to Promenade Park, you know what I mean.
And just, how can we promote you? Jessica, how can we promote Club Soda? How can we promote, you know. But it's not about advertising, about bettering me.
It's how can I showcase Fort Wayne and the beauty that we have here?
Julia Meek: What a wonderful rush it must have been for all of you, then?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: I believe so, and I hope people are pleased when they finally see it. I'm sure they will be.
Julia Meek: Now, music being such a part of Fort Wayne's heartbeat, tell us what you came up with for this, I know it was something special.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Yes. So, when you do theater in town, you meet husbands and wives of the actors, and you might not really truly get to know them very well. They're just so and so's husband or wife.
And I met Gary Amstutz, who moved into Fort Wayne to work with Chuck Surack at Sweetwater, and now I believe he works at the Enterprises, the offshoot there. He has some experience with composing.
He worked underneath James Horner, the composer of Braveheart and Titanic. I believe he worked with the editor of James Horner. So, he was around this world, out in LA for a while.
So I met him and talked to him, and I said, Do you have ideas for this? And once I pitched him the story, he goes, I want to be a part of that.
And that meant a lot to me. That was one of the first yeses that I got. Okay, we're checking the boxes too. This could work. This could work.
And then a friend of mine in theater, Tony Didier, contributed a song that we will feature in the movie as well. Just a massive talented people coming together to make this movie a reality.
Julia Meek: So, it's finessed every place it can be, attention to detail.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Yes! Attention to detail. And like I was telling you, I am good with certain components of this job of putting it together, but the rest of it, I'm brand new with it.
So, surround myself with people who are smarter than me. That is my goal. I told everyone that all the time.
And I gave them free rein to artistically express themselves in ways that, hey, this is a free pass to try something that you haven't done before. You understand the idea of what I want.
S,o if you don't violate that, go ahead, do what you want to do. Have fun with it.
Julia Meek: Sounds like you all did a big success thing.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: I believe so. I haven't heard complaints. Maybe they've been, Oh, Bob, duh,duh,duh,but to me, I've not seen any issues.
Julia Meek: You are quick to reference your journalism background. How does that drive the theatrical part of your world, nd in fact, this film's sensibilities? You're no stranger to the spoken or written word and written words to be spoken.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Right, right. I guess in getting it made. I can't think of too much, but my degree was in journalism, and I was going to be a broadcaster.
And I worked for the Journal Gazette for a number of years on the circulation department, so I wasn't a writer or anything.
But I know what makes a good story, whether I'm teaching stories in class or in journalism, showing kids what is newsworthy or not.
And the way that this movie has come together and showcasing over 100 people and all of these locations and the beautiful visual of Fort Wayne, it's newsworthy,
And I know that so many people are gonna love watching this, whether you come to see the movie or you wait until streaming and see it.
But at some point, if you watch it, I think it'll make you smile. And for those transplants who left Fort Wayne, you'll be able to...that's home, you know, and have good memories.
Julia Meek: Now this has been described by your followers as a bit autobiographical; fact or fiction?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Well, who are the followers? (chuckles) That depends, because I don't know how deep you want to go. I did, when I wrote this, the character, it was me.
The individual who is kind, respectful to everybody, but to women, since he talks to a woman in here. I was married when I wrote this, so I hadn't known for 18 years what it meant to be single or to try to pick up a woman, you know, that kind of thing.
But yeah, life is kind of mirrored by my main character, Thomas. (chuckles)You know, it was my middle name, so I did name him Thomas for that.
But a lot of his personality, a lot of the stories he shares, very much, it's me. So it's not really hard to find that character, not that it's the easiest character I've ever done, but I didn't have to research very in depth.
I didn't have to go online. What's this Thomas like, you know, I kind of had a good grasp on him right away.
Julia Meek: (chuckles) The method?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Yeah! Oh, went method. I've been method for a while, Julia, (all chuckle) I'm still, you know what? I am still method right now. We stopped filming a year and a half ago, and I'm still in character.
Julia Meek: Does that feel like a good place to be, then?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Some days, yeah, you know, it's not so bad. (chuckles)
Julia Meek: You wear it well. That's important.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Thank you. (chuckles)
Julia Meek: Thank you. And now that you are nearly ready to screen this production, what's left to do?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: What's left to do? Uh, pray? No, no, it's beautiful. We did not rush it because my editor, Dan Katter, who I mentioned earlier, and my director of photography, Mark Truesdale, you know, they edited it and we went over it and fine tuned it and fine tuned it, and we didn't rush the production of it.
We didn't rush the filming of it. So why would we rush the post production? And let's make this good so we are making it the best we can possibly do. The film's been locked for a while now.
We're putting the finishing touches on a little bit of the score, and by the time this airs, we're gonna be done and ready to show Fort Wayne our appreciation for letting us play in your background for a little while.
Julia Meek: Good for you. And meanwhile, besides the big reveal, what's up on your drawing board for actor-authors, roll call, whatever you keep going.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Well, my main focus when I haven't been acting throughout the years has been my kids. I take more pride and joy in watching them and supporting them than me doing anything.
There was about a seven-year gap after my divorce, before I got back on stage, because I was just focused on the kids. And I don't regret a second of it.
They're older now doing their own thing, so they have less time for dad, but whatever they're up for, I'm there to support them. You know, artistically, there may be a play here or there, you know, one a year.
They haven't announced many of the seasons yet, but I do have another screenplay that's written that definitely would need work. Actually, that was the first one I wrote.
Nothing to do with Is This Seat Taken, completely different. I'm kind of thinking, now that I know how to make a movie, how could I streamline this?
I don't know. But I might stew on that a little bit in the new year and see if that's something that could be done or not.
Julia Meek: Well, we look forward to hearing more as you know more.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Thanks.
Julia Meek: Keep us posted on all of that. And now tell us, Bob, what do you want everyone that sees this charming and clever film to take away with them?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Um, we've talked a lot about Fort Wayne, so obviously, the memories that maybe you had when you were walking through Promenade Park with the kids over the bridge or through Junk Food Alley and getting that elephant ear.
But, for the heart of the movie, it's these two people that really, love has abandoned them, and they're very successful in their own professions in life, but they're lonely. And sometimes the loneliness of staying home is overwhelmingly loud.
Silence can be very loud. And I guess hope--don't give up. And I know people can be depressed at times. (chuckles) Yep, I know that. But you know, everybody has it at some point, and you don't have to go about it alone.
And whether you're single, partnered up, married up, whatever, you will see these two people talk, and they're going to win you over, and you're going to remember when you did this, what was your first date like with the person that you were not sure was going to work out, but then you ended up being together.
I'm not saying that is what happens in my movie, but I think people will see a little bit of themselves in these two characters. That's what I hope.
Julia Meek: And bottom line then, Bob, this being your love letter to a great city, Fort Wayne, now that it is written, what is your postscript?
Bob Ahlersmeyer: The kindness of strangers, and to help somebody that they didn't even know or barely knew, and to give their time and their talents to help give this story life.
They signed on knowing little to nothing about it, other than me as a person, and they wanted to be a part of this because they like me. That's humbling to me, to show that kindness towards me.
And what can I do to provide you joy? Let's make this story and make this piece of art that can last longer than us and give us memories that we won't soon forget.
This is a romantic drama with some humor throughout. I think people will enjoy it if they can just kick back and relax and let down their guard. I think that there's something in it for everybody.
Julia Meek: Fort Wayne, native, Bob Ahlersmeyer is author, playwright, director and star of Is This Seat Taken. Thank you for writing this great adventure and your story about it, Bob. Great success, do carry the gift.
Bob Ahlersmeyer: Thank you so much for your time. Julia, it was really nice to meet you.
