Joyce Beauvais, a master of theater and comedy, lived in New York City performing, directing and producing hundreds of shows for 29 years both on and off Broadway.

As an equity actor Beauvais worked with some of the best and brightest in the theater world. In New York City, she ran Chez Beauvais Restaurant and Cabaret (from 1986-1991). Along with friend Ronny Whyte and partner, uber-agent Jack Rollins, she highlighted the greatest of jazz talent. She introduced young artists who blossomed into jazz stars.

Nine years ago, she found a new home in Niantic, along the shoreline. The lights are still bright for Beauvais and she still sparkles but in a different venue. She is the founder of Theater Under the Shell (TUTS) along with Dave Putnam, Parks & Recreation director, and Cathy Wilson, director of the East Lyme Senior Center. This threesome and their tribe delighted residents last year with their fifth consecutive season. TUTS brought live theater to the community in the lovely setting of the bandshell at McCook’s Point overlooking Long Island Sound.

In collaboration with East Lyme Senior Center, Beauvais writes, directs and produces murder mystery scripts. She develops local talent of adults who have a dream or a passion for theater. Beauvais can develop talent at all levels.

Joyce teaches theater classes full of rigor tobring out the talent in all who are willing to do the work.

All of the fundamentals are included. Warm-ups involve stretching and tongue twisters that will tangle your tongue. Students learn to breathe out with “SHHH,” horse lips, or a frogface. Exercises embody identifying a character’s theme song, dress, walk, manner of speech or an emotional graph.

Improv, cold readings, monologues and scene work are all part of the training. Shows have included readers’ theater, murder mysteries, love stories and drama.

Everyone is welcome, but a commitment is necessary. Thespians must arrive early and be ready to work rigorously for the two and a half hour classes. Homework is provided, and extra work is required. If you are going to be successful, you have to make the investment.

Beauvais said that developing acting skills is about observation and character studies.

“Without good observation skills one cannot be a good actor,” she said. “To be a good actor, one must be a good listener. Articulation, enunciation and projection are critical.”

“Many of the best actors are shy,” said Beauvais. She identifies as an introvert, but one would never know that to sit with her for coffee or if you saw her onstage. When teaching, Beauvais is quick to greet everyone and make them feel right at home and part of her tribe or her family. When acting, Beauvais said, “I become the person who I am playing.” When not on stage, Joyce said, “I am a hermit.”

Being an actor is a lot of work. It’s not just memorizing lines. One role can be played by a thousand different actors and will vary each time.

“When the character is dropped into the actor, that is when the magic happens,” Beauvais said.

Scene work is also important as it never starts at the beginning. Something is always happening before and something is going to happen later. It is here that we look at the why and how of each character. Put simply, how did they get themselves into this situation?

Beauvais said that when a show runs for a few nights it’s important for the actors to know the audience. As characters learn to hone their skills they learn what the audience responds to. The show on opening night and the show at the end of the run may in fact be quite different performances. Characters evolve in the process.

Surviving during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal on all industries. Especially hard-hit was the theater. Large and small theaters alike have struggled to continue their important work for those who like to act and those who like to be swelled up and transposed for an hour or two in a surreal world. Zoom, hybrid classes and learning to project and enunciate while wearing a mask are part of the challenges.

Beauvais hopes the Theater Under the Shell will continue this summer for its sixth season with a need to hire a technician for the lights and sound.

“For us to continue, we need financial support,” she said. “Otherwise we may not be able to continue.”

Joyce Beauvais listed a number of generous donors, along with the support of East Lyme Parks & Recreation Department and East Lyme Senior Center, who have made her work possible. Individuals like Bob and Nancy Harding, as well as Gary Smith and Kristine Malazo. Organizations include Habitat 4 Humanity, Ring’s End, Crescent Point, Total Mortgage, Main Brace Package Store, Niantic Baptist Church, Geico, Niantic Main Street, Charter Oak and Niantic Inn, to name a few.

The arts are often underfunded and need greater support if it’s going to continue. The community of East Lyme has proven to be supportive of Theater Under the Shell, and for that Beauvais and her tribe are eternally grateful.

At the end of the day, Beauvais said, the theater is about building community, and she wants every potential thespian to get a chance to shine.

“They should be able to dip their toes into the magic of the stage,” Beauvais said. “We must keep the theater alive!”

For more information on Theater Under the Shell, email shorelinedrama@gmail.com.

Cate Steel is a resident of East Lyme.

Lives of Our Times is a new feature in which we ask readers to submit people-oriented stories at times@theday.com.