This summer, some freshly minted East Lyme High School graduates were celebrating their last summer together before heading off to college.

Also in East Lyme: a group of ELHS students and alums were filming a fictional movie about … graduates celebrating their last summer together before heading off to college.

“Irish Goodbye” was written, produced and directed by Patrick Conaway, a 2023 ELHS graduate. The movie, which will premiere Saturday at Niantic Bay Playhouse, focuses on six high school seniors who are having a party the night after graduating. They slowly realize that the last summer they’ll have before moving on will not go as they had planned.

“They have to navigate growing up and growing apart, as it pertains to their relationships from high school,” Conaway said.

He came up with the idea for the film last year when talking to some friends right after they had graduated.

“I’ve always been in love with that coming-of-age type story, and I wanted to do something true and real to me,” Conaway said.

It took him about a month to write the 22-page script, which equates to about 25 minutes of run time.

Back when he was starting to work on the screenplay, he spoke with friend Paloma Vasquez, who became his assistant director, about potential cast members. They then reached out to people they knew from the drama club at East Lyme High School and from the Niantic Bay Playhouse.

Vasquez also did the scenic and production design for “Irish Goodbye.” Isabella Bogue, another ELHS alum, was director of photography.

The lead actors are Jane Campbell and Cameron D’Ettore. The cast also features the aforementioned Vasquez, Ayla Peterson, Nathan Reith, Quinn Dwyer, and Alexa Hartman.

Conaway’s parents, David Conaway and Monique Nee, have roles in the film, too.

“Irish Goodbye” was filmed in East Lyme locations — at the Conaway family house, at Vasquez’s home, and at the Giants Neck beachfront.

“We were super fortunate that we all lived in this town because it made for such a beautiful landscape,” Conaway said.

Moments of change

“Irish Goodbye” is an ensemble piece, and Conaway wanted to write a lot of different experiences in one movie. He said he aimed to “allow each character to have a moment of growth or change or something that an audience could empathize with.”

One character, for instance, has recently had a younger brother die. The family is struggling to find their way without him and so decides to move away.

That storyline was inspired by Conaway’s mother’s life. She lost her brother, then 16, in a car accident. Conaway said he knew how that affected not only her but also her siblings; she came from a family of six children.

Another character in “Irish Goodbye” grapples with coming out to his family. Once he does, they don’t accept him, so he decides to relocate — without his family.

And, yes, an Irish goodbye or two — meaning leaving without saying bye — turn up in the movie.

Learning a lot

Bogue, the director of photography, said, “It was a lot of fun to make, and I’m really proud of what we have (made) … It was a great environment. We all learned a lot from each other and from the experience itself. I learned a lot about filmmaking in general and learning to think on my toes.”

Bogue, who is studying film and marketing at Ithaca College, plans to pursue a career as a cinematographer. For “Irish Goodbye,” she and Conaway wanted the camera shots to reflect the characters and their emotions. For instance, one character feels left behind and stuck in place, and so they only did static shots of her, versus the dynamic shots with camera movement going on with other characters.

Local theater

Conaway has long been involved with the arts. Growing up, he was part of East Lyme Regional Theater, whose home is now the Niantic Bay Playhouse, and at East Lyme High School. He has more recently been working behind the scenes at Niantic Bay Playhouse, as a counselor at the playhouse’s camp and as assistant lighting designer for its production of “The Wedding Singer.”

“I think I was very fortunate to get roped into East Lyme Regional Theater,” he said.

He did 18 productions on the ELHS stage, either through the drama club there or through ELRT.

The productions he acted in included “High School Musical” with the ELHS drama club.

“It was such an ensemble piece where everyone fit in and had such a big part even if they weren’t the lead, and it allowed me to meet a lot of people and grow as a performer,” Conaway said.

Being part of “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the Granite Theatre in Westerly was a transformative experience, too.

“That was a big change in how I saw acting because it was such a dramatic piece, and we were so involved in talking to the Jewish community and doing our research about the roles,” he said.

Figuring out the future

Asked if he wants pursue filmmaking as a career, Conaway said, “I’m still figuring that out, but filmmaking has always been my dream and my goal.”

He, like Bogue, is a student at Ithaca, though he is home this semester before returning to college. Conaway is a dual degree major: a cinema and photography bachelor of science, and a theater studies bachelor of arts.

“Irish Goodbye” is Conaway’s first film of this scope.

“I like to think of this as my directorial debut. I did a couple films through high school and one at Ithaca, but this is really the first passion project of mine,” he said.

Where to watch

After the premiere of “Irish Goodbye” at the Niantic Bay Playhouse, people can watch it online. Conaway’s LINKTREE (https.//linktr.ee/PatrickConaway) connects all of the film’s social media and will have the streamable film after its premiere.

Conaway is trying to come up with his next film project. He said he is looking to do a smaller-scale piece with just a couple of characters sometime this winter.

k.dorsey@theday.com

If you go

What: “Irish Goodbye” screening

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Niantic Bay Playhouse, 279 Main St., Niantic

Cost: Free, but donations accepted that will go to Niantic Bay Playhouse