What happens when a Filipino-Canadian woman marries into a Mennonite family and moves in with her new in-laws? You’ll find out when you watch the new TV sitcom series being filmed in Manitoba called Maria and the Mennos, coming to Yes TV in the fall.
I first heard about this show from my friend Nettie Neudorf, whose sister-in-law, Erna, portrays Sarah, the Mennonite mom in the series. When a call went out for “extras” to appear in an episode, Nettie approached me.
“Hey! Want to do this with me?”
I can’t truthfully say I have a bucket list. But if I did, being an extra in a movie or TV show would be on it. I’ve often thought playing the same character for years might be the best job in the world, especially if the character was much-loved by a loyal audience. But since that’s not going to happen, I saw this as an opportunity to taste what happens on set. Naturally, I said, “Sure.”
I clicked on the link Nettie sent me, filled out the form, and waited.
When a positive reply came, I learned we’d need to commit to the entire day of filming and that we’d be part of a church congregation. I may not be a Mennonite, but I have decades of experience sitting in church and singing hymns, so how big a stretch could this be? We were told to bring three or four changes of outfits, arrive with our hair and makeup done, bring along our makeup bag labeled with our name and hand it off to the makeup person, and come prepared for a lot of waiting around. From others’ experiences, I knew that any clips in which I might appear could easily land on the virtual cutting room floor, but at least I could cross something off my invisible bucket list. The night before, I packed my outfits and makeup bag. I also took a rapid Covid test and emailed a photo of the negative result, as requested.
Following are the details of our day, in two parts.
Nettie picks me up at 7:00 a.m. and then her friend, Sara. The three of us enjoy a great visit on the ride to Winnipeg and easily make it to the church on time. Inside, we’re directed downstairs. Our “green room” is the church fellowship hall, where several chairs surrounding round tables will soon fill with around 40 people waiting for their chance in the spotlight. Soon all the things we weren’t told become evident. We’ll be required to wear masks all day except when eating, drinking, or being filmed. Some confusion about Covid testing occurs when one person insists we must take tests on the spot. Some do, some don’t. The makeup person goes around and merely looks at our faces, declaring us good to go. As for alternate outfits, they want only what we can change on set, such as adding or removing a sweater. No one makes it clear whether or not this entire day of filming represents a single day in the show.
Coffee, tea, juice, and plenty of snacks await our enjoyment. The room quickly buzzes with lively conversation. Finally, after half an hour or more, the director and others come down to introduce themselves and share a bit of info before leaving us to wait again.
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| Me, Sara, Erna, and Nettie |
Around 11:00, the Artistic Director, Lucy, comes downstairs. “This table, this table, and that table,” she announces. We are in! We file upstairs to the sanctuary where we each grab a blue hymnbook from the pile.
“You two, over here,” Lucy directs us where to sit. “You two… you two…”
“U2 is here?” the man beside me quips.
“You can’t always get what you want,” I quip back.
“That’s the Rolling Stones,” the man beside me corrects.
Oh yeah. Wrong band. Embarrassed and with my confidence deflated, I sit quietly and do as I’m told.
Watch for Part 2 next week.
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