Local Film Project Rolls Out During COVID-19 Restictions

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For those involved in the arts, the COVID-19 pandemic took away many of their traditional creative outlets.

Overnight, planned theater productions and seasons were canceled, galleries closed to the public and music venues shuttered. For one group of local thespians, the challenges of COVID-19 also brought new ideas for how to get their art to the community.

“It’s more important now than ever to continue creating during these disease-ridden times to keep morale up in the communities,” said Nicholas Strauss, 18, of Rochester, part of a recent short-film by local production company Three Girls Grove. “While we’re not nearly as essential as the doctors and nurses who put their lives on the line for us, we must continue creating to show the world that through dark times, light and joy can and will prevail.”

Three Girls Grove recently released the short film “A Dance in Five Acts” on YouTube. Filmed in and near downtown Centralia, the production was produced, filmed and stars local theater talent. Sisters Scarlet and Isabel Nixon Klein started Three Girls Grove Productions as a YouTube channel about five years ago. Their first post to the channel was a short film the sisters and a friend made one day when they were bored. 

“That first film is pretty horrific, looking back at it now, but you have to start somewhere,” Isabel said. “Since then we have made 15 other various short films: some just as horrific as the first and others we are quite proud of.”

Three Girls Grove films have been featured in the Rainier Independent Film Festival, (RIFF). In the three years in which they have participated in the student film competition, they have won twice and come in as runner-up once. 

“A Dance in Five Acts” is a silent film follows a sad and lonely clown (portrayed by Strauss) wandering through life without anyone to entertain. As the story progresses, he meets a mime (portrayed by Isabel) and though they enjoy each other’s company, they are always separated by an invisible wall. The story follows their love that blossoms, despite the wall, and their eventual discovery of a way to be together.

“Believe it or not, the idea for this film wasn’t thought up because of social distancing and our modern-day pandemic,” Isabel said. “My sister, Scarlet, was the one to think of the idea for this film. And it’s a brilliant idea.”

Scarlet said the idea for “A Dance in Five Acts” came to her while at home in quarantine. She said she has paintings of clowns hanging on her bedroom wall and while bored one day looked up at them and began to have an idea for an engaging story.

“Sitting here doing nothing looking at these clowns made me think about these clowns having to do the same,” Scarlet said. “I loved the idea of having it centered around the clowns and giving them these sensitive emotions to break the stigma around them.” 

Jordan Baker wrote the screenplay and did some of the work behind the camera, Scarlet choreographed the dance scenes and directed and besides portraying the mime, Isabel also worked on cinematography. Scarlet and Isabel split their time between Centralia and Mossyrock. Scarlet is a dancer and choreographer. Isabel works part-time with Golden Sphere Studios making videos of their jewelry and aspired to make a career in the entertainment industry someday. Baker, 19, of Centralia, is majoring in writing and directing at Centralia College. Strauss, 18, of Rochester, is also a Centralia College student with aspirations to become a professional actor. The group met on the set of “You Can’t Take It With You” at Centralia College and “Little Women” at The Roxy Theater in Morton. Baker, Scarlet and Isabel first began working on the script and said they very quickly knew exactly who they wanted for their clown.

“I got involved when Isabel messaged me, ‘do you want to be a sad clown?’” Strauss recalled. “It was ridiculous, so, of course, I accepted.”



“A Dance in Five Acts” was short during Washington state’s shelter in place order. Making even a short film with social distancing measures in place added a level of complexity to the process, the collaborators said.

“We had to be as mindful as possible during filming and we had minimal cast and crew,” Isabel said. “Needless to say, there was lots of hand washing and those gloves that the clowns wore were not just for show.”

But they all agreed that continuing to create art, even during a time when it is difficult, is essential. 

“Why is it important to create during any time?” Isabel said. “To get people to feel things, to get people to think about something, and to get those beats in the music perfectly matched with the motions on the screen, and, yes, that was definitely my favorite part of editing this film.”

“It’s important to continue creating during the pandemic because without creating any art we gain nothing from this,” Baker said. “Being able to take a very negative situation and still find inspiration to create something positive, which is what this film’s all about. Being able to sit and watch a ten-minute film that entertains and gives hope for the future.”

No matter what the future brings, the Nixon Klein sisters said their work for Three Girls Grove will continue to move forward. Isabel said Strauss and Baker might not know it yet, but they’re being written into an upcoming film entitled “The Perfect Game” which is a part of their “Perfect” series. It will be a follow up to “The Perfect Date”, which was released in June of 2019. The series followed Sally Sue (portrayed by Scarlet) the sweet 50’s girl who is a hopeless romantic, and her fiancé Hans (portrayed by Henry Wegener). Isabel said she also has hopes to work on two projects titled “The Grand Adventure” and “The Perfect Proposal” this summer. The group is also preparing for an online show with The Evergreen Playhouse in Centralia called “She Kills Monsters (virtual realms)”. 

“We are all very tight as friends and collaborators,” Baker said.

More information

For more information on Three Girls Grove productions, go to: 

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCbRRqvET96eF5q5vqpFVa9Q

Or search for the group on Instagram.