What started as an improvisational experiment 10 year ago between friends in the New Hampshire film scene is nearing its cinematic debut.

Called “Granite Orpheus,” the idea for the film and a loose script were hatched by Rick Broussard and John W. Hession of Resurrection Films at Concord’s Market Days a decade ago. Nine days of filming followed, and the project sputtered before finding new life.

“It just kept sort of snowballing, and we had a final seed planned in a movie theater, and it never happened. So we all thought it was over and done with, and then here we are,” said lead actor Bryan Halperin, a repeat winner at the NH Theatre Awards.

On May 5 at the Red River Theater in downtown Concord, one last mind-bending scene was filmed, the missing piece from the Orpheus opus. In the darkness of the theater, cast and crew members returned to participate as extras while Halperin (Orpheus) and Amanda Damour, whose stage name is Violet deWhitt, enacted the final scene.

The film itself gives the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice a New Hampshire twist. The original tale follows Orpheus, who is robbed of his beloved Eurydice by a snake bite. Heartbroken, he begins a quest to get her back by traveling to the underworld to make a deal with Hades.

For this cinematographic adaptation, the producers were inspired by Jean Cocteau’s series of films, The Orphic Trilogy, from the 1930s, and modernized it. That’s where the Granite twist comes in. The film features iconic locations around Concord, such as Penuches Ale House; the Train Yard, which is now the Friendly Kitchen; Pitchfork Records and many other hot spots around the city.

After filming and some editing, the movie turned into a full 70-minute feature, but life got in the way. As both Broussard and Hession’s families aged, they were tasked with taking care of their parents and stepping away from finishing.

“It grew big enough to be a promise. It was, originally, just a lark and we’d see what we could do with it, but it got to where too many people had invested too much time to just say, ‘Oops, it’s a lark,’” Broussard explained.

On top of personal matters, some files were corrupted and delayed the final product further. Then came COVID-19 and, once again, prolonged the logistical complications for editing. Finally, in 2023, Hession and Broussard began producing the master cut after over 125 hours of work.

In many ways, the film, both as a project and the story itself, is a labor of love for the art of filmmaking and New Hampshire. Broussard is the founder of the New Hampshire Theatre Awards and creator of the New Hampshire Magazine. He used his expertise as a journalist, New England culture observer and writer to create this film.

Hession, the director, touched on the parallels between the film and the process of making it – connecting it to his and Broussard’s journey.

“Life isn’t fair. Give love a second chance, because Orpheus, he lost once and then he goes back and doesn’t let himself get destroyed,” he said.

The film will premiere this summer as the filmmakers will submit it for a few film festivals, most prominently locally, the New Hampshire Film Festival. More information on the movie can be found on ResurrectionFilms.org/GraniteOrpheus.

The movie summary on the Resurrection Films website is a perfect tribute to the film and the effort that went into it:

“How those nine days survived and took shape is a story deserving of a movie of its own and a testament to the original vision — that Art is a force that will find a way to reveal itself as long as the Artist is willing to endure until the end.”

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com