On Broadway 1956 opens this Thursday June 28th with 8 talented actors, performing pieces from Broadways shows that opened on Broadway in 1956.  This cast includes a few
returning actors to Tibbits and several new faces as well. Two new faces amongst the cast are Tyler Whiteman and James Bleecker. 

Tyler Whiteman (on the right, wearing a green shirt), is originally from St. Louis, MO.  He is entering his Junior year as a BFA Musical Theatre student at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO.  Tyler will also be joining us in the musical Chicago this summer here at Tibbits.

Tyler landed into theatre in a very interesting way.  When attending a community college for a general studies degree, not sure of his career path, several friends of his persuaded him to audition for a show at the college, Footloose.  After being cast in the show, he never looked back, but raced forward in pursuit of a performance degree.  Since then, he has worked for Citilites Theater and Stray Dog Theater in St. Louis, he has performed three summers at Six Flags around the St. Louis area and also performed shows at Missouri Baptist University.  His dream acting role is Jamie in The Last 5 Years, and when asked what his advice would be of people wanting to enter the theatre world, he stated, "It's never too late." 

Another new actor at Tibbits this summer, James Bleecker (pictured above in the blue shirt), is originally from Fort Myers, FL.  He now is entering his Junior year as a BFA Musical Theatre student at Western Illinios University in Macomb, IL.  James will also be seen this summer in Chicago and Funny Money. 

James told me that he took a break before attending college, and believes that his time spent co-founding Harrison Hilltop Theatre in Davenport, IA from 2007-2010, educated him in a way that has now prepared himself much more for college than after leaving high school.  James started performing at age 6, when his mother realized he needed a creative outlet for his talent of impersonating TV personalities and reenacting commercials back to his family. 

Even though this is James' first summer here at Tibbits, he had his first summer stock experience last summer working for Gaslight Theatre in St. Louis.  He was nominated for a Kevin Kline award for his performance that summer in Thrill Me, the Leopold and Loeb Story.  James' dream role is Alan in Equus, which he may have a chance to perform next year.  His advice to aspiring actors is to develop a thick skin, make sure you realize what you want out of life, what kind of theatre you want to do, and go after it. 

It looks like both of these gentleman are doing just that, come see them in person in the On Broadway 1956 review playing for two weeks at Tibbits, opening Thursday, June 28th and closing Saturday, July 7th.

On Broadway--1956: The Composers

On Broadway—1956 contains songs pulled from this impressive list of shows (all were  playing in 1956) written by many of the great Broadway composers and lyricists.

Bells Are Ringing               Jule Styne/Betty Comden/Adolph Green

The Boy Friend                   Sandy Wilson

Can-Can                              Cole Porter                             

Candide                               Leonard Bernstein/Richard Wilbur/Lillian Hellman

Damn Yankees                    Richard Adler/Jerry Ross

Happy Hunting                    Harold Karr/Matt Dubey

Li’l Abner                             Gene DePaul/Johnny Mercer

The Littlest Revue               Sheldon Harnick

The Littlest Revue               Vernon Duke/Ogden Nash

The Most Happy Fella         Frank Loesser

Mr. Wonderful                    Jerry Bock/Larry Holofcener/George Weiss

My Fair Lady                        Frederick Lowe/Alan Jay Lerner

New Faces of 1956              Murray Grand

The Pajama Game              Richard Adler/Jerry Ross

Pipe Dream                         Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein

Plain and Fancy                   Albert Hague/Arnold Horwitt

Silk Stockings                       Cole Porter

The Threepenny Opera       Kurt Weill/ Bertolt Brecht/Marc Blitzstein

I find this list impressive.  We have Cole Porter right at the end of his amazing career with his last two shows running concurrently.  Frank Loesser is right in the middle of his career—with Guys and Dolls behind him and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying still to come.  Oscar Hammerstein would be dead in four years—all the great shows with Richard Rodgers were written except for The Sound of Music.  Both (and the only) hits by Adler and Ross had opened in previous seasons, but were still doing excellent business.  Lerner and Lowe only had one more Broadway production to come with Camelot.  And the excellent songwriting team of Bock and Harnick (Fiddler On the Roof, She Loves Me, Fiorello) are both represented here—but they had not yet begun to write together.

Quite an amazing collection.   You can hear songs from all these shows in our season opener-- On Broadway—1956.

Charles Burr
Artisitic Director
Co-compiler of On Broadway--1956

A slight history of Pinocchio

Some interesting fact I learned while researching Pinocchio:

·        Pinocchio means “little pine.”

·        Carlo Collodi was the pen name of Carl Lorenzini  (November 24, 1826 – October 26, 1890.)

·        He was born in Florence.

·        Famous novelist of the 1850’s and political activist.

·        Collodi translated Perrault into Itlaian.

·        Le adventure di Pinocchio was serialized weekly in Il Giornale dei Bambini, the first Italian newspaper for children, beginning in 1880.

·        Originally the story ended after the debacle at the Marionette theatre, with Pinocchio being hung for his misdeeds.  The publishers begged for a happy ending , so Collodi wrote the next 15 chapters.

·        Pinocchio was translated into English, for the first time in 1892.

Our adaptation is by the famed children’s theatre author Kathryn Schultz Miller.

We’ve had a blast rehearsing the show---We’ll see you there!

Charles Burr—Director.

Meet Pinocchio!!!  This Friday and Saturday, June 22nd and 23rd, at 10am mark the opening of Popcorn Theatre here at Tibbits with Pinocchio!

Joining us for his first summer as a Tibbits actor is Matt Haupert, playing the title character in this children's classic written by Kathryn Schultz Miller.  Miller co-founded ArtReach Touring Theatre and served over 20 years as Artistic Director for ArtReach.  This is one of her 44 plays, for which most have won countless awards. 

Matt Haupert is originally from La Crosse, WI and is entering his senior year at Drake University in Des Moines, IA earning a BFA in Acting, and will also be graduating with a BA in English.

Matt mentioned how impressed he was walking into Tibbits for the first time, especially with the restoration going on.  Matt is a very driven young man.  He started college as an English Education major, and after his first semester, he changed to a Performance major.  Last summer, Matt performed at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Holland, MI. 

Matt is already a co-founder of a theatre company in Chicago, called Dirty Thatch Theatre Company, which is producing three plays this summer in the Studio Theatre space of the Apollo Theatre.  One piece they are producing this summer, is an original play written by one of his professors at college, and that he enjoys to write for the theatre and screen as well. 

Matt loves improv and sketch comedy.  When asked what his dream role would be, Matt answered without hesitation, Elder Price in The Book of Mormon.  A sketch comedy dream role indeed.

With his many projects, Matt aspires to create theatre that educates people, is more than just entertainment, and promotes social chance.  He loves how children's theatre teaches lessons and even plans to expand his theatre company into hosting a day camp for kids in the suburbs of Chicago by next summer.

When asked what advice he would give to others pursuing theatre, he said "I only have advice for about a 5 year old.  Have fun, don't try to be a big shot, enjoy it and the relationships you create with people in theatre." 

Well said Matt.  Come meet Pinocchio in person this Friday and Saturday, June 22nd and 23rd, along with the following week June 29th and 30th, all at 10am. 

See you at the show!      

Where will you be this next weekend?  I know where many others, including myself will be, at Tibbits' Popcorn Theatre opening!

We open with with Pinocchio this Friday June 22nd!  Running Friday and Saturday mornings at 10am, starting the 22nd and also playing the following weekend of June 28th.

Don't miss this incredible classic tale playing for only two weeks! Helping us bring to life this tale, is a new costume designer to Tibbits this summer, Clare Hungate-Hawk.  Clare comes to us after just finishing her 1st year of Grad school at Wayne State University in Detroit. 

Originally from Seattle, WA, Clare will be designing all three of our Popcorn Theatre Shows: Pinocchio, Frog Prince and Charlotte's Web.  Clare explained to me that costuming for children's theatre utilizes her strong crafting skills, included in her masks and hat pieces for this particular show, as you can see by the few shown in the above photo.

Clare has an undergraduate degree from Willamette University in Salem, OR.  She began performing theatre during middle school, but by high school she knew she wanted to be involved on the tech side.  By her Junior year in college, Clare had decided costuming was where her passion resided.

After graduating from college, Clare taught English abroad for 3 years in Japan.  When she returned, she began applying to grad schools, while working for small Seattle theatres, which included stitching for Tap Root.

Clare was accepted to Wayne State and the rest is history.  Clare has a great love for detail work especially in period piece work.  Claire may miss the tall trees and weather of the Northwest, but is excited at what this summer holds for her in Coldwater.

An interesting side note about Clare, at her old high school, her father has taken the position of leading their theatre department and is rebuilding it.  This statement made Clare's face light up.  Even though her father wasn't her theatre teacher, she explained that this was a great thing he was doing for the kids at her old high school.

The gift of theatre is amazing for children.  We hope we see you in the audience at Pinocchio and experience it for yourself.  Take a look at the clip below, a sneak peek into the rehearsal of Pinocchio.

Don't forget to stay afterwards for autographs from the actors!  See you at the show!

Kiersten Vorheis for Tibbits Summer Theatre

Hello Tibbits Opera House fans.  It is about that time that our summer theatre will begin.  My name is Kiersten Vorheis, I have been an actor at Tibbits for several years now.  I began my first summer in 2005 along side my husband, Paul Kerr, another Tibbits alumni, and have returned the summers of '06, '07 and '10.

I am about to begin my 5th summer as an actor here in the magical place known as Tibbits, in Coldwater, MI.  There is just something about this place, for many of us, a home away from home, where we are free to explore, create great art, and feel like we can really "work."  Often I feel like I did back in college, at Indiana University Bloomington's Theatre Program.  Here at Tibbits, you have to give your all and act from the gut.  The work here is as much about the process as the product, which is a rare and welcomed thing these days in professional theatre.

I consider myself one of the "lucky ones."  I have had the great opportunity, since graduating from IU, to make my living performing in theatres all over the country, and on a few National Tours as well.  I now am based out of the Louisville, KY area, but continue to work throughout the country as well. 

This year, I am returning to Tibbits after just finishing CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES, playing Mavis the "Hot Flash Queen," in Dickson, TN at the Renaissance Center's Gaslight Dinner Theatre. It was a "hoot" and a "holler!"

Take a look at our Broadway World review here.

Throughout the summer, I will be posting clips from our Tibbits Summer Theatre rehearsals, interviews of cast and crew, along with write ups about our upcoming shows.  We have some very exciting projects ahead of us this summer at Tibbits!  

We hope to see all your smiling faces in the audience, and don't forget to stick around for our talkbacks or outside the theatre after our performances to say "hi."  We love to meet our audience members as you like to meet us, and I promise we don't bite...much.  Thank you for your continued support of live theatre, see you at the show!!!

Tibbits Summer Theatre countdown is on...

3 days  before the tech crew arrives and starts work in the Tibbits shops

6 days before the first actors arrive for "Pinocchio" rehearsals

9 days before the next group of  actors arrive and begin rehearsals for "On Broadway 1956"

14 days until the opening of Popcorn Theatre with "Pinocchio"

20 days until "On Broadway 1956 opens"

Don't let too many days pass before you get your tickets. The summer will be gone before you know it and you don't want to catch yourself at the end of the summer saying "I had wanted to see that!" 

Stay tuned on this blog for the summer for more posts, interviews, and inside stories on the company and the productions. 

Loss of a Friend to Tibbits

When you enter the theatre through the main doors, you are greeted by the face of a jester or a symbolic "T" in the stained glass windows. This craftsmanship dates back to the renovation efforts of the 60s and 70s. The windows were created by Ed Geishert, Sr.

You may also have noticed, on the main floor in row 'G,' four seats with tartan plaid covers over them. Theses seats proudly recognize the theatre's Barton S. Tibbits sponsor, an honor sold each year at the annual auction: four seats to EVERY performance for an entire year. For a dozen years these special seats have been purchased by and reserved for the same special Tibbits supporter, Ed Geishert, Sr. He and his lovely wife Norma have enjoyed seeing the shows and sharing their tickets with many dear friends over the years. At this last auction Ed made what turned out to be his final appearance at his beloved theatre. We celebrated his 95th birthday with a song and cake, and he honored us by again purchasing the BST seats but this year for a record setting price. Ed has supported the Tibbits in so many ways for so many years. We are grateful.

Ed passed on Friday. While he will be dearly missed, we are confident he is at peace. I am certain many will agree he has touched many people and made a difference in many ways; he has made our theatre as well as our community a better place. Thank you Ed and may eternal light shine upon you.

Edwin C. Geishert, Sr.

COLDWATER — Edwin C. Geishert, Sr., 95, of Coldwater, passed away Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 at The Laurels of Coldwater.

Edwin “Ed” was born Nov. 5, 1916 in South Bend, Ind., to Oliver and Mildred (Hawkey) Geishert, and graduated from Niles High School in 1934.

He began training as a tool and die engineer, a profession he would continue throughout his life. Ed became the chief engineer for several air conditioner and water heater manufacturers in Chicago, Ill., Houston, Texas, Evansville, Ind. and finally settling in 1955 with General Processing in Quincy. He held several patents and was the successful owner/operator of various business ventures during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, including Quincy Reel, Geishert’s Truck Stop, Insul-Roof, Ed-de’s Restaurant and Anchor Enterprises specializing in stained glass. Some of his well-known projects include stained glass windows at the Coldwater Elks Lodge, Tibbits Opera House and the Old Firehouse Restaurant (now Siren’s). When the front doors at Tibbits are restored, they will have the stained glass windows framed and hung in the theatre in honor of Ed. Working with his son, Edwin Jr., they designed, built and distributed various medical devices for Miles Laboratories of Elkhart, Ind. Their electrophoresis machines were used in the early stages of RNA and DNA research throughout the world.

Ed’s greatest passions were traveling, hunting and fishing with family and friends. He pursued these activities across the U.S., Alaska and Canada.

Ed became a member of Tibbits in 1976 and was a Barton S. Tibbits sponsor for 12 years. He was also a member of the Coldwater Noon Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, Past President of the Quincy Rotary Club; a life member of Mount Vernon Lodge #166 F & AM; and was a member of Mizpah Shrine, the Coldwater Eagles Aerie 1907 and 63-year life member of the Coldwater Elks. He was one of a group of seven who founded the Quincy Golf Course. He offered more than one Sunday sermon during a match on the fourth hole of the course, his signature hole known as “bean hill.” Ed, with friend Barney Stempien, also originated the Quincy Tip-Up Festival.

Survivors include his wife, Norma (Lenon) Geishert, whom he married Sept. 20, 2002; son, Edwin (Penny) Geishert, Jr. of Quincy; nieces, Amy Geishert of Lansing and Elizabeth Englert of Cadiz, Ky.; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; two step-daughters, Beth (David) Hoppe of Battle Creek and Sandra (Brian) Sexton of Coldwater; five step-grandchildren; and one special step-great-grandson, Brock Sexton.

Ed was preceded in death in 2001 by his wife, Sylvia, of 54 years; parents; brother, Charles; and three sisters, Dorothy, Helen and Betty.

Visitation for family and friends is scheduled for Tuesday from 5-8 p.m. at the Eagle Funeral Home-George White Chapel in Quincy, including a Masonic Service of Remembrance at 7 p.m.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Coldwater, with Father Stephen Bartlett officiating. Visitation at the church will be from 3 p.m. until time of service.

Memorials are suggested to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (bell tower restoration fund) or Tibbits Opera House Restoration Fund.

Week 2: Behind the Scenes

Hey, it's Paige again! I'm enjoying my second week at Tibbits even more than my first; I didn't think that was possible. I began my second week back in the office, writing another press release. This time, it was for the next Popcorn Theatre show: "Abracadabra Magic Show," featuring different magicians at each performance. Then I helped Lori (special events coordinator) make some business calls regarding business promotion letters she sent out last week. Luckily, the second day a couple businesses said they would love to help support the Tibbits Restoration Project!

On Tuesday I got the chance to sit in on one of the rehearsals for the next Summer Theatre show, "Working" by Stephen Schwartz. I went over to the Pansophia Academy gymnasium to observe the blocking rehearsal for a couple hours. Everything was moving really quickly. The actors were working on something the entire time, whether it was choreography, music, or just memorizing lines. In the two hours I was there in the morning, the cast worked its way through three or four songs. I was really impressed. The actors' voices are amazing. During the rehearsal for one of the full cast numbers I literally got goose bumps as they were singing. I came back to watch some of the evening rehearsal that night, too. By the time I left, the entire first act was blocked! I've never seen such a productive day of rehearsals.

Yesterday was the coolest day, by far. Before the matinee performance of "Out of Order" I got to watch some of the tech run throughs with the window set piece. For those of you who haven't seen the show, throughout the course of the play, the window in the hotel suite randomly slams shut on people, knocking them out momentarily. So I got to watch as each of the actors who encounter the unpredictable window took turns having the set piece fall on them. Mark is in charge of working the trigger release for the window. In addition to that, he has to time the "slap stick", which is two 2 x 4's that have been hinged together. He slaps the two wooden pieces together as the window falls to create the loud sound the audience hears as the window slams shut. When I watched this show last week from the audience, I wondered how the window operated. So watching this run through was really fascinating.

Then I was fortunate enough to get the chance to watch the entire show from backstage! But, not only did I get to watch the show, I also got a headset so I could hear the "headset chatter" between Carrie, the stage manager, and the other techies as she called out cues for lights, sound, and the window. I sat backstage the entire show, beaming from ear to ear. I'm no stranger to being backstage, but sitting through a professional show while wearing a headset was probably the coolest thing I've ever done. Every time an actor walked past me they would give me a huge smile and a thumbs up, just getting pumped up for the afternoon's performance. This experience really got me excited for a couple years down the road when I'm able to partake in professional summer theatre productions like this. The cast put on a great show yesterday, and I couldn't have been happier with my seat.

Tomorrow I'll be back in the box office for the Popcorn Theatre show in the morning, and I'm looking forward to that and the rest of the things I'll be doing to finish up my internship at Tibbits. I've really fallen in love with this institution over the past two weeks and I know that I will return to help out in any way possible for next summer's season!

In the Office Part II

Paige, again. The rest of my first week at Tibbits was just as good as the beginning. I've worked in the box office with Jackson twice since Steve showed me the ropes on Wednesday morning. The first was for opening night of "Out of Order," which was a great success. I was fortunate enough to get the chance to sit in on a rehearsal and the matinee for this show. It was absolutely hilarious. The actors did an amazing job, as did the tech crew. I don't know that I have ever heard such genuine laughter coming from an audience before. I highly suggest you come to see the show! I also worked in the box office for this morning's Popcorn Theatre show, "Sleeping Beauty." I didn't get to see this show, but I know the kids were all smiling when they were exiting the theatre.

At the matinee for "Out of Order" yesterday I also job shadowed one of the house managers to get a feel for what they do. The house manager, as well as all of the ushers, were extremely kind and helpful. They taught me about the house seating and even let me seat a few people on my own. Then at intermission they showed me the small concession stand downstairs in the art gallery, along with the gift shop. After the show was over, I joined the ushers in helping to pick up any trash and programs that had been left behind.

Finishing up the week, I helped with some smaller things, like fundraising mail. I also finished up gathering info on the acts that will be booked during the winter season. All in all, my experience here at Tibbits has been wonderful; far better than I ever imagined. I've learned so much from so many amazing people in the past five days. In fact, it was so great that I've decided to stay and work another week!

In the Office

Hi, it's Paige. This week I've been interning in the Tibbits Office. In high school, I was heavily involved in theatre as an actress and choreographer, but never experienced the other various aspects of the trade. As a future Theatre major at Michigan State University I wanted to learn more about the management side of the business. Luckily I was given the chance to experience this first hand at this amazing historical theatre.

My first day began with a detailed tour of the building, starting with the exterior, which is currently being restored to its original appearance when it opened in 1882. Chris Delaney, the Executive Director, showed me around the rest of the building giving me tons of historical information and fun tid-bits about the opera house. The tour ended in the Tibbits Business Office where I met the people I would be working with for the week.

Everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I was greeted with a smile by all. I have never met a group of people so friendly. Also, everyone in this office seems to genuinely enjoy working here, something that can't be said for the staff in most office buildings. They have made my time here much easier and more enjoyable.

I started my first day by writing a press release for Tibbits' final 2011 summer show, "Working." I had never written a press release, but again, the office staff was very patient as I asked a ton of questions about what should and shouldn't be included. It made my first experience less nerve wracking, knowing that people were there to help me out with anything I needed.

Since Monday, I have also called agents to gather info about booking their clients for shows during the winter season, learned to update calendars, and made phone calls to help out with a Tibbits Restoration advertisement opportunity with yard signs. I never realized how much was involved in the management side of things.

In addition to this, I've attended a couple meetings. The first was a small Arts Alive meeting held in the art gallery under the theatre. Here I learned a little about the ways in which this group of artists supports itself and its dealings with Tibbits. Today I attended a finance meeting to observe, since I'd never been to a finance meeting before. Both meetings were very informational and helped me to understand how everything works together around here.

Today I also worked in the box office for two hours and learned how tickets are reserved and sold. I didn't know what to expect, Steve was really funny and relaxed, andI actually had a lot of fun. I look forward to working in the box office tomorrow night for the opening night of "Out of Order" and later in the week for the Popcorn Theatre show.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of my week here at Tibbits. I've already learned so much about theatre management and I'm getting to experience so many different aspects of the management side. I'm so glad that I've been given this opportunity. I now have a new-found respect for the amount of work that the office staff does to ensure that the theatre stays up and running.

The Importance of Lighting with Jeff Hannah

Photos Courtesy of Stephanie Burdick

Hi everyone! It is Alexandra Lyon. I am back! Well, this summer at Tibbits has been just fantastic. In my opinion, the shows are the best they have ever been. After watching “The Full Monty,” it is very obvious that lighting is extremely important. I figured this was an opportune time to interview lighting designer Jeffery Hannah, and learn a bit more about lighting.

Jeff graduated from the University of Illinois with a master’s degree in lighting design and an undergraduate degree in acting. Jeff has been involved with theater his entire life; but he began working in technical theater during college. Jeff volunteered to be a master electrician on a show with no prior experience. By taking this leap into lighting, he began a new career in theater.

The average theatre attendee does not know much about Jeff’s line of work. His job, in a nutshell, is to take a blank theater and use lighting to create time, emotion and many other factors. All of the lighting must come together for an overall look for the show. Jeff stated that lighting for plays, musicals, and dance must enhance the show, but not overpower it.

This is Jeff’s second year working with Tibbits. He has really enjoyed working here and overcoming the challenges of a small, old theater. One of the challenges includes strange sight lines. This makes getting the perfect lighting extremely difficult. He also praised the fact that Tibbits has many good tools for lighting, which is unusual in theaters the size of Tibbits. Sometimes the unique set causes problems which later become good memories from which to learn. Jeff says that lighting plots start out with a guess of what will work for the theater. In the 2010 Tibbits production of “Crazy for You,” Jeff created a lighting plot and upon testing, realized he didn’t have strong enough lights to create a certain look. So, he had to go back and rethink how to create the same feel using different lighting techniques.

For Jeff, there is not one particular show that he would like to try his hand at lighting. He is willing to work on any project that comes his way. “With lighting,” he says, “each kind of production (play, musical, and dance) is very different.” While he enjoys change, it is also very difficult to bounce between the types of performances.

Jeff Hannah is the lighting designer for this summer’s production of “The Full Monty.” Before starting this show, he did not watch or reference other productions of “The Full Monty.” (However, he does admit to seeing the movie many years ago.) Jeff simply used what the script said and his own ideas. He started with twelve lights to illuminate the final scene and when this was tested the actors were still very exposed. Jeff went back to the drawing board and used many hours of collaboration to finally get it right.

I hope you have enjoyed learning more about the difficult job of a lighting designer. One piece of advice from Jeff to all aspiring theater people… both sides of theater (acting and technical) should be explored and tried. This way each side can respect and understand the other.

The Magic Show Experience

Hello, Trevor writing. Here is another little perk of working backstage: sometimes you get to be in the show! The other day I was helping out with Popcorn Theater during Magic week. On that day, a local magician named Justin Holbrook came in and was setting up. He came over to the tech crew and asked if any of us would like to be in the show today. And, because I am an actor, I agreed to lend him my service. Justin then proceeded to pull out from behind his back a poncho, an umbrella hat, a big red nose, and a huge pair of sunglasses. I started to second guess volunteering myself.

Justin presented to me my costume and told me that I would be a part of a comic act. He explained it to me as such, “A girl will be selected from the audience and participate in a guess-which-hand-it’s-in-trick with some toilet paper balls. Before the girl guesses which hand, the toilet paper ball will be thrown over her head, onto the ground. You will be behind the curtain and pick up the balls of TP without the participant knowing; however, the audience will know full well of what is going on. Then, after a few tries, I will offer the girl the chance to find out how I did the trick and continue to do the trick in slow motion. At that moment, you will hear music and, in slow motion, gallop on this stick horse across stage, taking the toilet paper ball from my hand and continue off stage. Don’t worry! You’ll do great.” I thought this was pretty clever. He explained to me that the slow motion portion of the trick was to show the participant how the trick really worked. So in a very round-a-bout way of saying it, this trick was the “Lightning Fast Clown Trick.”

Justin walked away and continued his rushed pre-show tech rehearsal. I looked at the ridiculous clown costume in my hands and started getting nervous. I started thinking, what if I ruin the trick and make Justin look bad? What if the girl sees me removing the paper balls behind her? I shook off the doubt in my head and remembered that it was a kids’ show. Most kids appreciate corny humor and are easily amused. Even if I had messed up, it probably would have been funnier to them. So, when it came to be my minute of fame, I performed as goofily as I could, and the kids loved it.

Behind the Scenes

Trevor Tracy here, giving you all the inside scoop of what goes on behind the scenes at Tibbits. Thanks to Michigan Works, I got the wonderful opportunity to work with the tech crew, and I must say that I had a wonderful time doing so. Since I am a theater major at Spring Arbor University, this job-shadow opportunity was a perfect way to spend my last few weeks of the summer. I was immensely involved in theater during high school, and actually had the privilege to perform at Tibbits a few times, so I was already familiar to the backstage portion of the Opera House. Having been involved more in the acting side to theater productions, I was eager to learn more about what it takes to operate the technical parts of the theater and to be the man behind the curtain.

When I arrived at Tibbits, the Summer Theater program was putting on its final show for the summer, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The Technical Director, Chris Aler, was gracious enough to take on the role of teacher and supervisor for me. Chris was already busy with all his duties during production week, so I appreciated that he would take his time to show me around. He showed me all sorts of cool stuff.

On my first day, I was given a tour of the theater. I had seen most of these areas before, but Chris wanted to make sure that I got the whole backstage crew experience. We were making our way around, and ended up in the lighting booth located up in the balcony. Chris showed me the spot lights and the light board, the key ingredients to producing a great looking show. I knew what spot lights did and all, but I never knew how to operate one. There are several knobs and switches that collectively change the color and shape of the beam of light. I thought this was fascinating, and this explanation heightened my appreciation for the operators of the machine.

After my brief tour of the facility, I was immediately put to work. Chris brought me to Tibbits workshop to work on some stage notes that were given to him by the stage managers. It was Chris’ job as Technical Director to make sure that the stage the Set Designer had designed looked and operated the way it was intended. Even though the set for this particular show was simple, there were still quite a bit of notes to take care of throughout the week. Chairs had to be mounted to the stage, curtains had to be flown in and out, the stage needed painting, breaks were needed on platforms, etc. All week we were working on these little things that potentially made a huge difference in the way the actors utilized the set.

Intermittently, I would get a history lesson. One of the greatest experiences during this job-shadow was climbing up to the pin rail balcony of the grid, which is the skeleton of the curtain fly system, and experiencing how the system was run back in the times when Tibbits was founded. Up near the grid there is a section of dead-hung rope. This simply means that the ropes that are fastened tightly up there do not have the new-and-improved weighted pulley system that is provided in the newer harbor fly system, so it takes incredible strength to pull the curtains up and down. It actually took three of us to make some changes requested by the Set Designer. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was about fifteen degrees warmer up there, so we were drenched in sweat after moving a curtain two inches. It was rough!

The people behind the scenes, I feel, go underappreciated. Many actors take for granted the things that are provided for them through the technical crew. Now that I have had this experience, I definitely have a greater appreciation and understanding of how difficult the backstage work is in a theater production.