Behind the Scenes at The Hipp

Thursday, 01 December 2011 17:51

In our exclusive behind-the-scenes look at The Hippodrome Theatre, for the first time, we take you “behind the curtain” during the Hipp’s magical holiday season.

When you enjoy a holiday play at the iconic Hippodrome Theatre downtown, you know it takes hard work—but you might not know that armies of people have worked to make it happen. Or, in other words, “We’re like a 24/7, 365-day-a-year engine that just chugs,” says Artistic Director Lauren Caldwell. One way or another, everyone at Gainesville’s Hippodrome Theatre (affectionately known as “The Hipp”) is caught in the tight grip of the engine, helping to push each production forward. From costume and set designers to marketing directors to the myriad of interns, numerous individuals come together to produce local favorites like this month’s double-whammy of an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and the one-man show “This Wonderful Life.” Let’s take it from the top.

By Kate Sayre and Shayna Possess

Upstairs at the Hipp
Often unseen by the audience, but crucial to the process of launching a successful production, are those who work on the third floor at the Hipp. You can reach these administrative offices by climbing into the antique metal jaws of one of the oldest working elevators in Florida. Once upstairs, you’ll find the marketing director, the dramaturge (in charge of hiring actors, researching the play, helping the director and more), the development director and the artistic director, among others. This is where the planning process begins, usually up to a year in advance.

“It’s almost a year-round process for us,” Lauren says. They begin to look for cast members early, and some of the holiday child actors are recruited from The Hipp’s summer theater camp. “Then the set is pulled out of the warehouse, given a facelift,” Lauren tells us. “We make sure everything works from the year before.”

By the time rehearsals start for “A Christmas Carol” and “This Wonderful Life” in November, several of the Hipp staff have begun work on the next show. Luckily, since the Hippodrome has been producing “A Christmas Carol” for 34 years, many details have already been decided.  For example, many of the intricate, breath-taking costumes are still being used, and no one at the Hipp could think of improving upon Mary Hausch's wonderful adaptation of the Dickens classic.

“A lot of us work really far ahead,” explains Dramaturge Tammy Dygert. “Even though it’s our holiday show, I’m working on the next three plays right now.”

While snow falls on the Cratchit house downstairs in Victorian England, upstairs, some folks are warming up to plan “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which premieres in April.

“Once rehearsal starts, the next show is up and running in the minds of the other creative folks here,” Tammy says.

Of course, they still get their daily dose of wintery Dickens. The offices are located right next to the costume closet. Recently, the Ghost of Christmas Past, bedecked in white wig and flowing robe, walked into Tammy’s office to use the telephone.

“No other workplace has this happen on a daily basis, where you get a ghost walking in to take a phone call. I love that about my job,” she says.

From her office, Marketing Director Jessica Hurov can hear reactions from the grammar-school peanut gallery downstairs during the special matinees for schoolchildren. For many kids, this is their first exposure to live professional theater, and their shrieks can be heard upstairs.

“We always joke up here when we hear them screaming, and we say, ‘That is when Marley has made his entrance!’” Jessica says. “‘The ghost has emerged!’”

Development Director Kara Winslow’s duties don’t end until after the final show. She hunts to get the best deals on what the theater needs, often for cheap or for free through sponsorships. Almost every detail, from housing actors to printing playbills, is donated. Even the VIP parties she plans for opening and closing nights offer food and wine from local restaurants like Sarkara Sweets and Half Cork’d. For “A Christmas Carol’s” post-party, the basement is full of sugar-crazed children grabbing cupcakes and chattering about their performances.

Inside the Closet
Outside the offices, the upstairs hallway is fringed with more than forty pairs of shoes lined up in precise, parallel rows ranging from size large to Tiny Tim dimensions. The pseudo-Victorian brogues pave the way to the costume closet.

“My favorite thing to do is to line up the shoes from this big to this big,” says Costume Designer and Hippodrome co-founder Marilyn Wall, who has won two Emmy Awards for Costume Design. Marilyn makes sure “A Christmas Carol” and “This Wonderful Life” actors are properly adorned from their toes to their top hats with her uncanny ability to weave the fantastic with the period costumes.

“We do an eclectic combination,” she says. “What I love about our director, Lauren, is that she approaches design metaphorically. She just loves if it works and if it helps find a character. It’s a whole other level of design that I’d never done before.”

Under the Stage
Two floors below, Technical Director and Production Manager Michael Eaddy’s shop is where the amazingly functional sets are designed and built.

Due to the set’s design, the actors have an almost magical knack for the tightest scene changes, from Scrooge’s office to his bedroom to his childhood schoolhouse. Desks, beds, windows and actors are all part of one fluid system, rather than specialized components. Whatever labor went into building this surprisingly intricate set—not to mention choreographing its scene changes—disappears onstage.

“This is my favorite part,” Michael says as he pulls the device to have both windows open at once. Michael shows us the hinges on the set pieces that allow them to fold into space-saving origami. The walls and furniture of Scrooge’s entire life can be tucked in a space the size of a closet. He also points out the small, neat mechanisms that allow desks to roll, ghosts to appear and windows to fly open.

As a personal touch, he surreptitiously mustachioed Scrooge’s gargoyles as a pre-Christmas prank. He wondered how soon the other crewmembers would notice.

“They have Eaddy mustaches!” Jessica exclaims when she comes to lead us back upstairs.  Michael smiles, making his own handlebar mustache slide upward with his grin.

The Glue
“A stage manager’s job is many-fold,” explains Stage Manager Tara Kromer. Once the creative people upstairs are thinking about midsummer, the stage managers come to life and rule the kingdom.

“Our job is to be ‘the glue,’” Tara tells us. “We’re the magic before the magic.”

She organizes the production and communicates between her cast and crew to ensure a smooth performance. Having two plays share a stage (like they do during the holidays) presents an unusual challenge for the Hippodrome crew, but no one watching in the audience would ever be aware other performances had taken place that same day.

Also important to Hipp happiness is House Manager Meg Westerman-Clark, who gracefully manages the front of the house to make sure the audience has a great evening. Also, before you go to see a show, be sure to stop by the lobby to ask thirst-quencher Mike Detzel for eggnog or the Hipp’s special candy cane drink sensation.

Rehearsal
Every year, performers make their seasonal pilgrimage to the Hippodrome for this opportunity to claim responsibility for Gainesville’s Christmas spirit.

Rusty Salling should know. He’s been in “A Christmas Carol” since the first show 34 years ago. He’s used to being in every scene during three-hour rehearsals. So when the end rolls around, he sits contently in the familiar theater.

He explains his love for acting and the joy in returning to a character with an unmatched emotional range. Scotlyn Silvey, a child performer, says silliness is part of the process. “They say really random things like ‘hamburger’ after they mess up. It’s pretty fun.”

The Guide
Sara Morsey is an actor, not a director. But once a year, she acts like the director. She has directed “A Christmas Carol” at the Hippodrome nine times. She started as the Ghost of Christmas Past, then she directed herself, and then she let go of performing completely. “I don’t know how,” she says. “I guess I allowed it to happen because I love the story.”

Actor Gregg Jones says this attachment makes her one of the best directors the production has ever had. “It’s obvious when somebody is in love,” he says. “It makes the difference. “And she tolerates our jokes.”

The Regulars
Rusty Salling refuses to admit that his “Bah Humbug!” has gotten longer over the years. “Its length varies on the performance. It’s exactly as long as my breath can hold out.”

You can’t argue with the authority. After 34 years, Rusty is “A Christmas Carol.” His last 21 seasons have been spent as crotchety gentleman Ebenezer Scrooge. “You get to go from being the biggest... I have to pick carefully. I want to use certain words, but I was raised too well. So, you go from being the biggest jerk to being the most wonderful, happiest person in the world.”

Gregg, who plays 15-year-old Jacob Marley, says with today’s economy, Scrooge’s redemption is more relevant than ever. “This is such a long and deep tradition in the community,” he says. “People play Tiny Tim and then bring their kids to see it. It’s a statement for art.”

The cast takes the show seriously. Even their pranks are fine-tuned. Gregg has a fart machine with 12 flatulence variations. The men plant it in different locations, punking newcomers. “We’re in the dressing room, imitating those sounds,” Gregg says. “Frankly, we’re proud of it.”

The Support
Cameron Francis has had more than one “wife” during his six-year tenure as Robert Cratchit. For the second year, Candace Clift is playing Mrs. Cratchit.

“It’s like coming home,” Cameron says. “It always puts me in the mood for Christmas.”

For Candace, it’s about the kids. With no children of her own, she lives vicariously through her character. There are 30 children in the show, total, but the show uses four separate casts of kids to minimize school absences. The surrogate parents valiantly try to remember names. Cameron says, “Today I was like, ‘Come here, Tiny Tim kid. You.’” As a magician, Cameron just traveled to the United Kingdon, picking up a new dialect, as he tends to do every year. Backstage he amuses the children with coin and card tricks.

“The ideal, happy Christmas that everyone wants?,” Candace tells us, “We get to have it nine shows a week.”

The Kids
Tynen Demanuel-Thue and Scotlyn Silvey, both 10, are not sisters, but they might as well be. For the past two years, they have spent the holidays zigzagging through the theater’s steep staircases with 30 others. “It feels like one big family,” Scotlyn says, hugging Tynen close. “We love each other.” Tynen says the show puts her in a great mood. “It makes me feel official,” she says, flipping her hair. “Like I’m an actor.’”

The Newbie
Jovan Gauthier is living the dream. Since graduating from Buchholtz High, he has had his sights set on the Hippodrome. Playing Fred and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is his chance. “I’m overwhelmed,” he tells us.

Although he still feels like an outsider in the tight-knit professional cast, he’s been having a great time. If anything, the intimidation helps him play Fred, Scrooge’s overly optimistic foil. Jovian almost wishes he could be as high-spirited about everything, including the holiday season. “I like Christmas, but it’s exhausting.”

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Comments (1)

• |2012-04-30 04:32:40 Anonymous  - Passion
  What is clear after reading this article is the people behind the Hipp do what they do because they feel passionate. It's always inspiring to see people work for something because they truely believe in it.
  
  Cheers for the inspiring article!

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