Scenic designer David Utley deserves the highest praise for his visionary imagination and also for his mechanical expertise, for the set also is near perfect technically, as each major scene change is executed smoothly in minimal timing
Being the stage manager for the homecoming musical was something I wanted to do since I was a freshman at ACU. When I was a senior I knew that’s what I had to do. I applied to be the SM for All Shook Up fairly early, as soon as the show was announced, and I was told about it right before the summer started. So I had all summer to get excited for my role. Actors aren’t the only people who get the leads – this was my lead. The homecoming musical is a big deal at ACU. Over 60 people work on the show for three months. And then fifty students are backstage as the cast and crew of the show. Managing all of them was exciting and mainly a fulfilling experience. Working with the whole department is one of my favorite things to do at ACU.
For this show I was not only the stage manager, but I was the props mistress too. Needless to say I was very involved in every aspect and worked very closely with the director and designers every day. Pulling the props was fairly easy, and I got to do a lot of set dressing on my own. It was nice to be trusted with such a large responsibility. The designer, David Utley, and technical director, Gary Varner, let me dress the bar where some of the scenes took place. The bar shelves and tables had all sorts of flair, and going and just doing it made my job fun and less restricting.
For this show leading man, Chad, rides into the town on his motorcycle, so the script calls for. Another time, Natalie, the leading lady, rides in on a motorcycle as well to impress Chad. And then at the end they ride out together in marital bliss… Well, we didn’t want to fake it, so we didn’t. The two leads, Jonathan Bragg and Jenavene Hester had to learn how to ride motorcycles for this show. The school paid for their lessons, and in two easy sessions they were to come back knowing how to ride. I asked the director during their lesson, “What if they don’t pass…?” he simply replied, “let’s just pray that they do.” You can guess the outcome.
Alum, David Utley, ( ’99) was asked to come back and design our set for our Homecoming musical. Previously we rented our set for the large scale show, but for Aida we did it ourselves, and worked out for better, so we wanted to go that route again. He accepted, and we worked with someone who knew the ropes of our department. He got his M.F.A. at University of Texas and shared stories with us about grad school, the jobs he’s had on Broadway, and the different theatres he’s worked at around the country. He even designed a show that Jason Alexander was directing. It was actually kind of inspiring working with an alum who has done so much in the real world and to instill some confidence in us for when we graduate. For me anyway…
Scenic designer David Utley deserves the highest praise for his visionary imagination and also for his mechanical expertise, for the set also is near perfect technically, as each major scene change is executed smoothly in minimal timing