In my many years of theatre, I was seldom a part of the backstage crew- preferring the limelight and the joy of entertaining. I rarely gave a thought to who was behind the beautiful sets I acted in, the lights that lit my character or the silent army backstage that handled the props, changed the scenery or dressed me up.
It wasn’t until I started directing over the last 20 years that I learned to appreciate those behind the scenes that never took a bow for their hard work and dedication but were absolutely essential to the success of the production.
Much like a ship on the sea-the crew is what keeps the boat afloat and moving forward. The director may have the wheel-but he can’t make the engines run, or trim the sails or secure provisions for the passengers.
I want to take this opportunity to tell you about some of my crew members on this boat “While the Lights Were Out”.
The Ship Builders are the ones who build the set for every production. My crew consisted of Ken Snow-Master Ship Builder, Bill Cowham-Carpenter, and new to the crew Will Bandla-Deck Hand.
Will has been on the Players’ stage for 15 years and recently lent his handyman skills to the ship builders. He is a gamer in his free time and aspires to be a Creative Arts Therapist having graduated with a BA in theatre arts and a minor in Psychiatry.
The Props person is the Quartermaster. They provide everything for the set and whatever the actors carry on to the set. My Quartermaster is Adele Anesko Cronk and she has been outstanding in her set decoration and creating special props like the Gauguin paintings and the dagger you will see in the show. She has a long history with the Players both on stage and backstage.
The Chief Engineer is the lighting and technical director, making sure all things mechanical and electrical are working properly. My Chief Engineer is William Edward White.
Bill is in his 27th season in community theatre. His first show with the Players was in 1999. For the last three seasons he has acted, directed or been the technical director in nearly every production. In his spare time he builds and repairs musical instruments.
I am thrilled to have Bill has my Chief Engineer and as my mentor in learning how to run the “engines” for this production.
The costumier is the Boatswains’ Mate. They are in charge of repairing and maintaining the sails-making adjustments to the sails while the ship is in motion-and making sure the rigging and other sailing equipment is in good repair and looking its best. The costumier for the Players for the past 20 years has been Marie Cuyler Sterphone.
Marie works tirelessly for every production creating beautiful costumes for the actors and maintaining a very full costume room. She enjoys reading and needle craft in her spare time and is the mother of Desiree Martin who plays Bibi Cavendish in the show.
The stage director is the First Mate of the ship. Second in line to the captain and in charge of all the crewmates as well as the passengers-seeing to their needs and making sure they are where they’re supposed to be. My First Mate is my husband, Nelson Metz.
He is crucial to the smooth operation of the ship belowdecks allowing the Captain to concentrate on navigating the ship abovedeck. He is also my First Mate at home and our ship has been sailing smoothly for 25 years. He is retired and enjoys teaching Yoga, playing Scrabble, and maintaining our home and property. He has been seen many times on the Player’s stage-most recently in last year’s production of “Night Must Fall”.
There are several other crew mates who swab the decks, take the passengers tickets, provide food and drink, schedule the cruises and advertise that schedule to the public so our ship is always full.
My unending gratitude from your Captain to all the crew and may this ship sail another 86 years!