Child Wrangler Felicia Velasco is the guardian for a show's young cast members while they're at the theatre for performances and rehearsals.  As a combined authority figure and assistant, she ensures the child actors are prepared, are kept safe, and helps to manage their downtime. Seen here working with the girls at "The People in the Picture", she compares it to previous wrangling assignments, and finds the upsides to a career as a child wrangler.

Child Wrangler - June, 2011

Associate Lighting Designer Caroline Chao takes care of all the details for a lighting designer, including handling the production schedule, helping to draft the lighting plot, and keeping track of notes, follow spots, and the cue list.  She takes us through her role in the production process, and points out the advantages of being a lighting associate and assistant. Chao has worked on multiple shows at once with lighting designer Don Holder, and is seen here teching "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark".

Associate Lighting Designer - May, 2011

Theatrical Sculptor Nino Novellino specializes in creating sculpture and costume armor for theatre, ballet, opera, and film. Costume armor was first developed for the original production of "Man of La Mancha". Novellino talks about his work on the set of "Cats", "Sunset Boulevard", and the Green Goblin costume in "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark".  From the sculpting shop, he explains the different processes used to recreate items in plastic for use onstage.

Theatrical Sculptor - April, 2011

Special Effects Designer Gregory Meeh uses a vast array of technologies to build illusions for live stage productions. He has created pyrotechnic explosions and atmospheric effects such as rain, fire, and fog for "Spamalot", "Women on the Verge", and "110 in the Shade" on Broadway. A special effect event like "The Phantom of the Opera" chandelier is comprised of many elements. Seen here are "Treasure Island"'s simple yet creative effects, as well as Meeh's expertise with firearms ("Les Miserables", "Miss Saigon").

Special Effects Designer - April, 2011

Director of Community Engagement Anita Maynard-Losh leads all education and outreach programs at Arena Stage in Washington D.C.  Her extensive background in arts education began with acting, directing, then teaching at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and throughout Alaska.  As director, her job is not only administrative and hands-on education, it's an important part of Arena's artistic strategy and mission to enrich their community through theatre.  Voices of Now and the DC Ticket Partnership are two of Arena Stage's programs that add to students' arts education.

Director of Community Engagement - April, 2011

Costume Shop Manager Carol Hammond works closely with the costume designer, and deals with all of the logistics of costuming.  She oversees costumes being shopped and built, fittings, budgeting, and hiring and managing an extensive staff. At Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, Hammond and her core staff work on multiple shows at once during their annual season of ten productions.  Hammond gives a tour of the Alliance Theatre's costume shop, craftshop, wardrobe, wig area, and storage.

Costume Shop Manager - March, 2011

Technical Director Mike Cristaldi supervises the installation and engineering of the physical production of a show.  At Philadelphia Theatre Company, he coordinates all the technical elements, such as scenery, lighting, sound, wardrobe, props, and video, between each of PTC's departments and a show's designers.  He talks about how the new Suzanne Roberts Theatre space increases PTC's technical capabilities, and how it has broadened his role as well.

Technical Director - March, 2011

Theatrical Milliner Lynne Mackey makes customized hats for stage productions.  Theatrical hats are created for a specific show, character, and costume design, fitted for each individual actor including their wig and microphone pack.  Mackey must make adjustments for the needs of the sound designer, lighting designer, and choreographer to not impede their work.  Seen here are dozens of hats, including large handmade ones from Mackey's favorite show "The Color Purple".

Theatrical Milliner - February, 2011

Prop Manager Desiree Maurer scouts for props, as one of her many responsibilities in furnishing and filling a play's set.  At Playwrights Horizons, Maurer manages the timeline prior to rehearsals, working with a show's designers, formulating a budget, shopping for props, ordering materials, reupholstering furniture and repurposing items.

Prop Manager - January, 2011

Musical Director Carmel Dean is responsible for many different aspects in a musical production, from collaborating with the director to overseeing music rehearsals and conducting performances.  Dean traces her theater career from performing in high school musicals in Australia with Heath Ledger, to attending NYU where she met adjunct faculty/composer William Finn, and went on to work with him on "Elegies" and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee".  For "American Idiot", she's worked closely with music supervisor/arranger/orchestrator Tom Kitt, and is seen here running daily vocal rehearsals and in performance conducting the onstage band.

Musical Director - September, 2010

Focusing on the people who are almost never in the news but who are essential to the making of the shows we all see and love, In The Wings explores the talents and stories behind the scenes, from the costume and scenic shops to the rehearsal room to the stage itself, with designers, artisans and craftspeople explaining their unique contributions to theatrical art in their own words. These short videos shine the spotlight on disciplines you may not even realize are a part of theatrical production and celebrate the full diversity of talent that contribute to bringing a show to the stage.

Model Builder Steven Kemp explains how a model is the main communication tool in visualizing and building a show's set. Kemp works with scenic designer David Gallo in turning his design sketches into perfectly scaled models. Kemp highlights the advantages of a physical three-dimensional model as well as a digital model easily viewed by computer.

Model Builder - October, 2010

Fight director Rick Sordelet creates the action in "Superior Donuts" that is an integral part of the storytelling;  demonstrates the visual and audible illusions of onstage fighting; breaks down the sword fighting staging in "The Royal Family"; and explains the purpose of a fight-call and the importance of safety.

Fight Director - December, 2009

Sound Engineer Carin Ford ensures the sound design of a production is transparent to audiences while effecting the mood and feel of a show.  Ford traces her career from her early interest in music, to meeting and working with Lily Tomlin, to numerous Broadway productions.  Ford explains how mixing a new show requires observing rehearsals before adjustments can be made during run-throughs, incorporating notes from the director, designers, and music team.  Ford walks us through her daily routine at "La Cage Aux Folles" to check the sound system, so she is prepared for any problems that may arise.

Sound Engineer - October, 2010

Theatrical Wig Maker Paul Huntley explains the multitude of advantages of using wigs on stage; how he started his career in theatre; his preference for a natural look; working on the long-running musical "Cats"; and his ability to be a prolific designer.  Huntley demonstrates tying hair to create a new wig; and shows how a wig helps transform an actor into character.

Wig Maker - July, 2010

Dramaturg Anne Cattaneo explains her primary responsibilities, and likens her job to an acquisitions editor in a publishing house. Cattaneo has developed an extensive knowledge of languages, culture, and theatre history.  In-depth research is often required for productions with complex timelines such as "The Coast of Utopia" trilogy.  The current production of "The Grand Manner" seen here utilized historical documents found at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Dramaturg - June, 2010

Make Up Designer Angelina Avallone outlines her design process; the research that goes into a design; how desinging the "no-make up" look can be much more of a challenge than chaacter make up - we see some of her designs from "Rock of Ages", "Little Mermaid" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", as well as her work with actors Constantine Maroulis and James Carpinello from "Rock of Ages" and Rogelio Douglas, Jr. from "Little Mermaid".

Make Up Designer - November, 2009

Ticket Sales Manager Cinda Barbuto oversees all aspects of ticketing including the box office, group sales, and telemarketing.  She worked her way up from the box office at Goodspeed Musicals where she now programs the computerized ticketing system which handles individual tickets as well as 14,000 subscriptions. Barbuto cultivates audiences of repeat visitors by personally greeting patrons, which assists Goodspeed in being a destination theatre in New England.

Ticket Sales Manager - December, 2010

Theatrical Shoe Designer Phil LaDuca worked as a Broadway dancer, choreographer and dance teacher before creating LaDuca dance shoes.  He has created character shoes with the needed flexibility to be danceable, as well as the support and security for singers and actors.  He works with costume designers, and handles the process from sketches through manufacturing in Italy to the finished products that end up on Broadway, national tours, and films.  LaDuca shows how customized shoes are created for actresses such as Kristin Chenoweth in "Promises, Promises" and Bebe Neuwirth in "The Addams Family".

Shoe Designer - September, 2010

Greg Graham, Dance Captain of "Billy Elliot", talks about the ongoing task of maintaining the choreography of the show; how one becomes a dance captain; the mix of civilian movement and tradition dance styles in this production. He is seen here teaching a tricky tap routine to new cast member David Hibbard.

Dance Captain - November, 2009

Cast Album Producer Kurt Deutsch, co-founder of Sh-K-Boom Records, preserves musical theatre history by overseeing entire production of cast recordings, including hiring the engineer, directing the cast in day-long studio sessions, and giving the composer the final word.  Each recording has a unique vibe, as seen here in the fusion of music styles for "In The Heights". Deutsch also describes how he captured the live, organic feel of "Hair" and the sense of community amongst the cast tribe.

Cast Album Producer - December, 2010

ATW - In The Wings

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