In our exploration of different theatrical models, we knew it was important to take a look at the structure of the traditional summerstock theatre. Thus, on our way through Kansas, it made perfect sense for us to make a stop at Music Theatre of Wichita, one of the best theatres of its kind. We had a great meeting with producing artistic director, Wayne Bryan, who gave us a full tour of their incredible space, as well as invaluable insight into how they succeed at producing five shows with overlapping rehearsal schedules summer after summer. The theatre is a well-oiled machine in the churning out of successful quality productions that employ close to 200 technical staff over the summer and about 10 salaried employees year-round...a pretty incredible feat! Another thing that Music Theatre of Wichita prides itself on is its apprentice program, which provides the opportunity for young people in the region to take a first step into the world of professional theatre. Many alumni go on to have hugely successful careers in the field that may not have been possible without such an opportunity.
MTW, however, is not without it's challenges. The summerstock formula creates an inability to take risks in programming because of the short show runs. Longer runs provide lesser-known shows or new works with the opportunity to spread and sell through word of mouth. The challenge for summerstock then becomes to produce old classics in a fresh way. MTW is doing an exceptional job of that. We had an incredible time discussing the future of musical theatre with Wayne. It is so exciting to discuss new ways of engaging young people and communities with this powerful art form. We all agreed that the years ahead will be a very vibrant time for the creation and production of musicals.
Many thanks to Wayne for sharing his wonderful work and passion for musical theatre with us!
Many thanks to Wayne for sharing his wonderful work and passion for musical theatre with us!
This is a photo from our tour of the facilities! Musical Theatre Wichita can paint very large back drops in their paint shop. So cool!
After our lovely meeting with Wayne, we headed to see Amy Baker Schweitahle who will be choreographing Music Theatre of Witchita's performance of Gypsy this summer. She is also the Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at Wichita State University. And to top it off, Amy danced together with our Amy on The First National Tour of 42nd Street in 2003-2004.
It was wonderful to meet up with Amy and her AWESOME husband Nate. We had the most amazing time visiting with this incredible couple.
We were also happy to have another 42nd Street reunion when Tom Frye suprised Randi at Amy's home. Tom is a native of Wichita, an actor, and a theatre professor. Randi and Tom played Anytime Annie and Bert Barry on the 42nd Street tour!
After the most perfect evening, we returned to our RV camp to get ready for our meetings at Wichita State University in the morning. We are very excited to speak to the theatre faculty as well as Amy's students. It was another best day ever on Project Knowledge. We are learning so much!
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