DCPA NEWS CENTER
Enjoy the best stories and perspectives from the theatre world today.
Enjoy the best stories and perspectives from the theatre world today.
Back to the Future: The Musical tours The Buell Theatre January 22 through February 9, and it’s a homecoming for Jack Stephens who grew up in Aurora. So DCPA asked this theatre-kid-turned-Broadway-Company-Manager what a typical day on the road is like and learned that it’s anything but typical.
DCPA: Welcome home! Growing up in Aurora and seeing shows at The Buell, what was your first show, most memorable show, and the show that made you want to go into this business?
JACK STEPHENS (JS): The first show I saw at the Buell was The Phantom of the Opera, when the Buell first opened back in the early 1990s. It was most definitely the show that ignited my interest in going into the business. I have had many memorable experiences there, and some of the shows that I saw there I have even been fortunate enough to work on (for example, Miss Saigon). It is especially fun to come to the Buell on tour with a show that I saw in the very same place when I was younger.
DCPA: Speaking of business, a Company Manager is often HR, Accounting, Travel Agent… What is your favorite thing about being a Company Manager and the thing you wish people knew about the job?
JS: Being a Company Manager is interesting because you have some involvement with every aspect of the show. You interact with the stage managers, the crew, the actors, the producers, the press agents, and the presenters in each venue on the tour. This keeps things very interesting and varied. My favorite thing about being a touring Company Manager is going to so many different cities and exploring what they have to offer, and also seeing the energy of the audiences as we bring this event to their cities.
DCPA: Imagine you take the time machine to Jan 22, 2025, opening night in Denver. Describe what your day will look like.
JS: We will have made the long trip from San Diego, CA to Denver. The crew will spend two days loading-in the show from our 12 trucks, working almost right up until the time the curtain goes up. The cast will come in and do a sound check a couple of hours before showtime. For my part, I will come in and get familiar with the theater and reintroduce myself to the Buell staff, and much of the work I will be doing will actually pertain to upcoming cities in our future, always staying ahead and getting prepared as the tour moves along.
DCPA: Same concept but make it Feb 9. What does the closing day look like?
JS: We’re used to two-show days now, and they’re down to a science for us. Between shows, everyone will enjoy their final bits of daylight in Denver, having dinner at nearby restaurants – and then after the show, the crew begins a 12-13 hour load-out, onto the trucks to head right back to California – this time, San Francisco. It will be a long day, and I am sure we’ll all be sad to leave – I know I sure will be!
DCPA: Favorite song/album from 1955 and 1985?
JS: I always enjoyed the song “Earth Angel,” which we have in the show! I think my liking of that 50’s sound was sparked by watching the film Back to the Future. As for songs from 1985, the 80s was a great decade for pop music and that’s obvious by seeing how popular it still is today. I do love Huey Lewis and the News, and it’s a lot of fun to hear a few of their hits every night!
DCPA: Why you think people and businesses should support the arts and/or theatre education… anything you want people to know about what your experience has meant to you being from Colorado and supporting places like the DCPA.
JS: I was fortunate to see many shows at the Buell in my youth, which paired well with the theatre classes I took at Eaglecrest High School. The teachers there, like Jennifer Condreay and Kerry Ross, were really great about giving students opportunities to get involved in all the facets of our school plays and musicals. Without those chances, who knows if I would have gotten involved in the world of theatre at all? And there are so many roles within the theatre business too – actors, crew, designers, managers like me, and so many more. I can tell you, now that I have seen nearly every single performing arts center in the US and Canada, the DCPA stands out among them as a world-class facility. John [Ekeberg, Executive Director of DCPA Broadway] and the whole team are really great at bringing in world-class productions and because Denver had this excellent place for theatre and because my educational experience was as rich as it was, I found myself where I am today. There are many other people from my school with similar stories to tell (like Gregory Treco and Andy Kelso and Jim Becker and Rachel Rincione and Julia Tobey and the list goes on). It goes to show you that supporting these efforts is really a great thing to do!
DETAILS
Back to the Future: The Musical
Jan 22 – Feb 9, 2025 • Buell Theatre
Tickets