Theatre Albany official offers behind-the-scenes glimpse

ALBANY — For every Theatre Albany production, hundreds of area residents turn out for the performances that some have described as comparable to anything you might see on Broadway. But as the audiences come, enjoy the shows, and then head back home, they may well be unaware of the before and after details involved in the regular displays of local theatrical and musical talent.

Speaking to the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on Monday, Theatre Albany Co-stage Manager Jim LeVaughn provided a glimpse into the activities surrounding each production, using its most recent play, “Beauty and the Beast,” as a primary example.

“Not many people really understand what goes on behind the scenes as far as a production, how much it costs, what is required,” LeVaughn said. “’Beauty and the Beast’ was one of our biggest successes. The show before that was ‘The Addams Family,’ which was equally a big success for us.”

“Beauty and the Beast” grossed $30,000 for the theater, according to LeVaughn, but expenses ran around $15,000, leaving a net income of $15,000. Of the $15,000 in expenditures, $5,300 went to purchase of the royalties and scripts from the Disney Company, which owns the rights to the play. Another $3,500 had to be spent on the “very specific” costumes, which came from a shop in Griffin.

“A lot of times, we get costumes here in Albany,” LeVaughn said. “But we do go outside to different places (if needed). Costumes for ‘The Addams Family’ came from a costume shop in Chicago.”

Additionally, the costumes must be returned by a deadline, and if that deadline is missed there are penalties, LeVaughn added. The costumes must be returned in the same boxes in which they were delivered, and if a piece is missing, there is a surcharge for that.

That very nearly happened with “The Addams Family,” said LeVaughn.

“There was one particular piece; we couldn’t find it, we looked and looked and looked and finally found it, just made the deadline to get the costumes back,” he told club members.

A lot of time goes into rehearsals, the stage manager said. Rehearsals for “Beauty and the Beast,” with its cast of 32, started at the end of July for the show, which opened on Sept. 22.

For “Beauty and the Beast,” the theater put on eight performances, departing from its usual schedule to add a Saturday matinee, which was “very successful,” said LeVaughn. In fact, “Beauty” sold out four performances and came close to sellouts with the other four. For all eight performances, a total of 2,400 tickets were sold.

LeVaughn described a number of physical improvements to the theatre building on Pine Avenue, completed by contractor Randy Henry, who also serves on the theater board. These include a front column replacement, exterior painting, and a new concrete wheelchair ramp. Another addition is a sound board, which is expected to improve overall sound quality in the theater.

Other than the roof, LeVaughn said, “One of the biggest things Randy did, we have a new air-conditioning unit” – news that received a round of applause from the civic group. “That’s good news for everyone. If you attended ‘The Addams Family,’ that was back in late May or June this year, it was very hot in the theater. I work backstage, and believe me, if it’s hot in the (auditorium) it is much more hot backstage where we are. So we are really pleased to have the new air conditioning. It has been installed and is operational.”

LeVaughn outlined upcoming shows during his presentation. Auditions have already been held for the next production, “The Happy Elf,” a play written by Harry Connick Jr., coming in December, with rehearsals starting Oct. 29. Slated to round out the season in 2018 are “Dancing Lessons,” “Rumors” and a musical version of “Legally Blonde,” which theater officials said they think will be very popular, especially with teenagers.

“’The Happy Elf’ is geared toward children,” said LeVaughn, “so I encourage you to think about bringing your children. It’s a good, kind of inspirational story for children.”

Kiwanian Bob Roseen complimented the quality of Theatre Albany’s productions, saying, “Some of the stuff we’ve been seeing compares to Broadway-type entertainment. Really top notch.”