{"id":124239,"date":"2022-05-05T09:22:45","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T13:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=124239"},"modified":"2022-09-29T11:18:37","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T15:18:37","slug":"back-to-broadway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2022\/05\/05\/back-to-broadway\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to Broadway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Tony Award-winning producer Joey Monda \u201912 sits in Wright State\u2019s Festival Playhouse after speaking with students.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the opening scene of the longstanding, beloved Broadway musical Wicked<\/i>, the character Glinda floats in on a giant bubble and says, \u201cIt\u2019s good to see me, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

On the night of September 14, 2021, that iconic line took on a whole new meaning as Wicked<\/i> resumed performances on Broadway after an 18-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Naomi Reisner \u201918, who works as a hairdresser on Wicked<\/i>, was backstage for the historic moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the crowd stopped cheering for about five minutes,\u201d Reisner recalled. \u201cPeople were just absolutely ecstatic to be back. They were crying and just loving the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Wright State University alumni working in the Broadway community, the return of audiences to New York City\u2019s theatres was more than just a welcome sight. It was the much-needed light at the end of a long, dark tunnel of pandemic despair. As the house lights went down and the curtain rose, life seemed normal again, if only for a few brief hours.<\/p>\n

Broadway was back. The show goes on.<\/p>\n

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Alexis \u201cTilly\u201d Evans-Krueger \u201914 is a swing in “Moulin Rouge.” (Photo Credit: Ab Sesay)<\/p><\/div>\n

When the world shut down<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

In March 2020, Alexis \u201cTilly\u201d Evans-Krueger \u201914 was about to make her Broadway debut. As a vacation swing in Moulin Rouge<\/i>, she was scheduled to fill in as one of the dancers in the ensemble\u2014until the spread of the coronavirus shuttered theatres and launched lockdowns around the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so excited. It was my first Broadway contract,\u201d she said. \u201cAll of sudden, our jobs were gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

As if facing immediate unemployment wasn\u2019t frightening enough, New York City quickly became the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody will ever be able to truly understand what it\u2019s like to hear the sirens that we heard so regularly in New York in those first couple of months,\u201d said Tony Award-winning producer Joey Monda \u201912.<\/p>\n

Like Monda, Cameron Holsinger \u201904 has remained in New York throughout the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning, we didn\u2019t know what was happening,\u201d said Holsinger, who is the stage manager for Hamilton<\/i>. Like many others working in the Broadway community, Holsinger was initially told the theatres would only be closed for two weeks.<\/p>\n

As weeks turned into months, it became clear to Holsinger and his fellow Wright State alumni that Broadway was not coming back any time soon.<\/p>\n

KJ Hippensteel \u201906 was in rehearsals for the new musical Mrs. Doubtfire<\/i>\u2014for which Monda serves as one of the producers\u2014when he received the news on March 12, 2020, that Broadway would be shutting down.<\/p>\n

Not wanting to be cooped up in an apartment with two young children, Hippensteel and his wife rented a van and drove through the night to his father-in-law\u2019s home in Cleveland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ended up being in Cleveland for a year-and-a-half with our kids,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were lucky to have my father-in-law\u2019s place to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ross Feilhauer \u201903 creates lighting and special effects for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”<\/p><\/div>\n

Reisner also headed to Ohio, where she spent three months with her family in Dayton. Meanwhile, Ross Feilhauer \u201903 headed south to Florida when his work as part of the lighting and special effects crew for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child<\/i> came to a halt.<\/p>\n

Regardless of where they settled geographically, each of them needed to come up with a plan. With live theatre performances on hold indefinitely, where would they find work? How would they feed their passions for creating and performing when the whole world was at a standstill?<\/p>\n

Finding the silver linings <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

As a producer, Monda is used to working on projects for the long haul. It takes countless hours of conversations and years of development before a production makes its way onto a Broadway stage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Monda was able to hunker down and weather the storm better than most of his colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stayed tremendously busy, working throughout it all,\u201d said Monda. \u201cMy own community and support network kept me going. I know there were a lot of people, though, who did not have the same support and same abilities. That\u2019s a luxury and a privilege that\u2019s not lost on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monda knew many people in the arts and culture sector who had to rely on skills they otherwise had not monetized before.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden, performers were teaching Zoom classes and doing more voiceover work,\u201d he said. \u201cI think everybody in our industry had to learn how to pivot.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she would normally be helping cast members get in and out of their wigs during a performance, Reisner found another way to work in her craft. When the barber shops reopened, she returned to New York City to cut hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got back to New York, business was not good. Nobody really wanted to come out and get a haircut,\u201d said Reisner, who earned her cosmetology license at age 17. \u201cPeople were afraid to do anything. The city was really empty.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she wasn\u2019t cutting hair, Reisner relied on other mediums, like drawing or painting, to stay creative. She also collaborated with some of her peers on hair and makeup photo shoots.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one advantage to the pandemic,\u201d she said, \u201cwas time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hippensteel relished the quality time with his family and playing with his two boys in the big backyard of his father-in-law\u2019s home in Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of an amazing year for us and our kids,\u201d said Hippensteel, who built a studio in his father-in-law\u2019s basement where he and his wife, Brooke Jacob, would teach online theatre classes for kids.<\/p>\n

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\u200bNaomi Reisner \u201918 keeps the wigs of “Wicked” in tip-top shape.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was kind of a godsend,\u201d Hippensteel said of his wife\u2019s business, Scamper Theatre Kids. \u201cBecause we\u2019re storytellers, theatre people connect to the kids in a way that a lot of other teachers via Zoom weren\u2019t able to. The whole goal of the classes is to keep kids\u2019 imaginations running wild. Our hope is that they will continue that throughout their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Evans-Krueger, the pandemic provided the rare opportunity to embark on a backpacking trip with a friend during the summer of 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was incredible, such a life-changing experience,\u201d Evans-Krueger said of her journey through the American West. \u201cHad I not had this chance, I don\u2019t know if I would ever take five weeks off. We don\u2019t ever get that.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Evans-Krueger was initially hesitant to join the world of online Zoom classes, she began collaborating with Dance Lab New York as a teacher and choreographer in October 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was overjoyed to be dancing again,\u201d she said. \u201cIt had been so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volunteering at the J.N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island proved to be one of the silver linings of the pandemic for Feilhauer. Along with helping to create educational videos, he purchased a 3D printer for the wildlife refuge. This gave him the opportunity to hone his skills on the technology, while providing a much-needed tool for volunteer projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the pandemic was a breath,\u201d said Feilhauer. \u201cIt was nice to see another side of the world, outside of theatre, and bring my knowledge to other people. I hope that I helped as much as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n

The curtain rises again <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Two weeks before previews for Mrs. Doubtfire<\/i> resumed, Hippensteel and the rest of the cast sang at a press event at Bryant Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty emotional,\u201d he recalled. \u201cSeeing that many people there, excited for theatre\u2014all of us were trying to sing, but crying. Live theatre is one of those things that feels like it was taken from us for a year and a half. For a lot of us, that\u2019s part of our identity. It\u2019s part of who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Evans-Krueger, the return of Moulin Rouge<\/i> was a night she will never forget. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen that energy before,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was unmatched. The audience was just so excited to be back in the theatre. Everything in Moulin Rouge<\/i>\u2014the words, the script\u2014just hit so much harder than it ever had before.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the age of COVID, putting a show on every night is no easy feat. The strictest health and safety protocols must be followed. Masks are worn at rehearsals and everywhere backstage. Performers don masks as soon as they exit the stage. COVID testing is done two or three times a week. Everyone\u2014cast and crew\u2014is required to be vaccinated. The audience must be masked and vaccinated as well.<\/p>\n

For those in the Broadway community, COVID safety measures are a small price to pay to resume doing the work that they love.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great community. That\u2019s what I missed about it the most,\u201d said Feilhauer. \u201cWe\u2019re a family, all here to help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holsinger\u2019s time away from Hamilton<\/i> gave him a new appreciation for the business.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to concentrate on the things that annoy you or the things that are difficult. But when it\u2019s taken away\u2014just like that\u2014you realize that you weren\u2019t paying attention to the right things before,\u201d he explained. \u201cFor now, I\u2019m enjoying my renewed interest in what I am doing and trying to do it as best as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

KJ Hippensteel \u201906 waits in the wings as the understudy for the lead character of Daniel Hillard in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” (Photo Credit: Travis Waldschmidt)<\/p><\/div>\n

Monda, meanwhile, is focused on bringing the world of Broadway to a much larger audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to expand our Broadway shows and our passion for theatre and the arts beyond the people in the four walls of our theatre,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is a huge audience out there that is physically, geographically, or economically prohibited from ever seeing our work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monda\u2019s production company previously brought Allegiance<\/i>, Bandstand<\/i>, and Kinky Boots<\/i> from the stage to the screen. From Hamilton<\/i> on Disney+ to Come From Away<\/i> on Apple TV+, Monda was pleased to see more Broadway productions come to life in people\u2019s homes during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope that theatre and arts institutions remember that you can\u2019t forget about all of the audiences you were engaging with during a COVID world. We have to continue to create content and get stories out to them,\u201d said Monda, who capped off 2021 with his second Tony Award, when The Inheritance<\/i> was honored as Best Play.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Monda will continue to work on filling the seats on Broadway.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to take some time,\u201d he said, \u201cbut Broadway will be back, stronger than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was originally published in the spring 2022 issue of the Wright State Magazine. Find more stories at <\/i>wright.edu\/alumnimag<\/i><\/span><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wright State alumni talk about the pandemic, how it has impacted Broadway, and how shows are finally reopening. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":124300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,733,4309,2037,4859,725,747,4827,715],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-alumni-association","category-arts-scene","category-fine-and-performing-arts","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-magazine","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124239"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124357,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124239\/revisions\/124357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}