Grease director says productions should be fun
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Grease director Shannon Pickard, who also plays Danny Zuko in the production, does the number You're the One That I Want with wife Amanda Pickard, who plays Sandy Dumbrowski.

The best way to guarantee success in a community theater production is to actually be less than professional.

At least that's the opinion being expressed by Grease director Shannon Pickard, who also has the role of Danny Zuko in the latest stage production at the Plaza Theatre.

This is Pickard's first time directing a production and his third appearance in the Plaza production.

"But I am an actor by trade as well as a stand-up comic so I have some experience," he said.

"For community theater like this, you want to try and let the actors have fun and do what they want to do as long as it fits the overall production. One of the biggest challenges is getting things to look right while still having fun."

Pickard places an emphasis on having fun in part to encourage people to audition for roles in future productions. It's the one incentive he can offer people.

Staff photo by Barry Halvorson Using today's technology to make the 1950's come alive, Shannon Pickard gets miked up for a performance of Grease. In addition to the role of Danny Zuko in the musical, Pickard is also the director of the play, which is currently running at the Plaza Theatre in Wharton. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. For tickets, call 282-2970 or visit whartonplazatheatre.org.

"When they are paying you, the director has the last word," he said. "You might not like something or think it can be done better but the bottom line is, in the professional world, you just have to suck it up."

In preparing for both his role as director and for his part on stage, Pickard said that he and his wife flew to New York three months ago to see the latest incarnation of the musical, which is based on high school life at a high school in the 1950s.

"Actually, in the new production they've set it up kind of like an American Idol competition," he said. "And I did bring back some ideas from New York. But we are still doing something that will more resemble the movie than the play. But we have made some changes to the opening and rewritten some things to give it a little more of a contemporary feel."

As director, Pickard had a hand in casting the parts which in this case meant casting adults in the role of teenagers even though there will be a lot of teens in the play.

"Most of the chorus is made up of teens and they've actually been a big help," he said. "It gives the adults an opportunity to see how they act so they've been great.

"All the speaking cast is older but that's only because they have more experience."

Pickard said he was approached about directing in Wharton after the close of the first play he was in here, To Kill a Mockingbird. He said accepting the offer was an easy decision for him while avoiding the cliché of saying "I always wanted to direct."

"I'm doing it primarily because I thought it would be fun and it has," he said. "But it is also an opportunity to improve my skills on the stage and keep sharp. Breaking down a script, going over the technical side of a production like the lighting and working with other people on their acting skills all offer something I can take away from this and apply to my own career. After this experience, I'll be a better actor.

And while he's listed as the director, Pickard is quick to share the credit with others for the quality of the performance.

"I've had tons of help in getting things prepared," he said.

"Actually, we've really got five directors on this production. I have an assistant and then there is one for the music, choreography and the chorus.

Freeing Pickard up from having to design the dance sequence is choreographer Sarah Wilkins, who is also understudying several parts as well as having a small role.

"I like it because this production demands lots of energy from the cast and chorus," she said. "But because we are limited in rehearsal times, I tried to put together dances that aren't as complicated but have a lot of pizzazz. The biggest thing is stress the more the cast stays together the more polished something looks. Even the simple steps can look great if everyone's together."

And while more people makes it more difficult to keep everyone on the same page, Wilkins said the group dances are the most fun for her.

"The numbers I like best are those involving the entire cast," she said. "Those are a lot of fun to put together and I think the most fun for the cast because it does get everyone involved.

For those who missed the opening weekend performances, you still have plenty of opportunities to catch it for the first time, or a second if you're so inclined. Performances run Friday through Sunday through Feb. 24, at the Plaza Theatre on the Square in Wharton. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $13 for seniors 65 and older, students 24 and younger, or groups of 10 or more. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

For tickets, call 282-2970 or visit whartonplazatheatre.org.