THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Chooses Cleveland

Cleveland – more specifically, Playhouse Square in Cleveland – is well-known on the Broadway tour circuit.  With grand theaters, cooperative and encouraging staff, outstanding and far-reaching Cleveland audiences, Playhouse Square is a favorite destination of management, casts and crews of all the top shows.

Cleveland is so well-regarded that this season’s KeyBank Broadway Series opener, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, chose Playhouse Square to rehearse and “tech” the show for four weeks in preparation for its tour.  (“Teching,” or technical rehearsal, refers to the process of rehearsing all of the technical aspects of a show – lighting changes, sound cues, set movements, special effects – to diagnose and correct any potential problems before actual performances begin.) Everything that audiences on the tour will see was, essentially, put together right here at Playhouse Square.

Why?  Good question.  And to get the answers, I went to two different people for as much information as possible: the production stage manager (PSM) of the touring show, and the Vice President of Theatricals for Playhouse Square.

Eric Sprosty – Production Stage Manager of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

The PSM plays an essential role, organizing the production, keeping everything flowing smoothly, acting as the communications hub for the cast and crew and maintaining the “bible” or prompt book.  This book contains all cues, technical notes, blocking and other information pertinent to the show and is used by the PSM to call cues during the actual performances.  During rehearsals, the PSM is responsible for helping to set the schedule and ensure that rehearsals run on time.  The PSM is also responsible for seeing that the director’s vision is carried out when he or she is no longer attending the show and giving notes.

In short, Eric Sprosty is one busy man!

He explained that preparation for THE DROWSY CHAPERONE tour began in New York, with new cast members being chosen, new or alternate stagings of certain numbers being developed and rehearsed and all the incidentals being worked through before the production moved to Cleveland.

“We have a fantastic relationship with Playhouse Square,” Sprosty said, “and the management there was wonderful in giving us the space, the time, and the professionalism needed for such a fantastic venture in Broadway musicals.”  He pointed out that the skill and talent of the local musicians and stage hands was key in making the four weeks of preparation in Cleveland successful. 

The entire touring show was configured right here in the Palace Theatre.  So when THE DROWSY CHAPERONE rolls into the next city on the tour, the crew will unload the trucks knowing exactly where everything goes, exactly how to program the lights and sound board, etc. with only a few adjustments needed.

“The technical crew, head carpenter, production supervisor and all crew heads, along with skilled artists and artisans from all over, but especially from the Cleveland area, started working in Cleveland on August 20th.  Designing, building and loading sets as well as lighting had to be ready by August 30th when the cast and crew members arrived from New York to start rehearsing,” Sprosty noted.

The cast and crew rehearsed here until it was time to leave for Toronto to begin the North American tour. 

As crazy as the process can get, Sprosty remains calm.  “I love what I do! I love the organized chaos, and I truly love touring.  I love seeing to it that nothing changes for the actors, no matter where we are.”

And he has nothing but kudos for the folks and audiences at Playhouse Square: “Management has been a dream in terms of ‘teching’ the show, and I’ve been around enough to know that Cleveland has one of the best audiences you’ll find anywhere!”

Gina Vernaci – Vice-President of Theatricals for Playhouse Square

 When it comes to getting a Broadway hit to Cleveland, Gina Vernaci is the person who makes it happen.  She gets the hottest Broadway shows to come to Cleveland almost the moment a tour of a particular show is planned, and sometimes is instrumental in the tour itself.  She is constantly trying to find time and space for a road show to rehearse here, before it even begins its cross-country tour.

“We have the second-largest performing arts complex in the country, second only to Lincoln Center in New York.  With our eight theaters we can accommodate lots of different types of shows.  And we should!” she explained.

When she discovered that THE DROWSY CHAPERONE would be going into rehearsal this summer in preparation for its tour, she went after it with gusto.  Not only did she want it to be on this season’s schedule, she wanted it to get ready for the entire tour here.

“Oh, yes, I definitely went after them, explaining why they should come to Cleveland to prepare for the tour.  I reminded them of the beautiful theaters here, of the good crews that are hired here, of the genuinely cooperative efforts of so many,” she said.

“I more or less showed them how we had the ability to put our arms around the entire show, the process, and the eventual success of a tour mounted right here.”

After auditions and a few weeks of some general rehearsal in New York, technical crew designers and heads arrived in Cleveland on August 20 to begin their work, followed by cast and creative crew on August 30.  “Crews were hired locally, local musicians began rehearsing; so many people adding to the economy here.”

Vernaci is both quick and proud to point out that four professional theater activities were going on at pretty much the same time in August.  “When you think that Disney’s The Lion King was performing at the State, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE was loading into and rehearsing at the Palace, Forbidden Broadway: SVU was rehearsing at the Hanna, and We Gotta Bingo was auditioning and starting rehearsals at the 14th Street Theatre, you’re saying quite a bit about what we have the ability to offer, not to mention what that means to the community and the economy.”

“Not only that,” she added, “I have seen the successful working relationships that have evolved with local artists and technicians and those people who come to town with a show.  It develops over a period of time into a mutual respect and a mutual desire to work together again and again.”

Speaking of coming to town again, Vernaci was happy to point out that one of the cast members of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is Cleveland native Cliff Bemis, who plays the famous 1920s Broadway producer Mr. Feldzieg in the show.  “Coming to Playhouse Square is truly a homecoming for Cliff.  In fact, I refer to him as a ‘from Brel to Broadway’ success story.”

Bemis was in the cast of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, which was part of the grassroots efforts to save the Playhouse Square theaters destined for demolition in the early 1970s.  Scheduled to run for three weeks, the show instead ran for two years in the lobby of the State Theatre.  It was the success of this show that led to the beginning of the multi-million dollar restoration process that resulted in the Playhouse Square of today.

“And what’s more, our partnership with ideastream enables us to offer a show’s producers something that no other city can,” she concluded.  “While here to oversee rehearsals, Bob Martin participated in our unique program, ‘Master Moments.’  Not only is Master Moments an educational opportunity for students to connect with masters in the performing arts, it is also broadcast on television, radio and the web so that all audiences can experience it.” Master Moments with Bob Martin can be seen on WVIZ/PBS Channel 25 on Sunday, October 14 at 2:30 pm; Thursday, October 18 at 9:00 pm; and Monday, October 22 at 10:00 pm.