The Wizard would have said to pay no attention to the 78 men and women behind the curtain of the Schuster Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16. And he would have been telling the truth.
The people on stage were stagehands, not performers, making way for the smash musical “Wicked,” which begins a three-week run at the Schuster on Wednesday night, Feb. 17.
There was little drama involved, according to representatives of the country’s number-one touring production.
“Things are going really well. This is a great new venue for us,” company manager Erica Norgaard said, standing beneath the huge dragon that had already been installed over the stage. It’s a dominant feature of the set for a show that includes witches, flying monkeys and a special floor with tracks, fog and smoke elements built right in.
The move-in is a three-day process. Trucks started rolling in Monday, Feb. 15, and the unloading will continue until Wednesday afternoon.
Ken Rice, business manager for the Dayton stagehands union, said he has expanded his crew with a dozen student apprentices from Wright State University.
Most veteran backstage workers said as musicals go, “Phantom of the Opera” is bigger, but “Wicked” is big. “It’s a 9 on a scale of 10,” said Pat Keough, who is production and technical director for the Schuster and the Victoria Theatre.
One reason things are going so smoothly is that planning started more than three months ago. Keough said technicians from the show visited the Schuster to study logistics.
“Wicked” will be presented through March 7 at the Schuster, Second and Main streets. Tickets are $46-$125. There is also a lottery for 20 tickets, each priced at $25, starting two and one-half hours before each performance.
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