Meet Danielle Szeponski - ASM for Anything Goes!

What is your role on this Production? What does that entail? I am the Assistant Stage Manager. My job is to do exactly what the Stage Manager, Director, and any other techs want backstage and make sure everything goes smoothly during the show. During show runs I've had to glue, sew, pin, hold, transfer, lift, carry, fix, run, tape, attach and various other things in a timely manner. I'm like a backstage wizard.

What brought you out for this production? I'm a huge fan of musicals, especially ones from the 30s-50s like Summer Stock, Gigi, or In The Good Old Summertime/She Loves Me so this one was right up my alley. I also really love old buildings and the history behind them. It's weird to think how many shows have been through there through the years and what the set has looked like each time,. Also, not to mention Walter*.

What is your background in theatre? I was really into music during high school with two choirs, jazz band, and concert band. My first role in a production I was Pirate #2 in a musical version of Treasure Island. After school I went away from it for about 7 years until I starred in a few musical reviews. (In one of them I was a sailor tap dancing to, you guessed it, Anything Goes!) Eventually I was given the opportunity to try backstage work and fell in love with it! (Thank you Jen Magel!)

Biggest Challenge? This is my third time as an Assistant Stage Manager, and the most challenging yet since I'm now learning the techniques of a larger, more professional theatre setting. There are also a lot of stairs to conquer during the show.

This play takes place on a ship, you have any good boating stories? My mother, who is not a big fan of not being able to see the bottom of a lake, wanted to take the new blow up boat out around the edge in the shallow part. Well, the waves carried us out farther than expected and she started to panic. She grabbed one oar and was frantically rowing to try to make it to the edge but we ended up spinning in circles for a while as I was "keeled over" laughing my butt off.

*Walter is the name we gave our resident ghost.  He is benevolent but we blame him for pretty much anything that goes wrong on a show! Often when you are by yourself in the theatre you can hear footsteps in other parts of the building, weird sounds and the feeling you are not alone...