What Country, Friends, Is This?

A weekly blog from APT's Managing Director, Carrie Van Hallgren, as she experiences her inaugural summer at APT.

Is this place for real?

A week after the start of rehearsals, the Touchstone lobby and patio was turned into a festive picnic ground - the site of the annual Company Picnic. The weather was cooperating. The late afternoon sun lit up the trees. Actors and crew took turns manning a half dozen grills. There were tables and tables of delicious food (all pot luck), there were introductions, there were instructions, there were jokes. And for new APT company members, the thought was - yeah - is this place for real? And I should know because it was my first Picnic, too.

Each year at the company picnic, APT company members are recognized for their service in multiples of five. Everyone starting their 5th season gets a certificate, everyone starting their 10th season gets one too. When a company member hits the 15 year mark, he or she can expect a fuss in the way of a roast from fellow company members. The fuss gets bigger with each successive five year mark.

This is remarkable on two fronts. First, 35 company members were identified with notable anniversaries. In a room of about 150 mostly seasonal employees, only about 10% were new to APT. The rest were returning for their second, sixth, fourteenth, or twenty-first season. Is there another theatre in the country with a similar retention rate? If there is, well then they're as lucky as we are.

Second, each company member with an anniversary of 15 years or more was honored with a speech, a sketch, or a song. Artistic Director Brenda DeVita delivered a heartfelt and moving speech to honor Nate Stuber who started out as a production assistant 15 years ago and is now the assistant technical director and a frequent scenic designer (Merry Wives of Windsor and Game of Love and Chance this season.) Deb White, who has worked in concessions for 20 years, was honored by Director of Communications Sara Young with a number of gag gifts including a five pound gummy bear to commemorate the most popular product in the Up the Hill concessions stand. And Sarah Day, celebrating a whopping 30 seasons as an actor at APT, was crowned queen of the feast.

Overheard in the food line after the ceremonies: How is this possible? How does a place like this exist? Who ARE these people?

This year, my first season at APT, I will endeavor to find out.

I agreed with the other APT newcomers and shared their wonder as I drove home that evening. I had heard from audience members that this place is magical. Certainly, I've encountered my own APT magic since I had arrived in early January. The most magical thing about APT may be that it is real. Just how real?

A few days later, I read this in the daily rehearsal report for The Merry Wives of Windsor: "Colleen Madden was stung by a bee this afternoon. She accepted hydrocortisone cream and cooling cream."

A bee sting. I'd say that's real.