By Simon Fuger
As the highly successful Summer Season of live theater comes to an end at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, there has been a whirlwind of activities. The actors have been fulfilling various fund raising and social commitments, but also added two additional performances of Disney’s Tarzan to try and meet the especially strong demand for this show.
For the Friends of the Thingamajig Theatre (“the Friends”) it will be a bittersweet farewell to the actors and crew that have shared their artistic craft with us, entertained us with incredible performances and immersed themselves in the community and in our hearts. Bittersweet in that we will miss the actors we have come to appreciate so much, but happy that some will be returning to grace our stage in future productions. In appreciation for the Theatre and the cast and crew, the Friends hosted a farewell dinner and dance under the Theme of “Happy Trails” at the Canyon Crest Lodge.
It was a magical evening in a wonderful setting and included the cast singing a farewell tribute to the Friends.
The Friends were also invited to a behind the scenes look at costuming, makeup and hair design. This turned out to be an interactive session between the audience and the actors. There was a rapid costume change race, how to apply makeup for the Tarzan production and creating a costume from scratch for one of the audience members. The role of costuming in a show sets the mood for each character and helps accentuate the personality the actor is trying to portray.
Special thanks to Taylor Marrs, Nanette Cheffers, Audrey Crocker, Annie Jenness and Laura Moore for sharing their insights on this part of the Theater experience. Future behind the scenes activities for the Friends are planned and include set design and the art of casting for a show.
We wish the entire cast and crew happy travels and thank them for bringing so much joy to our community with their unbridled energy, personalities and professionalism.
The Friends of the Thingamajig Theatre was formed to support the long term success of quality professional, not-for-profit theater in Pagosa Springs. For more information visit this page.