VERO BEACH — Riverside Theatre issued a backstage pass at its open house Saturday afternoon, hosting a steady stream of visitors all eager to catch a rare glimpse of the magic that goes on behind the curtain.
They got the scoop on how production teams are hard at work, planning, casting, designing and rehearsing for another season, long before the house lights dim and the stage lights come up.
Guides gave a brief history of Riverside Theatre, from its origin in 1973 as home to the Vero Beach Theatre Guild, to its currently acclaimed position as what producing artistic director Allen
Cornell says is, “America’s largest and most successful small town professional theater.” Visitors also experienced the thrill of stepping out onto the Stark Stage and taking a bow to an imaginary audience.
The tour navigated through scenery already going up for “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” which kicks off the season Oct. 25, before heading into the true backstage areas.
“Set design begins seven, eight, nine months ahead,” said Robert Miller, Riverside Theatre sales manager. “Sometimes they are built out of order and then go into storage.”
This year Riverside has joined forces with Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre for the production of “Grease,” which will allow the two to share the cost of the sets.
“We’re the largest professional theater in the smallest regional area,” said Miller. “Most theaters this size have a population base of 3 million. Riverside Theatre has a good reputation for the shows we do and how we treat actors.” The tour continued on to the decidedly beige “green room,” where performers can wait to go onstage, past the dressing rooms – individual for stars and communal for extras, and further west to the rehearsal hall.
Tape was being put in place to replicate the “Ain’t Misbehavin’” set, where the cast would soon be rehearsing before they would move to the stage for their final tech week.
“They will rehearse for exactly 14 days before the audience arrives,” said Miller.
The tour ended at the Waxlax stage, described as a black box theater, where the space can be used for everything from contemporary theatre productions and the Comedy Zone to cabarets and dinner parties.
“It’s virtually an empty room,” said Miller, noting that seating and stage can be moved to suit their needs.
“It’s interesting to me to know what’s back there and see how it comes out front so wonderfully,” said Joyce Logan at the end of the tour.
“I was most amazed at the capacity they have to put on the shows they do,” agreed Angel Nordstrom. If people missed the tour, they’ll have another chance to go Saturday, Oct. 20, right before the first annual Treasure Coast talent competition, a collaborative effort with Treasure Coast Parenting.
