Page 6 January 14, 2016 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance Story and Photos by TerriAnn Ferren For nearly three decades, The Aerospace Players have presented a summer musical, and every other year, they produce a winter show as well. Last week, I dropped in on a ‘set building party’ at the James Armstrong Theatre, where dedicated members of The Aerospace Players were spending their Sunday morning donating their time, their painting skills, and their building and designing acumen, preparing the stage sets for the musical, Annie Get Your Gun. I caught up with Jason Stout, the musical director for the show, who also happens to be orchestrating the set supervision for the day. He proudly told me, “We’re going to rent one ‘drop’, and the rest we are going to build ourselves.” (Anita Moisen, Booking Manager for the James Armstrong Theatre told me, “A ‘drop’ is heavy canvas because it has to absorb paint and is probably 30 feet tall and 48 feet wide [for the Armstrong]. They have scenes painted on them.”) In his sixth production, Jason told me the Aerospace Players function entirely by volunteers. The director for Annie Get Your Gun is Angie Asch, who had the vision for Annie Get Your Gun and has been the catalyst for this major production. Co-producing the show are Lisa Stout (Jason’s wife) and Susan Tabak. I found out that it was Lisa who encouraged her husband to begin auditioning for singing parts. It all began five years ago when Jason encouraged Lisa to try out for a show. “The first time he told me about it I thought it was the silliest thing ever – engineers doing theatre didn’t seem logical to me, however I was excited to get out and try something new.” Married 13 years Lisa and Jason love participating in the productions together. Last summer’s musical, The Music Man, featured Jason as Harold Hill, Lisa as Mrs. Paroo, and their son, as Winthrop Paroo. Truly a family affair! Chuck Gustafson has been involved with the group since 1988. “Nobody gets paid, so it’s just if you want The Aerospace Players to do it and most of the people in the group, like Jason and myself, have other jobs, so it is strictly on your free time,” said Chuck. Inside the scene shop Susane Button was busy painting sets and told me, “I have been in lots of shows. I’ve done hair, make-up, costumes, and also been in a lot of different parts. I do everything.” Also painting was Mark Eggert who told me he found out about the group from a friend and this is his first show. Catherine Webb moved to the South Bay last February, saw the Aerospace Players production last year, and decided to volunteer. “I have a minor degree in Theatre, and this is my first production. I like doing backstage stuff so I am helping Ida with props,” said Catherine. Ida Miller-Krause has been in charge of props since Oklahoma! in 1992. “I love what I do. It’s fun. I used to be on stage once in awhile and as long as I am in the ensemble, then it is okay. I rather do props,” said Ida. Just how did The Aerospace Players begin? “It started out as a small group organized through the Aerospace Corporation. They initially started with small productions. I think they started off in the cafeteria. Then they moved into a small theatre and they have gradually grown into the Armstrong Theatre, which is really great. It is a really wonderful theatre,” said Jason. Since its inception, the Aerospace productions have grown, as well as the number of participants. Auditions are open to everyone and their last show, The Music Man, listed a cast of fifty. For decades this group, largely of engineers, rises to the challenge of a Broadway musical. You heard me right. This is a group of cleaver engineers who open themselves up to the challenge of theatre. Inside the Scene Shop located at the back of the theatre, The next day, I checked in on this band of thespian/engineers rehearsing for the show and was met with a pleasant surprise. Angela Asch, who is directing and choreographing Annie Get Your Gun told me, “We haven’t done a western in this group since…I think Oklahoma! which was 2000, and it has songs that people know that they don’t know they know. There is a familiarity and is kind of one of those classics that doesn’t have to be updated ‘cuz it’s great as is.” Angela has been involved with The Aerospace Players since she was about ten years old because her father, Taylor Thompson, and step-mother, Tina Tucker started the group back in 1988 when Angela was a child. Taylor worked for the city of Torrance, and Tina worked for Aerospace. Angela shared with me, “They decided – wouldn’t it be great to have this forum where engineers could do something artistic - and their first play was a sort of Broadway review in the courtyard and then they decided to do a full-on play. They did Grease in the TRW cafeteria and it has grown from there…it is very much a family, literally and figuratively for a lot of people.” First timer, Julie Hinton, is playing the lead in Annie Get Your Gun. She used to babysit Jason and Lisa Stout’s children while they participated in the shows and now she is a member of the group. “I am an actor and knew them both years ago, Lisa and I have done shows and Jason and I have sung together… it is so much fun. I am a singer and actor. What really impresses me the most is – these are engineers. This is not their training or their background and they are so committed and this is a production of the heart and they love it.” Julie feels that the ‘heart’ the engineers put into each show make the difference – that and the full orchestra. Since Bye, Bye, Birdie in 1993, performed at the El Camino Recital Hall, Debbie Minnichelli has participated as the percussionist for the shows, the resident rehearsal pianist, and has been in charge of coordinating the orchestra for the shows. That is what makes the shows so special. “I really enjoy doing musicals. I play with a number of orchestras in the area and I freelance. I am an engineer and do the music semi-professionally,” said Debbie. The Aerospace Players moved into the James Armstrong Theatre in 1994 with Guys and Dolls. “We have had full orchestras and it is a real treat in this day and age of either synthesized music or tracks, or reduced orchestras – to be able to field a full orchestra. We will have a full orchestra for Annie Get Your Gun. There will be close to thirty people in the pit,” added Debbie. Now I am very impressed. Usually, one has to head downtown to see a play with a full orchestra, and pay a huge ticket price. I also found out Debbie met her husband through participating in The Aerospace Players. Veteran performer, Kevin Wheaton, who plays Buffalo Bill in this show, has been part of the company for 15 years. Kevin said, “We had our kids in Oliver! and I brought them to all the rehearsals and since I am an Aerospace employee, I escorted them in, and we were rehearsing on Aerospace grounds back then… and they said, ‘Why aren’t you in this with the kids?’” Kevin joined the group and hasn’t looked back. Playing Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun is Stephen Cathers, who has been involved with The Aerospace Players since 2008. “I actually work at the Aerospace Corporation and it is sponsored by the corporation as an employee club. After I minored in Musical Theatre at USC, I happen to find the only Aerospace engineering themed theatre club that I know about so…I love the community and people are so welcoming…and we are the only group that has more cast parties than performances – we have fun,” said Frank with a smile. My visit with some of the participants of The Aerospace Players was enlightening. This group is different than any other group I have Julie Hinton and Stephen Cathers. Mark Eggert. Debbie Minnichelli. Catherine Webb and Ida Miller-Krause. Susane Button. See TerriAnn, page 10
Torrance_011416_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above