Audrey Mantia, design and production senior, has tested out new realms of theater.
Mantia studies stage management and props design. She recently worked on her first tour.
“I was the stage and production manager for ‘Bad in Bed live,’” Mantia said.
“Bad in Bed live” is a show written by Shelby Simpson that encourages audience participation.
Mantia said the show is interesting because it is unlike traditional theater.
“It’s kind of like a book reading on acid,” she said. “Like standup meets theater meets a book reading with ’90s rap and sing-a-long incorporated.”
Mantia said she was first involved with the production in 2018. She was recruited by Matthew Alvin Brown, a local actor and director.
“I was his student and stage manager for many years, so we had had that connection going,” she said. “The writer of the show said she wanted to take it on tour.”
The Oklahoma City production sold out every performance, and Simpson wanted to see how the show would work outside of the area, Mantia said.
Mantia was involved in a proof-of-concept tour this summer, where the show was produced in three different venues. The show went to Tulsa, Denver and Kansas City in August.
Mantia said the show was very successful.
“The feedback that we got was exceptional,” she said. “It’s a great show because it’s not traditional theater. It’s like a party. We prompt the audience to dance and get involved, so it’s great to get non-theater people exposed to the arts without thinking they’re being bribed into seeing ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’”
Mantia said she held multiple positions over the course of the run. She began as a production manager, then transitioned to production and stage manager.
“I had just got back from another summer job in upstate New York working at Stagedoor Manor,” she said. “The day I got back, I immediately went into rehearsal.”
Mantia said the tour made her access new elements of her technical theater education.
“I was having to learn so much about tech that I didn’t think I needed to know, like Projectors and Qlab,” she said. “We tried to plan ahead by working with the venues and seeing if our tech would line up with theirs, but a lot of it involved thinking on our feet.”
One location involved Mantia having to troubleshoot with the projector and using her knowledge from her lighting design class.
“I said, ‘Aaron Mooney please speak to me now. If you’re out there in the universe, please come to me,’” she said.
Mantia said each location showcased a different style of theatrical design.
“Tulsa was traditional proscenium, Denver was a thrust in amphitheater and Kansas City was in a bar,” she said.
Mantia said she also was working with people who were not used to theater.
“We had a lot of dancers who were very talented but had never worked with a stage manager before,” she said. “My main goal is being an advocate for the performers as well as the other artists involved.”
Mantia found an interest in stage management four years ago.
“I was heavily involved at Lyric Theatre’s academy,” she said. “I was a bored homeschooler who basically lived up there.
Mantia was the stage manager for the children’s performance of “Annie Jr.” at Lyric Theatre. She was also a props intern and young children’s supervisor that summer.
Mantia has been involved in the arts for many years, she said.
“I was a dancer for nine years and played piano. I have hip dysplasia so I can’t dance anymore, and I have tendon issues in my right hand from a surgery that had gone wrong, so I can’t play piano anymore,” she said. “Being able to be immersed in a show and in the music and call cues and really use that internal rhythm I have made me realize that, while I may not be getting applause at the end of the day, I’m still having to give my all.”
Mantia said stage management is very fulfilling for her.
“After you call a really complicated cue sequence and it just goes right and all the cues fire perfectly and all of the deck cues ran seamlessly, there’s no better feeling, honestly.” she said.
Mantia said the show does not rely solely on her.
“It’s not a solo. I could just be calling cues, but without having the light board operators and the backstage crew members, nothing would happen,” she said. “While I am kind of the conductor for the show, my job couldn’t be done without performers onstage and crew members backstage. Every single person is necessary.”
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