Fred Stuart directs his last Haymarket Theatre show
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO
Fred Stuart slings the strap of his sky blue electric guitar over his shoulder.
Dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt, flip-flops and an orange ball cap, the Haymarket executive and artistic director is ready to get down to business.
“Should I be an angry British guy or a precise German man?” he asks the 38 students gathered on the theater’s stage.
What: "Cowboys! The Musical," Nebraska Youth Theatre
Where: Haymarket Theatre, Eighth and Q streets
When: 2 and 7 p.m. today and Saturday
Tickets: $10, $8 students and seniors; 477-2600 or www.haymarkettheatre.org
“Angry British guy,” they reply in unison.
“Let’s get started then,” he says in a thick English accent. “I want genius.”
Stuart, 45, is directing his final show at the Haymarket Theatre before he turns the reins over to Bob Hall and heads for the Big Apple.
Licensing agency Theatrical Rights Worldwide in New York City hired the mega-talented Stuart as its director of sales, marketing and materials. He begins his new job Sept. 1.
His new gig comes as no surprise. He worked at competing Music Theatre International before returning to his Lincoln hometown, where he founded the Haymarket Theatre in 2002.
During his tenure, the Haymarket staged several memorable productions, including “Cabaret,” “I Am My Own Wife,” “Jane Eyre” and the city’s premiere of “Urinetown.”
He has fostered successful collaborations with Flatwater Shakespeare Company, Rough Magic Productions and Lincoln Contemporary Dance Project.
But Stuart’s biggest accomplishment is his children’s theater program. He has a Piped Piper way about him.
Many of his students are repeats, with Sam Colwell and Hunter Maude as prime examples. The twosome learned enough from Stuart and his staff to land parts in mainstage productions around town.
Jenny Atwood is another good example. Now a college student studying drama, she returned this summer to help Stuart teach the classes she once took from him. She often plays the disciplinarian to her freewheeling boss.
Stuart’s final show, “Cowboys! The Musical,” opened Thursday night and continues its run through the weekend.
It’s an original script Stuart has written especially for his NYT students — something he does regularly.
“That’s just the way we’ve operated through the years,” he said after Monday’s rehearsal. “Writing for a cast is easier than forcing a cast into an existing play.”
Like previous musicals about pirates, vikings and such, this one features topical humor and funny songs, including the act two opener that’s sure to bring down the house.
“There is no time for a song to open act two,” the students sing.
“There simply isn’t time to sing and dance for you …”
Which, of course, they do anyway to Stuart’s witty lyrics about not having time to sing.
Or dance.
To watch Stuart in action is to understand what he means to the Haymarket Theatre and why his leaving is, as he said, “bittersweet.”
During Tuesday’s rehearsal, Stuart coaches, coaxes and cajoles his cast.
His face breaks into a wide grin when he sees or hears something he likes.
He’s stern with his admonitions, especially when a student apologizes for a flubbed line, missed cue or weak delivery.
“Don’t be sorry” is Stuart’s way of telling his kids to “just do it.”
More often than not, they respond, nailing it on the second, third or fourth time.
He teases Colwell when the young actor begins ad-libbing his lines.
“Sneaky rabbi,” Stuart says, referring to Colwell’s character. “Makes it up as he goes along.”
Stuart’s words bring a mischievous smile to Colwell’s face.
“I’ve never manufactured my interest in the kids,” Stuart said. “I find them interesting little beasts.”
They, in turn, find Stuart just as extraordinary.
As remarkable.
And as entertaining.
He will be missed.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
Post Your Comment
Standards and RulesYour posted comment will appear after it has been approved.
Frequently asked questions about story commenting.