Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players By Ron Smith
Here’s the question: Who is that young lady you can see briefly at every Off Broadway Players show? Why is she always dressed in black? Why does she disappear so quickly and then re-appear as if by magic? Why is she always smiling? Who IS she? Well, let me introduce you to Addison Cherry, a vital, behind-the-scenes part of every OBP performance.
A few months ago, as Addison was busily painting Wizard of Oz scenery, I interrupted her work long enough for her to tell me something about herself. She replied that she is a junior at Broadway High School and that she has one younger sister, Cora. Addison’s mother, Heather, is an elementary school teacher, and her father, Ian, is an IT employee with Ellucian. He’s also a part of the OBP as stage crew and helps build the sets.
What does she do when not involved in a play production? In her time away from her theatre hobby, Addison also has a number of other pastimes. For example, she has been playing the guitar for five years. She loves to spend time with her artwork, particularly in the medium of clay. She also enjoys working with crafts, such as needle felting. Still, with all these things she loves to do, she finds that travel brings her joy, too. Addiston and her family vacationed in Ireland recently. She said that it was an incredible trip and believes that the Emerald Isle is her favorite vacation spot.
How did such a busy, talented teenager first become interested in theatre? In second grade at Mountain View Elementary School, Addison played a cat in The Unity Tree, a musical whose characters were cats and dogs. Skip ahead five years. As a seventh grader, Addison worked on stage crew in J.F. Hillyard’s Annie, Jr. She says she was happy to “follow in my dad’s footstep” and be behind the scenes working lights or sound.
Seeing what a good stage crew member Addison was for the Hillyard musical, J.W. Fiske, Technical Director for the OBP, asked her to help as backstage crew in our production of Dearly Departed. Addison was excited to become a part of our community theatre. She says, “I loved helping with Dearly Departed; the cast members were amazing and so fun to work with. I had a lot of fun being backstage. Even though I had only done two official shows, I loved theatre, and I knew it was something I wanted to keep on doing.”
Then Addison learned that the OBP was going to stage The Play That Goes Wrong, and she was excited to continue working in community theatre. She says this production was her first show working as a light/sound technician and it has been her favorite OBP experience. Addison remembers, “The Play That Goes Wrong was such a fun show; the set design was incredible, and I got to do a lot of cool lighting and sound effects. This past year, I was doing the lighting for Shrek The Musical. It was a fun musical to do, and it was interesting to see Shrek in musical form. I got to run spotlight, and I worked with an amazing team of fellow technicians.”
Speaking of her new responsibilities as a light/sound techie, Addison relates that her ability to learn quickly the lightboard during rehearsals was her greatest asset. It’s a good thing she is a quick study, because musicals often require some challenging effects. Yet, this young lady just smiles. “I think I have most enjoyed the musicals OBP has done. From a tech standpoint, the lighting was interesting to program and figure out. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat had some cool color-changing effects. Wizard of Oz was challenging, but it was so much fun to do. Working on these musicals has introduced me to some amazing actors and other technicians.
Given her recent experiences, I asked Addison if she has experienced any difficult or unexpected situations. She responded, “The most challenging show with OBP has been The Wizard Of Oz. We used some new equipment, like the fog and haze machines; they have been interesting to figure out. One fog machine has a timer function for an LED light, so it’s a bit of a hassle for some quick scenes, but it’s a fun challenge and makes the lighting more interesting.”
Addison’s time with the Off Broadway Players may be limited in the near future. Although now a junior, becoming a graduating senior is not far away. What is in store for this talented teen? Not surprisingly, Addison has things mapped out for herself. She dreams, “After high school, I plan to go to college and study biology. I would love to end up either at Bridgewater College or William and Mary. I really want to go into the medical field. My favorite subject since seventh grade has been biology. I’ve found a fascination in microbiology, and it’s something I want to go into in the future.”
Yes, the young lady you may see at OBP shows is, of course, Addison Cherry. She always wears black because that is the traditional color for stage crew members and technicians. In theatre, black is considered to be “invisible,” so that’s how she can disappear. If she isn’t in the light/sound booth, she’s quickly headed backstage to solve a problem or to see what she can do to help with offstage chores. Why does she smile? The answer is obvious: She loves working in theatre.
In fact, Addison would love to see others become a part of the Off Broadway Players family. What is her advice to anyone interested? “I would say just get involved; if you don’t know what you want to do, branch out. Try being backstage and onstage; see what you like best. There are so many different ‘fields’ in putting on a production, like costuming, set design, lighting, and acting.”
Good answer, Addison. Yes, not only is this young lady talented, energetic, dedicated, and a joy to everyone around her, she’s wise, too. We all are grateful to have Addison in the OBP family, and we wish her well when life beyond graduation is upon her. Meanwhile, come see this young lady in action in the next production, if you can, or take her advice and join us. You’ll be glad you did.
