Backstage with ‘Guys and Dolls’

The beloved musical comedy, “Guys and Dolls,” is coming to the Milford Theater for two weekends in May. This production is a collaboration between Lorenzo Medico’s production company, Artic Entertainment, and the Milford Theater’s artistic director, Beth O’Neil, the same collaboration that brought “Company” to the theater last November with many of the same artists.

It is a huge undertaking to produce a full-blown musical like “Guys and Dolls,” especially for a relatively small theater like the Milford Theater. It has about 35 in staff, including the “front of the house “ (the ticket sales, popcorn makers, greeters, and the bar). The “back of the house” is group of people the audience does not generally see. This is the creative team. It includes the stage manager, the director, the choreographer, the musical director, the sound engineer, and the lighting engineer. The creative team actually makes the musical happen. Of course, the artistic director (Beth O’Neil ) is ultimately responsible for the front and back of the house.

The stage manager

The stage manager is the lynch pin of the entire production. Chiara Marone has been doing this for the Milford Theater ever since its re-opening. She coordinates with the director extensively, executing the director’s visions to work onstage with the actors, as well as the music, choreography, sound, and lighting engineers. In the actual performance, she calls the lighting and sound cues so that they reflect the actual language and feel of the script. For example, if there is a change in the mood in the script, Marone would cue the lighting engineer to reflect that change in the lighting on stage. She has been known to build sets when needed as well as handle props and graphic design. Marone works with every production of the Milford Theater — dramas, corporate events, and live music events.

The director

Angel Berlane Mulcahy has been in theater for about 28 years, both as an actor and director. She has performed at the Shawnee Playhouse, Pocono Playhouse, and community theaters in the Wilkes Barre-Scranton area. Berlane Mulcahy directed the cast of “Company,” previously on stage at the Milford Theater. She works directly with the actors as well as with Marone who helps interpret what Berlane Mulcahy wants. The director wants every actor “to feel as if they are part of something special.”

Berlane Mulcahy approaches the beginning of a new show with auditions, and a table read (where the actors are reading the whole script and making connections with each other). Then there are other rehearsals in various groups — vocal rehearsals, dance, and movement rehearsals, etc. Seven weeks out from the performances, the whole cast goes into intense rehearsals with four to six rehearsals a week. Marone and Berlane Mulcahy work together to decide various aspects of the performance. One example of this is called “blocking,” where the director and stage manager figure out the movements of the actors on stage for every scene. They decide if a character moves stage left or stage right, and how they move.

Marone then makes sure this happens in the final stages and cues them from the booth at the performance .

Berlane Mulcahy wants to reach out to the local Milford area community and encourage actors to submit a head shot, resume, and reel, so they can keep these on file if they need a call for a specific character. She wants to build a reservoir of local talent. Interested people should send the information to guysanddollsmilford@gmail.com.

Sound engineer

Abott Finkel is the technical director for all events at the Milford Theater. He is also the set builder and sound engineer. In this capacity he makes all the sounds (microphones, speakers, etc. work smoothly together. Finkel works closely with Marone and programs the sound board as she cues him.

Lighting engineer

Robert Lozada interprets the script with Marone and then programs the lighting board to reflect changes in language and mood. He and Finkel often work together as the script dictates and are ready to change things on a moment’s notice.

Choreographer

Joseph Ambrosia is a very talented choreographer and his command of dance numbers and movement prompted Beth O’Neil to say, “We are so pleased to have the very talented Joseph Ambrosia on our creative team. You have never seen dance like this.”

Musical director

Alvera Sylvester played keyboard in the performance of “Company,” the previous musical performed at the Milford Theater. In “Guys and Dolls,” she conducts some of the most memorable songs in musical comedy with precision and panache. The audience will come out singing the romantic “I’ve never been in love before,” the exuberant, “If I were a bell,” and the classic “Luck be a lady.”

Artistic Director Beth O’Neil, in talking about this musical, says, “It’s thrilling to have Angel back with us this spring directing such a timeless class. She has such a clear vision and her work with the actors is next level. We are running the show for two weekends, including Mother’s Day weekend. This is a family friendly show that will be packed with great production value from the set to the singing.

“Guys and Dolls” will be performed at the Milford Theater (114 E. Catherine St., Milford) on the following dates : May 10, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m., and May 11, 12, and 19 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are available at bit.ly/44lYga7.