Featured Artist: Amanda Fyock
Amanda Fyock: From Stagehand to Assistant Director!
Please tell us bit about your background and how you got into theatre!
I was involved in theater in high school, but life has a tendency to get in the way of hobbies… I had ideas of going to theatre school, but lacked ambition and motivation at that time.
How did you first hear about OpenStage, and what drew you to work with us for this show?
So a few years ago, I started volunteering with Bas Bleu and Tricia Navarre offered an opportunity to work backstage on OpenStage’s production of Clue in 2023, and since then I’ve been learning as many things as possible. I’ve learned so much about lights, sound, and all the backstage and tech stuff. I love to learn, and acquire new skills, I like building my skill tree up like a techie video game character.
Tell me about your specific role and area of expertise for this show, and what excites you the most about working on this production?
This time I’m the Assistant Director and Stage Manager for Dracula. I like to do organizational work and keep track of things, so it seems like a good fit for me. Oftentimes I have said that if I could live in an excel spreadsheet, I would. Also, I’ve worked with several amazing AD’s and SM’s over the years and their mentoring and friendship have helped me be successful in this role! Thanks to Aubrey Bierman, Hannah Armstrong, and so many other really fantastic tech people I’ve worked with over the years. And specifically thank you to Jacob Offen for the opportunity to be in this role.
What excites me the most about this production is all the fabulous talent and great moodiness that the sounds and light are going to bring. I still get goosebumps every time we run the end of Act 1, and we haven’t even added in the lights yet!
What makes Dracula a unique play to work on?
Well, it’s funny this season, because there are 3 semi-concurrent Dracula’s running in Fort Collins this fall. But ya know, every single production is completely different. Even if we were all doing the exact same scripts (which we’re obviously not), it’s all about the artistic vision of the creative team, and the different styles of acting, and all the different talents that really make each production unique and different. But more to the point of unique, I get to work with Peter Anthony as the director. His reputation precedes him, and I was initially quite intimidated. But we’ve really worked together to make this a fun production with lots of snacks and laughter between the dramatic moodiness, and all the production meetings.
Are there any interesting technical aspects of this show that you would like to highlight?
There are some really magical scene changes that will be happening. I don’t want to point any out because then you’ll be looking for them, instead of enjoying the show and being amazed at the next scene.
What is your favorite moment or scene in the show (without spoilers), and why does it stand out to you?
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Can I have a kitten?
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I want that line to get a laugh every night.
Who is your favorite character in the show and why?
A “favorite” is hard to pick. There are so many reasons to enjoy each character, but I would say it’s probably tied between the older version of Dracula, Renfield, and Lucy. Why? Well, Older Dracula because he’s a different interpretation of Dracula than what you typically expect, Renfield because he’s got a lot of quick manic changes, and Lucy because she’s the free spirit that doesn’t want to conform, which is relatable.
What is one design, build, cue, costume, prop, or other project you’ve worked on that you’re especially proud of?
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I’m really happy about the disappearing and reappearing stairs on the sides of the coffin. They’re not anything that anyone should really notice, they’re just really functional, I didn’t build them, but they’re really cool.
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I’m really glad that a large number of the characters have learned Romanian and have some phrases that they speak to add authenticity. I didn’t learn any myself, but I did coordinate the teacher. Thanks, Val!
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I’m not really making or creating anything besides rehearsal reports, so I don’t really know…. I guess I’m proud of the environment that we’ve developed over the course of the rehearsals. I’m all about having fun. This is supposed to be a fun hobby. If you’re not having fun, then why are you doing it?
What is a play or musical would you like to work on in the future?
I don’t have a list of shows in my mind that are dream shows, per se. I’m always happy to be involved. I will say that I usually prefer fast-paced comedies instead of dramatic shows, but I do believe that Dracula is changing my mind.
What do you like to do in your free time when you’re not working on theatre projects?
Free time? Who’s she? Haha. kidding. But I enjoy practicing and performing circus arts at a local aerial studio, going to concerts, being a trivia emcee every other Tuesday, working at an auction once a month, performing with the local shadow cast for Rocky Horror Picture Show (heyyyy No Picnic!), watching cooking shows (even though I don’t cook, I’m just a cooking fangirl), cuddling my cats, playing retro video games, and traveling when I can.
Dracula
