Staff Spotlight - Amy Gethins Sullivan

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin
At Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV we are very fortunate to have an incredibly talented and dedicated production staff. One of the wonderful individuals who works on this staff is Amy Gethins Sullivan. She is our Master Scenic Artist and has been since 2005, when this Richmond native returned to accept the call from Barksdale/TIV. She began her tour of duty with the dual setting of Barksdale's The Drawer Boy and Theatre IV's Bunnicula--on the same stage--AT THE SAME TIME! Now that is a task!

This is after Amy was "overhire" as a scenic painter for TIV's 1999 production of The Wizard of Oz and the 2001 production of Peter Pan. Greig Leach was Scenic Designer. Even after working on those ginormous shows, she came back!

Going back in time a bit (think of the Wayne's World doodle oodle time warp-not to be confused with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, mind you), Amy graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (sotto voce) in 1984 in Painting and Printmaking. She then did what any college graduate with an art degree would do: waited tables (at Strawberry Street Cafe), worked at the Video Fan, and took classes at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Incidentally, the owner of the Video Fan while Amy was the store manager there, is now a co-owner of Artworks, where Amy just had a nice, month-long run displaying her children's portraits. That show ended this past Sunday. A large part of Amy's work outside of the theatre is painting these strikingly beautiful children's portraits (see one to the right). It kinda makes me want to run out and adopt a kid right now, just so Amy can paint a portrait of him being he or her being she.

OK, so back on the timeline (think again of Wayne's World doodle oodle time warp, still not to be confused with The Rocky Horror Show, mind you): after doing these "jobby-job" things moved to Northern Virginia, where she heard about Scena Studios needing a painter. So she hopped into her red Volkswagen Bug with paintings in tow, not even having a proper portfolio at this point (I love this image...actually...I love it so much, I think I'll say it again:) She hopped into her red Volkswagen Bug with paintings in tow, not even having a proper portfolio at this point and landed herself a job painting with a brilliant group of artists ("the best," Amy calls them), led by Diane Hackler. With Scena she painted for the Boston Ballet, the Washington Opera, and Disney on Ice (among others)! Oh, and my favorite: she painted the King Kong ride/exhibit for Universal Studios in 1990 that retired just last year. It was up for 15 years! It was a 3/4 scale set that was built and painted in NOVA and then shipped down to Florida. How cool is that!

Then Amy decided to be a stay-at-home mom with her four children until that call from Barksdale/Theatre IV! And we are so glad she came back!!!

So come on down for First Friday's next week where you can see Amy's artwork on display in the lobby of the Empire Theatre!

--Billy Christopher Maupin

We're All in This Together

Posted by Bruce Miller
I just returned from Opening Night of Disney’s High School Musical and I'm proud as a peacock. I’m proud of Chase Kniffen (Director), K Strong (Choreographer) and Sherri Matthews (Music Director) who’ve done such a fantastic job assembling a talented cast of 38 actors from 20 different schools (and home schools) and turning them into such a cohesive ensemble.

I’m proud of my talented wife, Terrie Powers (set design), and my equally talented colleagues and friends Sarah Grady (costume design) and Lynne Hartman (light design). The show looks terrific, and moves without a hitch. OK, maybe there were two tiny hitches tonight, but who noticed? These three artists make the show look like a million bucks, on a budget less than 2% that size.

I’m proud of our unsung heroes, and let me first mention our amazing Tech Director, Bruce Rennie. And as I mention his name, I want to say the word “hero” three more times. In show after show, Bruce makes miracles happen behind the scenes. The company doesn’t provide him with nearly enough support staff or expertise. Still, somehow, he always gets the job done. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think there was magic involved. Theatre IV and Barksdale simply could not exist without Bruce Rennie.

The company may not provide Bruce with enough support staff, but the ones we have provided are exceptional in their commitment, talent and hard work. Derek Dumais (Sound Engineer), Adam Tiller (Electrician and Light Board Op), and Wendy Vandergrift (Assistant Tech Director) are invaluable members of the staff. Amy Gethins Sullivan, Kim Parkin, Tia James and Terrie Powers (Painters); Nathan Meadows, John Valerie, and T J Spensieri (Carpenters); and Joe Bock and Virginia Varland (Electricians) have worked tirelessly to create the eight to ten different locales that the show requires.

Most important, I’m proud of our talented kids. But more about them later. In this post, I offer my most heartfelt thanks to the amazing adult leaders noted above. Every cast and audience member owes you a standing ovation.

They’re flying; they’re soaring—and to quote a cliché, you are the wind beneath their wings.

I thank you all for a job well done.

--Bruce Miller