The Spring Gala: A Labor of Love
An Interview with Kathleen Marshall

Every production at Roundabout takes a great deal of time, care and energy to produce…even when that production performs for one night only. Actually, a one-night-only event such as our annual Spring Gala, Roundabout's biggest fundraising event of the year, brings with it a whole new set of challenges. After her huge success guiding last year's musical tribute to Studio 54, Kathleen Marshall will once again take the reins as director and choreographer of the Spring Gala. She is assembling a remarkable team of performers and designers to bring to life an original evening of dinner, song and dance called Feeling Groovy: Pop Songs of the 60s which will celebrate the decade that gave birth to Roundabout over 40 years ago. We sat with Kathleen for a behind-the-scenes peek at the work that goes into this annual event.

Why did you decide to direct and choreograph the Spring Gala?

Primarily, it's a terrific opportunity to help Roundabout, an organization that's been so generous to me and so instrumental to my career over the years. I started as the assistant choreographer on Roundabout's first musical in 1993, She Loves Me. Since then they've had me back again and again, giving me the chance to choreograph with 1776 and Follies, then to direct and choreograph The Pajama Game. I owe a lot to Roundabout and this is such a fun and creative way to be able to give back.

How is directing a one-night-only fundraiser different than directing a full-scale production?

With any production, the entire company gives their all to a common goal: creating a terrific show. With a Broadway production, your cast is being paid so they are at your beck and call. You can really plan most everything in advance. But in a one-night-only event, all the performers and creative team are donating their time so you have to work around their busy schedules to make it as easy as possible for them to participate. Plus, you have to remain open to constant change. If an actor gets a paying job and suddenly becomes unavailable, you have to be able to quickly switch gears to find a substitute or create an entirely new number. There's an exciting amount of improvisation that goes into it.

Last year, you helmed the Spring Gala while simultaneously casting your hit production of Grease on national television in Los Angeles. What was that experience like?

Crazy! Originally, the TV show was supposed to be finished two weeks before the Gala but it was extended…so suddenly both were happening at the same time! There were a lot of cross-country e-mails and phone calls and I really relied on my fantastic production team. Joyce Chittick, who appeared in The Pajama Game, became my Associate Director/Choreographer. She flew out to LA so that we could create the staging and choreography so that she could rehearse the actors back in New York. I actually arrived the morning of the Gala rolling my suitcase into Roseland just in time for the dress rehearsal. But in truth, what I did wasn't very much different than what the entire company does every year. We are dealing with A-list performers and designers that are very in-demand, so everyone juggles schedules and does what they can because of their dedication to Roundabout.

This year, and last year, the music you've chosen strays from conventional musical theatre in favor of pop. Why did you choose this direction for the Spring Gala?

We stumbled onto the idea when we decided to create a musical salute to Studio 54 last year. The disco hits of the era were the natural choice rather than Broadway music. And we discovered that this music had special resonance with the audience since these songs had been a big part of their lives. It was also a unique experience for them because the show was something they truly couldn't see anywhere else: top Broadway stars singing these astonishing pop hits, often reinventing them in unexpected new ways.

You've worked on other fundraising events before. How is Roundabout's different?

It's actually a lot more work! Normally when you do a benefit performance, you ask a performer to sing something he or she already knows. Since our Galas revolve around pop music, we're asking everyone to learn brand new numbers, which is a much bigger commitment. Then our Musical Director, David Chase, has to create new arrangements and orchestrations for each number from scratch. But everyone embraces the challenge and the performers really love the chance to sing songs they would normally never get a chance to perform.

How do you see the Spring Gala as fitting into Roundabout's overall artistic mission?

In every production, Roundabout challenges all of its artists to stretch in new ways. The Gala is really an extension of that, allowing performers to try new things and show an audience different aspects of themselves. Also, audiences have come to expect a tremendous depth of talent at Roundabout, and the Gala is the chance to see so many of these exceptional performers in one night. And each performer is there because they truly love and believe in Roundabout.

The Spring Gala–Feeling Groovy: Pop Songs of the 60s–will be held at Roseland Ballroom on Monday, April 7, 2008. For more information, please contact Steve Schaeffer, Director of Special Events, at 212.719.9393 or steves@roundabouttheatre.org, or visit our website.

When Roundabout first began over 40 years ago, these are some of the incredible songs that were hitting the radio:

Sitting in the audience of a musical is like being part of a community. You are sharing in a common experience as you are transported to a new place and time, surrounded by sets, costumes, movement, and sound. The experience has you hooked.

Musicals have been a part of Roundabout ever since the landmark production of She Loves Me directed by Associate Artistic Director Scott Ellis in 1993. Even with that first production, Artistic Director Todd Haimes understood the overwhelming financial burden that musicals place on an annual budget. Not only are cast sizes almost always larger than that of a play, there are pit musicians, longer rehearsal and tech periods, more expensive sets, and additional backstage personnel. Most people aren't thinking about the thousands of dollars it takes just to make copies of the score for every musician. But despite the extraordinary costs, artistry prevails, and Roundabout has made musical revivals part of its core mission.

The question is: How can a not-for-profit theatre company afford to produce musicals on Broadway, year after year? As the modern American musical transforms over the years, audiences' expectations grow. What will the set look like, which artists will be appearing, and what creative risks have the producers undertaken? Heightened expectations in an industry that gets more expensive every day creates a critical dilemma that faces not-for-profit theatres like Roundabout. Such an organization must find an innovative way to support the high-quality productions that audiences demand.

DID YOU KNOW?
At Roundabout, the average direct costs are
$6 million for a musical
and $2.5 million for a play.

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Roundabout's current capital campaign Building Partnerships for Artistic Excellence: A Campaign for Roundabout Theatre Company seeks to do just that. In addition to creating the organization's first true endowment and completing major renovations at Studio 54 and The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, this $32 million campaign includes a new giving opportunity called the Production Fund. The fund helps leverage support needed to stage complex, expensive plays and musicals. While Roundabout takes great strides in building its first true endowment in order to secure long-term financial stability, this fund will provide $2 million in support of one play and one musical for each of five seasons.

This year, the Play Production Fund is supporting the upcoming revival of Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses starring Laura Linney and Ben Daniels. The Production Fund musical this season is Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, featuring the critically acclaimed performances of Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell. Roundabout has a history of staging Sondheim's work, as past productions include Follies, Pacific Overtures, and Assassins. While beloved by many theatregoers, Sunday provides a challenge to the theatre company as it features complex, technical elements that dramatically elevate production costs, clearly exemplifying the need for the fund to exist.

Those who have already joined the Production Fund know there are perks for partnering in this philanthropic endeavor. As lead sponsors, members are invited to behind-the-scenes events surrounding each show supported by the Production Fund. For instance, joining the cast, crew, and staff at the first rehearsal of Sunday in the Park with George were the Musical Production Fund partners. Their names will be listed as lead supporters on the promotional materials for this musical. They will also be invited to special events throughout the year, including private, intimate dinners at members' homes featuring actors, directors, and composers. They are at opening and closing night performances and many special insider activities throughout the run of the production.

Memberships are available for single and multiple years at various six-figure levels. Call Jeffory Lawson, Director of Development, at 212.719.9393 to become a partner in this very special fund.

MUSICAL PRODUCTION FUND MEMBERS: Anonymous GVA Williams Perry and Martin Granoff The Kaplen Foundation John and Gilda McGarry Tom and Diane Tuft

PLAY PRODUCTION FUND MEMBERS: Liz and Steven Goldstone The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation Mary and David Solomon NEW WORKS PRODUCTION FUND MEMBERS: Laura Pels

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