El Dorado native works on Broadway musical
EL DORADO — On Sunday, Broadway will honor its best and brightest with the annual Tony Awards presentation. However, many viewers may not realize that one of the nominated musicals has close ties to an El Dorado native.
Tripp Phillips, a native of El Dorado, is currently serving as production stage manager for the new Broadway musical “War Paint,” starring Tony nominees Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole. Phillips has been working on Broadway for 23 years and has served as production stage manager for several Tonyaward winning musicals, including the “42nd Street” revival in 2005 and “A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder” in 2013.
Few realized when Phillips made his stage debut in 1971, as the mayor of the Munchkins in the South Arkansas Arts Center’s original production of “The Wizard of Oz,” that the dream that started with that production would lead to a dream job and numerous credits on the “Great White Way.”
Phillips, the son of Charlotte and the late Norwood Phillips Jr. of El Dorado, moved quickly through the ranks of children’s theatre at SAAC, to assistant directing and eventually directing productions of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown;” “My Fair Lady;” “Company” and “Funny Girl.”
After graduating from El Dorado High School, Phillips received his bachelor’s degree in theatre from Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, and his master of fine arts in theatre, emphasis on directing, from Ole Miss. During his collegiate career, Phillips directed several productions and served in various capacities for many others.
After graduating from Ole Miss, Phillips took on the job of artistic/managing director for a community theatre in York, Pennsylvania, directing 59 productions and revues during his almost eight years in that job. This coincided with 16 semesters spent as a theatre instructor at Pennsylvania State University, York campus, teaching a variety of classes. Though Phillips enjoys teaching, his current schedule precludes him from teaching full courses. He does, however, teach occasional seminars at prestigious east coast institutions including Columbia University and the Yale School of Drama.
Despite his achievements in Pennsylvania – among other accomplishments, during his tenure at York Little Theatre, the annual budget and attendance figures doubled – Phillips decided to pursue his dream of working on Broadway. He moved to New York City – with no job and no prospects for one – in the summer of 1994. While the Big Apple is frequently a “boulevard of broken dreams,” Phillips was soon working in the big pond that is the professional New York theatre.
His first job in New York was as a production assistant for a massively large new musical production of “A Christmas Carol” at the theatre at Madison Square Garden. His first work on Broadway proper followed shortly thereafter, as a production assistant on the 1995 revival
of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” starring Matthew Broderick.
While much of his initial work was as a production assistant and even a child wrangler (a guardian and manager of sorts for the child actors in a Broadway show) for “The King and I,” he had his foot in the proverbial door. His tenacity, hard work and professional reputation eventually led to his work as a production stage manager.
“War Paint,” marks his 17th Broadway show. His work is not limited to Broadway. He has also supervised touring productions of Broadway shows including Tony-winners “Jersey Boys” and “Memphis,” as well as new musicals including “A Christmas Story” and “Princesses.”
The production stage manager of a Broadway show is basically in charge of the entire production once the show opens and the director and creative team depart for other projects. During each and every performance, he/she (or one of his trained assistants) will “call” the show by cueing all scenery, lighting and sound cues, either verbally or through cue lights.
The production stage manager becomes the de facto director, not only rehearsing understudies and replacement cast members, but also maintaining the quality of the production through frequent viewings of the show from the house and notes given as needed to both cast and crew members.
The production stage manager’s job, however, begins long before opening night and includes such wide-ranging and disparate jobs as attending casting sessions, running production meetings, organizing the studio rehearsal period of the production, supervising the technical rehearsals and pre-opening previews and many other tasks, large and small.
Phillips described the job of the production stage manager as something akin to a pie with three separate yet overlapping wedges – the creative side – maintaining the show and directing the understudies and cast replacements; the technical side – overseeing the show on a weekto-week basis and interfacing with the various crew department heads to keep the show in top shape for a run that may last many months or years and the administrative/organizational side, which encompasses such projects as making the daily, weekly and monthly schedules; writing detailed performance reports of every performance for the producer, director and others; coordinating details with the press department for all press and promotional appearances; running his own staff of three to six assistants; and a myriad of other responsibilities. Though the stage manager is one of the most important and necessary jobs in the theatre, they are frequently overlooked and certainly under-appreciated by general audiences.
Other shows that he remembers with particular fondness are “Pal Joey” with Grease star Stockard Channing (whom Phillips would gladly work with again), “The Front Page,” “A Gentlemen’s Guide…” “Finian’s Rainbow” and the musicalization of the holiday classic “A Christmas Story,” because of the backstage travails that occurred and the ultimate critical and popular approval the show ultimately garnered.
“War Paint,” which opened on Broadway on March 17 of this year, focuses on the relationship between beauty titans Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, and their legacy to the cosmetic industry. The musical features music and lyrics by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie.