The spotlight at Porthouse Theatre this summer continues to celebrate tradition and aspiring actors, with more upcoming productions yet to come.
With Porthouse Theatre’s summer season in full swing, Tony Hardin, the executive producer, described it as a “season of traditions,” featuring musicals such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “School of Rock.“
While the theater remains open to the public, Hardin said Porthouse Theatre “takes pride” in providing opportunities for Kent State students, and giving them a space to work with professional actors across the country.
“We do use our students, we’re very proud of that because Kent State is Porthouse, Porthouse is Kent State,” Hardin said. “So, it’s incumbent upon us to have that educational opportunity for our current students.”
Hardin, who also serves as the director of the School of Theater and Dance, sees the theater as a way to launch students’ careers.
“Seeing our students succeed on that stage and how it propels them and launches them into their careers is a huge point of pride for the school and for the faculty,” he said. “This gives them professional credits that they can add to their resume.”
When it comes to deciding which shows to produce for upcoming seasons, Hardin said it’s a collaborative process.
“We look at current trends. Terri Kent, the producing artistic director, works with myself and other staff members to come up with a season that is doable, meaning achievable for our staff,” Hardin said.
He also noted that they must obtain the proper rights before moving forward with a show.
Last summer, Porthouse featured “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Nunsense” and closed off with “Annie.”
Behind each performance is months of hard work and decision-making, Hardin emphasized the end result of the production is just the tip of the iceberg.
“What people see on stage is the result of not just weeks of hard work, in terms of the cast and the musicians practicing and rehearsing, going through all of that with the director,” he said. “It’s actually months in the process of designing, like all the shows were designed earlier this spring.”
Still, Hardin pointed out that all the preparation is very fulfilling.
“There are more people working behind the scenes than there are on the stage,” he said.
Tickets are selling quickly for this summer season, as Hardin advises interested audience members to secure their seats soon by visiting the Porthouse Theatre website.
Claire Duber is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
