SPMS: No Rest for Drama Director, Parents During Spring Break

As South Pasadena Middle School students and teachers recently enjoyed a restful Spring Break away from the classroom and the theater, the same could not be said for drama teacher Marion Tompkins.

“I’ve been busy sewing costumes, making sure our painters are getting their magic done on the sets and generally taking care of many of the behind-the-scenes-essentials that go into ensuring a successful show,” Tompkins, the director of the school's inaugural production of "42nd Street'' said in a prepared statement.

Tompkins is not alone.

According to a press release about the production, many of the adult volunteers who assist Tompkins and the rest of the production team found themselves busy over the break, including Cynthia Duran, mother of 8th grader Nick Duran, who plays comedic lead “Abner Dillon.''

“While my son, Nick and some of his cast mates were exploring Washington, DC on their 8th grade trip, I was meeting with several of our supportive and kind business owners here in town who generously donate items for our production weekend,” the elder Duran said.

“My mom’s the best!” Nick replied when asked how he felt about being 3,000 miles away from home and school with less than 3 weeks until the curtain goes up.  “We’ve got some serious work to do between now and April 19th,” he said, “but I'm sure we’ll be ready.”

Duran and fellow cast members Ellie Kutzer (specialty dancer “Ethel”) and Kate Kutzer (“Dorothy Brock”) joined a group of about 25 other eighth-grade students on English teacher David Miller’s annual trip to Washington, D.C. The Kutzers are nearly-identical twin sisters whose family has a long tradition in the school’s musical productions. Their mother, Rebecca, is this year’s Parent Liaison for the production, coordinating the efforts of dozens of parent volunteers on tasks as varied as set-design, photography and planning the cast party for opening night.

The Kutzer sisters took slightly different approaches to their preparation time-away in the nation's capitol.

Kate opted not to bring her script, and just focused on D.C.  Although she may be “freaking out a little” now that they are less than two weeks from show time, “I think we'll be able to pull it together,” she stated in the release.

Ellie, on the other hand, used what little down time she had in her room after long days sightseeing to practice some of her dance routines with her roommate and fellow castmate Saliko Adams.

“It was totally worth it to go on the trip; we really had a lot of fun. I don’t think the trip got in the way.”

Tickets are on sale now for two evening performances: Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Sunday, April 21st at 2:30 p.m. Order tickets online at http://spms.spusd.net/events.   Tickets are $8.00 general admission, $14.00 drama patron/preferred seating.

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