The Play’s the Thing
ACT I PRE-PRODUCTION
While Plays-in-the-Park’s summer season officially kicks off with the first show’s 10-day run in June (shows two and three get their 10-day runs in July and August, respectively), preparation begins the previous August. By late that month, Davis has compiled a list of potential shows, taking into consideration what the audience will enjoy and what the crew can successfully bring to the stage. By November, three shows have been selected and approved by the Board of County Commissioners. Once legal rights for each show are secured, the core group of Plays-in-the-Park staff hit the ground running. Sets must be designed and constructed, props created, seasonal staff hired, costumes rented, and performers cast for all three shows. Even with several months until the curtain goes up, every moment counts.
ACT II SETTING THE SCENE
NOW IN ITS 63 RD SEASON
MAKING LIVE THEATER ACCESSIBLE FOR THOUSANDS EACH YEAR
Bringing each show to life begins with research. For Set Designer Mike D’Arcy — who doubles as head scenic painter — this means exploring the time period of the show to understand the atmosphere the crew needs to create on stage. “We want to give the Broadway-quality feel without the Broadway-quality budget,” says D’Arcy. “That’s one of the challenges: ‘How do we make that specific show work for the Plays-in-the-Park stage?’” He works closely with each show’s director and with Griffin to align on the look of the set from a design perspective and determine what will work from a structural standpoint. As part of his process, D’Arcy builds detailed scale models of nearly every set and digital models for the rest. When he finishes designing the set for one show, he moves on to the next, and each completed model is sent to Griffin and the Head of Sound and Lighting Christopher Cichon. As Technical Director, Griffin oversees all technical aspects
“Bringing these productions to the stage requires the creativity, collaboration, and hard work of every member of this team, but together we can make just about
Every summer since 1963, Middlesex County’s Stephen J. Capestro Theatre in Roosevelt Park has come alive with the sounds of music and dancing, laughter and tears… as tens of thousands of people experience the magic of live theater at Plays-in-the-Park. But how many audience members are aware of the amount of work put in behind the scenes to create that magic on stage each night? A small but dedicated team of County employees, led by Producing Artistic Director Margaret “Moggie” Davis and the Theatre’s Technical Director Dave Griffin, work year-round to stage three Broadway-caliber musicals each summer, a children’s show in the autumn, and a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the State Theatre New Jersey in December.
anything happen.” MARGARET “MOGGIE” DAVIS Producing Artistic Director
of each production, as well as the building itself. He uses D’Arcy’s model to create a buildable blueprint that he and his team of carpenters use to build the actual set. Griffin and his team are responsible for ensuring each set is structurally sound and safe for the cast and crew.
8 Your Middlesex | 2025 Issue 1
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