Lamont Staff Profile: Sara Sachs
“The Magic Behind the Curtain”
I look forward to concerts. I settle into my seat, peruse the program, and slowly, stepping out of the pell-mell pace of life, focus on the performance, a space where real time is suspended; where I can turn off the world and envelop myself in music. The last thing I want to think about is the mechanics behind the event: the stage managing, ushers assigned and ready, equipment or props all in place, smooth set changes, and so on. At Lamont, I don’t have to, thanks to the leadership of Sara Sachs, our Production Manager.
Sara is in her second year at Lamont. She’s a DU graduate, having completed a Bachelor of Arts with majors in theatre and Italian and a minor in history. She came to us with experience as a technical director, auditorium manager, administrative assistant, and stage technician in public schools and the nonprofit world. Her list of freelance theatrical productions included nearly thirty shows at such venues as the Denver Center, Little Theatre of the Rockies, Athena Project Arts, Parker Arts, and others. She has assisted in DU productions as well and continues as Auditorium Manager and Technical Director at Overland High School.
Sara is Colorado-born and raised. She became involved in the arts in middle school through theater, choir, and improvisation groups. Her interest slowly shifted to work behind the stage, becoming part of production crews. Enrolling at DU in 2012, she came in without a major in mind, not certain what she wanted to do. She took a first-year seminar from Pamyla Stiehl in Theatre and loved it. More theater classes and a theater major followed, as did production work in shows by the Theater Department and Lamont.
I asked Sara what draws her to this work. “I like seeing how things come together from start to finish,” she said. “I enjoy being part of creating something, of creating spectacle. I like seeing all of it happen and helping make it happen.”
Her time at Lamont has been special. “I’ve met all these incredible professors, and seeing them excel in their fields and also guiding students has been inspiring. I have learned so much. The students are a tenacious group. Ambitious. They’re also amazing musicians!”
I asked her to take me backstage and describe how the sausage is made. “There is a hustle in the hour before a show opens. First, stagehands show up and have a group meeting about what to expect that evening. We check seats and programs. We make sure we have all the people needed, check with the performers or conductor if there is anything unusual we need to know. Do we need to move chairs? The piano? Is everything working properly? Are we communicating with the right contact person? Lots of logistical aspects. Then there is a sense of calm, those minutes after performers are done utilizing the space for practice and opening the house to the public. During the concert, there is a lot of sitting in the dark but being ready to act, to do, to help in whatever way you can. There’s a lot of sit and wait until it becomes hurry up and wait.”
“There is an artistry to timing from a backstage standpoint. If things are rushed, things can get messy or sloppy. You have to be ready for anything. Someone skips the pre-show speech and just walks on—recalibrate! You need to make sure all the moving parts are in the right place when they need to be. You have to be ready to anticipate something going wrong as much as something going right. There is a huge collaborative aspect to being in productions. You have to help other folks, regardless of whether it is your strong suit or preference because it’s about how you can help.”
I sense from Sara’s animated speech that concert production is an art and a skill, an amalgamation of logistics, listening, intuiting, and reacting, all to create the space for the magic of live performance to happen. “Being part of a production as a whole is incredibly invigorating. If you want fulfillment, production is a good way to do that. You can help foster the environment in which an artist can create.”
You may never see Sara at Lamont’s performances, but know that she and her well-trained crew are there so that you don’t have to think about sausage making; you need only to enjoy the performance.
