TAMPA, Fla. — This weekend The Patel Conservatory opens their new show, Tuck Everlasting, at The Straz.
For stage manager Daisy Woodbury, it’s the opportunity she has been working for. Woodbury was an intern at the Straz less than a year ago.
Woodbury said she always had a passion for theater and used to be an actor until she realized she didn’t really like acting.
“So for me, it’s about seeing other people thrive, being the one to take care of the other people, being the one that if someone needs help, they can call on,” said Woodbury.
So Woodbury left the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas for the Gulf Coast beaches of Tampa Bay, landing an internship at the Straz.
“One of the things I love is that our internship really is a pipeline to other jobs, and here at the Straz, we have a lot going on, so we are able to hire Daisy back from being an intern with us last summer. Now she is working as a stage manager of this production,” said Michelle Petrucci, Theater Dept. Chair for The Patel Conservatory.
“Most people don’t get the opportunity right out of college. Most people right now would be working at maybe a smaller theater, or working not even in theater, trying to get their foot in the door,” said Woodbury.
Woodbury is now leading the way for the next break-out stage manager, guiding local high school students through the Technical Theater Apprenticeship Program.
“Basically, those are high school kids who are super interested in technical theater, so everything backstage, they are helping us with,” said Petrucci, who added the shows wouldn’t be possible without these apprentices.
Jay Hilton and Vivian Riffe are among a handful of high school apprentices working on the upcoming production of Tuck Everlasting at the TECO Theater, Feb. 22 to 25.
“My high school theater department is pretty small, but here, there’s a lot more opportunity,” said Riffe.
“I get to experience so many different things; I’ve been doing sound, lights, props, costumes, I’ve been doing everything, and it’s really fun to do,” said Hilton.
These students said it’s motivating to know that Woodbury is just a few years older than them.
“I know Daisy was a big inspiration for me for stage managing,” said Hilton.
Woodbury said she wants ABC Action News viewers to know The Patel Conservatory is a place where dreams do come true, on and off the stage.
“It’s so cool to see how far I’ve grown in a matter of six months since summer to now and getting to rework with the apprentices I worked with over the summer and still having that awesome connection,” said Woodbury.
For more information on tickets to Tuck Everlasting or their internship and apprenticeship programs, go to www.patelconservatory.org.
