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30th Anniversary Blog: A Letter From Props Designer Danna Segrest
February 5th marked the 30th anniversary of joining Dianna Ibson backstage on Blush At Nothing by Lisa Wing.
February 7, 1991 was the 1st public performance.
I had the honor to be the “dresser at the top of the stairs ” to actor Terry Heck. I had volunteered to help with auditions in the months before and was called in to start backstage. I loved props from my high school musical days but the unique assortment that playwright Lisa Wing put into that show really sealed the deal. The plot of that show was the death of a matriarch and the family’s antics after the reading of her will. She had the inheritance money hidden in such unique items that Ms. Wing had to provide most of the props for the show from her own collection. Giant clam shells, crazy purses and dishes; not to mention the chair made entirely of bull horns. After that production, I wrote a letter to Jeff (Daniels), Doug (Beaumont) & Bart (Bauer) about making my work at The Purple Rose permanent and they agreed! I joined T. Newell Kring, Alan Ribant & Christine Purchis as the staff of the newly formed Purple Rose Theatre company doing business in the Garage Theatre Building, Chelsea, Michigan on July 17, 1991.
My husband, Wade, and I got married in September of that year. Our reception invited my new theatre family to join in celebrating with friends from Automobile Magazine who had let me pursue my theatre dreams while running their office.
There have been many mentors since Dianna Ibson & Terry Heck, Jeff Daniels in the art of “arts business” and choosing the right people to trust in their jobs, Sandy Houde & Dana Gamarra as stage managers, Newell Kring granted me extended opportunities to learn management skills, Judy Gallagher in the enduring art of friendship through ups and downs (and what a tough job fundraising is). Dana White is such a smart, well rounded, inspiration to us all to be better people and make better plays. Vince Mountain has shown me the epitome of the theatre professor/professional. And that “man under the blanket, handcuffed to the barcalounger” -in a leg cast I made for him: Guy Richard Sanville. Mr. Sanville has been a mentor to us all in so many ways. From our first meeting at his Shoe Man audition he has taught me how to think outside the box, that my ideas are always worth sharing, and the true meaning of collaboration.
Though the passing of Dianna & Terry have hit us all hard – their lessons live on through those we continue to teach the love of theatre and the stories we will continue to produce as plays.
I hope to share more memories with you of The Purple Rose Theatre Company’s 30th Anniversary year. Be sure to check back!
Danna Segrest
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